Our regional staff are a friendly,
responsible
group of dedicated professionals with decades of experience and
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JINSUK
"JOHN" CHUN New Church
Development &
Asian American
Pacific Island
Ministries WILFREDO
DEL PILAR Co-Director,New
Church
Development-Hispanic
Ministries XOSE
ESCAMILLA Co-DIrector,New
Church
Development-Hispanic
Ministries PERRY
SPENCER JR Minister of
African-American/Urban
Ministries
DON DEWEY Co-Regional Minister
Born in Eugene, Oregon, Don
spent some early years in Indiana and Illinois, though he primarily
grew up and
lived in various parts of California. His Jr. High, High School and
first two
years of college were spent in Dinuba and Reedley, CA. After brief
times in
Oregon and Kansas, Don has since lived in Berkeley, El Sobrante, La
Mesa/San
Diego, and Ventura, CA. Don received his BA in
Christian Education & Religious Studies from Northwest Christian
College,
Eugene, Oregon and his Masters of Divinity Degree in Theology & Art
from
Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA. Don was ordained into the
Christian
Church, Disciples of Christ, May 21, 1983 in Berkeley, CA. He has served
churches in
Hanford, CA (75-77), Wichita, KS (78-79), Tiburon, CA (79-80),
Richmond, CA
(80-81), 5 UMC Churches in a
co-operative Youth Ministry in No. Ca. (83-84), La Mesa, CA (85-97),
and
Ventura, CA (97-07)
SUSAN
GONZALES DEWEY Co-Regional Minister &
Office of Disciples Women I
was born in Spokane,
Washington into a Military Officer’s family. There are two brothers and
one
sister in my family. We traveled a lot while young, even living for a
short
time in England. My family settled in Garden Grove, where I attended
High School
and graduated from Cal State Fullerton. Then I attended Pacific School
of
Religion in Berkeley and graduated with my Master’s of Divinity degree.
I met
and married Don, and we have two children, Noah, 23, and Leah, 21. I
grew up in
the United Methodist Church and served three UMC churches before
joining the
Disciples. I was ordained into Christian ministry at Vista La Mesa
Church
Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) in 1989 where I served for 12
years and
I have served First Christian Church, Ventura for the last 10years. I
have also
served as a Deployed Staff for the Office of Disciple Women for the
Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) Pacific Southwest Region since1995. I
enjoy
reading, sitting on the beach, traveling and spending time with family
and
friends.
MARIE
DURFLINGER, Bookkeeper/Accountant Marie
Durflinger, Bookkeeper, is happy to be back working in the Regional
Office.
She resides in Norwalk and is a member of the Downey Memorial Christian
Church. Formerly, she was a member of the South Gate First
Christian
Church. She has three sons - Bruce, Keith and Philip - and 5
grandchildren.
She enjoys being active with the Disciples Women, Church Women United
and
the Optimist Club.
JINSUK "JOHN"
CHUN,
New Church Development & Asian American Pacific Island Ministries I
came from Seoul, Korea to California in the summer of 1995. My family
lives
in Claremont. In my college years, I studied European
Social
History and Church History. My emphasis was on the Christian role in
transforming
the authoritarian society into a democratic system. I completed
my
course work and qualifying exam for my Ph.D at Claremont Graduate
University,
while also attending the San Francisco Theological Seminary, here in
Southern
California. My vision is to teach young people Christian history
and philosophy, and help them live as "disciples of Jesus Christ' in
the
secular world. My wife, Myungsun "Grace", and I are now serving
as
co-pastors of Sallims Christian Church in Newport Beach.
WILFREDO
DEL PILAR, New
Church Development-Hispanic Ministries I
was born in Puerto Rico, the fifth of ten siblings. My father
died
while serving the army in Germany. When I was eight, my mother
converted
from being a passive Catholic to a very active Presbyterian. In
1948,
we moved to another town and the only church similar to the
presbyterians
was the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, so my mother, with her
ten
children, joined that church. In 1967, I moved to California
where
I met my wife. We were married one year later and have five
children.
I attended California State University at Dominguez Hills and received
a BA in Hispanic Literature and minored in Mexican American Studies. I
also attended Fuller Theological Seminary, but left seminary life one
year
short of graduation. On September 8, 1974, my wife and I started the
first Hispanic church in Southern California. My wife completed her
Certificate
of Ministry Program and we were ordained to the ministry on September
7,
2003. I enjoy classical music and wood working.
XOSE
ESCAMILLA, New Church Development-Hispanic Ministries Born
a "PK" in Mexico, 1968, currently the pastor of Casa de Oracion
Christian
Church in San Diego and also attending San Francisco Theological
Seminary
in Southern California, Claremont, working toward a MDiv. I
married
my wife Ofelia in 1990 and we have two children, Daniel, 12, and
Priscila,
7. I have lived in Southern California since 1979 when I
immigrated
to the United States with my father, mother and younger sister. I
became
a U.S. citizen in 1988 and worked in the construction industry for 15
years
before going into ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ).
PERRY
SPENCER JR, Minister of African-American/Urban Ministries Native
of Los Angeles, CA. Received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology
from
Chapman University in Orange, CA. I am a licensed minister of the
Pacific
Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Currently
I serve on the ministerial staff of First Christian Church (Disciples
of
Christ) in Lynwood, CA where my father Rev. Perry Spencer Sr. is the
pastor/teacher.
I have a passion for preaching and teaching the uncompromising, true,
infallible,
Word of God for the dual purpose of spiritually edifying, maturing and
nurturing the Body of Christ, and for proclaiming the gospel message of
salvation in Jesus Christ to the lost in the world. As the Deployed
Staff
for African-American Ministries and Urban Ministries, I am enthusiastic
about working with the African-American Disciple pastors, churches and
other churches in the Pacific Southwest Region, as we seek to
spiritually
equip our parishioners for the work of ministry.
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Marie
Durflinger, Bookkeeper, is happy to be back working in the Regional
Office.
She resides in Norwalk and is a member of the Downey Memorial Christian
Church. Formerly, she was a member of the South Gate First
Christian
Church. She has three sons - Bruce, Keith and Philip - and 5
grandchildren.
She enjoys being active with the Disciples Women, Church Women United
and
the Optimist Club. 
I
came from Seoul, Korea to California in the summer of 1995. My family
lives
in Claremont. In my college years, I studied European
Social
History and Church History. My emphasis was on the Christian role in
transforming
the authoritarian society into a democratic system. I completed
my
course work and qualifying exam for my Ph.D at Claremont Graduate
University,
while also attending the San Francisco Theological Seminary, here in
Southern
California. My vision is to teach young people Christian history
and philosophy, and help them live as "disciples of Jesus Christ' in
the
secular world. My wife, Myungsun "Grace", and I are now serving
as
co-pastors of Sallims Christian Church in Newport Beach. 
I
was born in Puerto Rico, the fifth of ten siblings. My father
died
while serving the army in Germany. When I was eight, my mother
converted
from being a passive Catholic to a very active Presbyterian. In
1948,
we moved to another town and the only church similar to the
presbyterians
was the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, so my mother, with her
ten
children, joined that church. In 1967, I moved to California
where
I met my wife. We were married one year later and have five
children.
I attended California State University at Dominguez Hills and received
a BA in Hispanic Literature and minored in Mexican American Studies. I
also attended Fuller Theological Seminary, but left seminary life one
year
short of graduation. On September 8, 1974, my wife and I started the
first Hispanic church in Southern California. My wife completed her
Certificate
of Ministry Program and we were ordained to the ministry on September
7,
2003. I enjoy classical music and wood working.
Born
a "PK" in Mexico, 1968, currently the pastor of Casa de Oracion
Christian
Church in San Diego and also attending San Francisco Theological
Seminary
in Southern California, Claremont, working toward a MDiv. I
married
my wife Ofelia in 1990 and we have two children, Daniel, 12, and
Priscila,
7. I have lived in Southern California since 1979 when I
immigrated
to the United States with my father, mother and younger sister. I
became
a U.S. citizen in 1988 and worked in the construction industry for 15
years
before going into ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ). 
Native
of Los Angeles, CA. Received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology
from
Chapman University in Orange, CA. I am a licensed minister of the
Pacific
Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Currently
I serve on the ministerial staff of First Christian Church (Disciples
of
Christ) in Lynwood, CA where my father Rev. Perry Spencer Sr. is the
pastor/teacher.
I have a passion for preaching and teaching the uncompromising, true,
infallible,
Word of God for the dual purpose of spiritually edifying, maturing and
nurturing the Body of Christ, and for proclaiming the gospel message of
salvation in Jesus Christ to the lost in the world. As the Deployed
Staff
for African-American Ministries and Urban Ministries, I am enthusiastic
about working with the African-American Disciple pastors, churches and
other churches in the Pacific Southwest Region, as we seek to
spiritually
equip our parishioners for the work of ministry.
