Rev. Dr. Monica Dawkins-Smith
Rev. Dr. Monica Dawkins-Smith will serve as the Interim Minister during this period of pastoral transition. She holds a Master of Divinity (’07) and Doctor of Ministry (’16) from Lancaster Theological Seminary.
As an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Dr. Dawkins-Smith has served in various pastoral leadership roles: Conference Minister and President (Penn Central Conference); pastoral roles in churches in Harrisburg, PA and State College, PA.
She currently serves the wider church on the Board of Directors for the Council for Health and Human Services Ministry (CHHSM) and on the Board of Trustees for Lancaster Theological Seminary.
She loves spending time with her adult children, Monica and Cahl and hopes to have grandchildren someday. She also loves to travel and to foster spaces for thoughtful imagination and new ideas. Office hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 9:00-5:00pm (and by appointment)
Lisa Stanger, Office Manager
Lisa Stanger has been with us since August of 2005. Lisa comes from a background of office administration and health care. Lisa is a native of Bloomington. She graduated from Bloomington High School North and attended Indiana University. Lisa has two sons, Sean and Jason. Lisa enjoys reading, bowling, dancing, and traveling.
Derek Roe, Child/Youth Education Coordinator
Derek Roe, M.Div. is our Children’s and Youth Education Coordinator. Previously, he served as one of our Children’s Learning Time teachers for a year before taking on this new role in March 2016. A Kentucky native, Derek did his undergraduate work in psychology before entering ministry, and is currently working toward ordination in the United Church of Christ. Derek is certified in Infant/Child/Adult CPR and First Aid. He lives in Camby with his spouse, Jeannine.
Samuel Grace, Music Director
Samuel Grace is an Associate Instructor and DM student in Choral Conducting at IU. He lived most recently in Minneapolis where he conducts a semi-professional ensemble, MPLS (imPulse). Past sacred music positions include Director of Worship and Music at St. John’s Lutheran Church (Minneapolis) and Calvin Presbyterian Church (Long Lake, MN).
Samuel believes strongly in the inclusive community inspired by sacred music and warmly welcomes new and old musicians of all abilities an opportunity to be involved!
Samuel lives in Bloomington with his wife (Megan) and dog (CJ). In his free time, he enjoys riding his bike, visiting friends, and playing trivia games. Samuel holds degrees from Gustavus Adolphus College and The University of Minnesota.
Hansol Kim, Organist
Hansol Kim, a native of Busan, South Korea, received her Performer Diploma in Organ at Indiana University (2018), where she studied organ performance with Dr. Janette Fishell. She is currently working at Indiana University Children Choir as a pianist. Ms. Kim is a laureate of several performance competitions. Most recently, she was awarded co-second prize at the Sursa American Organ Competition in 2017. She also won first place at the Fox Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists Scholarship Competition in 2016. In addition to appearances as a church musician, she is first and foremost a Christian. Her mission is to bring God’s love to people through her music. She is trying to live as a Christian with spirituality, intellect and sensitivity in Jesus Christ.
Shelli Yoder, M.Div., M.S. serves part-time as our Worship Coordinator. She is committed to issues of social, racial and environmental justice and believes in many ways our work in these areas is worship. Shelli also teaches at Indiana University and is working toward ordination in the United Church of Christ. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services from Indiana University South Bend and a Master’s of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University, where she also earned the Carpenter Certificate in Religion, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Shelli lives in Bloomington with her husband, Josh, and their three children Ivy, Eden and Oakley.