Pastor Price is the Senior Pastor or Head of Staff at St. Paul's. As a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, his primary ministry activities are centered in Word and Sacrament.  In pragmatic terms his priorities include preaching and presiding at the various worship services of the congregation, ensuring that the sick and homebound are receiving appropriate care and regular visits from the deacons, and our Parish Nurse, teaching and leading the Jr. and Sr. High Youth groups, leading a variety of Adult Education programs, and overseeing the staff of the congregation. 

Pastor came to St. Paul's on November 11, 2005. Prior to serving St. Paul's he served as Senior Pastor of First Lutheran, Kearney, Nebraska (2002-2005), Senior Pastor of St. Timothy, Lakewood, California (1996-2002), and Pastor of St. Mark, Columbus, Ohio (1990-1996). He graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio and was ordained a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on April 7, 1990. Pastor received his bachelor's degree in history, from California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California, and he is a graduate of Lutheran High School, La Verne, California. 

Pastor is a fifth generation Californian. He is married to Lisa (Phillips), a native of Bexley, Ohio and a graduate of Ohio State University. Lisa is a Special Education Teacher working within the Lodi Unified School District. They were married on October 8, 1994 and they have been blessed with four children, Luke, Katie, Drew and Nick. Together Lisa and Mark enjoy dating and traveling, playing with their children, dinners with friends, and taking walks in the vineyards. They also enjoy attending and participating in the various events of which the children are a part. At various times apart from the church, one might observe Mark volunteering around town as an assistant park and rec soccer coach, cub scout den leader, or classroom volunteer. Pastor enjoys a variety of sports and despite being married to an Ohio State Buckeye he is an avid fan of USC football.

Pastor has served the ELCA in a variety of capacities including, terms as Synod Treasurer and as the Ecumenical Representative for two bishops. He has served on executive boards for Lutheran Camps, Lutheran Schools, Synod Worship, and Lutheran retirement homes and care facilities. He also is a facillitator for Healthy Start which is a mnistry that seeks to help pastors and congregations who are new to each other have an excellent and healthy first year of ministry together.

Monica Swope is Director of Music and Organist at St. Paul, where she oversees the music ministries of the church and plays organ and piano for worship services. Monica is also a lecturer in voice and serves as a staff accompanist at UOP. She holds the Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from the University of the Pacific, where she studied piano with Frank Wiens, voice with William Whitesides, George Buckbee, and John DeHaan, and conducting with William Dehning and Robert Halseth.

Ms. Swope has performed a Kabalevsky Piano Concerto with the Stockton Symphony Orchestra. She has performed the roles of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Old Maid in Old Maid and the Thief, and has served as Musical Director for Pajama Game and Paint Your Wagon, Oliver, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, La Cage aux Folles, Footloose, Babes in Arms, Falsettoland, Assassins, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Apple Tree, 1940's Radio Hour and more.  Monica has performed over 30 recitals at UOP and elsewhere as an accompanist, including a scene from an opera with John DeHaan, written especially for him (with the composer in the audience). Monica has been involved in church music at various churches, as Organist, Choir Director, and Director of Music for over 22years.

Monica has been married to Mark Swope for 20 years, and has two children, Benjamin and Hannah.

Rita received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education in 2008. She holds a Site Supervisor Credential from the California Department of Education. She also has 15 years each of teaching and administrative experience.

Sueanne joined the St Paul staff in August of 2006 as their Business Manager. Sueanne has lived in Lodi all of her life, attending St Anne's school and Lodi High School. She previously worked for Bank of Stockton and then ran a daycare business out of her home for 10 years.

Sueanne and husband Tim of 17 years have been members of St Paul since 1994. Tim is employed by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. They have 4 children: Connor 14, Cassidy 13, Cameron 12, and Caitlyn 11. Tim and Sueanne are very active in sports with their children and enjoy coaching their baseball and softball teams.

Chris comes to St Paul with 10 years of previous experience working in a church office. She has been here at St Paul since October 2006 when she started part-time, working in the afternoons. August 2008 Chris joined the rest of the St Paul staff full-time as Parish Assistant.

Chris was born and raised in Antioch, California and now lives in Rio Vista with her husband of 16 years, Jerry. She has 3 children: JD, 20  is in the Army and stationed in Germany. Julie, 25 is living in Hawaii with her husband who is stationed in the Army. Stephen, 26 is working and living in Discovery Bay.

 

Wells, 42, is a singer-songwriter who plays several instruments, and he released the smooth-jazzChristian album “Praise Awaits You” in February. While smooth-jazz Christian still is a developing genre, Wells said some Christian radio stations are playing his songs.

A tour is forthcoming, and although dates have not been set, Wells said he wants to come back to Stockton to perform. Unlike other musicians who have left Stockton seeking fame, he credits the city for helping him grow as a musician and person.

“My entire musical development and personal development happened in Stockton,” he said.

Wells was the worship leader at First Baptist Church in Stockton before moving to Nevada to serve at a growing church there.

“I like starting new things,” he said. That is reflected in his music career. The University of the Pacific graduate left a job selling investments to perform Christian music.

His career began as a part-time worship leader as the former Calvary Baptist Church, now the Bridge at Stockton. Wells said although he’s been writing music and singing in church since he was young, he never considered himself a “church musician” until he was at Calvary.

But from there, he began to find other opportunities in Christian music. “God had the plan all along,” he said.

Calvary led him to a full-time position as a worship leader at First Baptist Church, where he also directed choirs and bands. That, in turn, led him to the opening at the Nevada church and to record “Praise Awaits You.”

His latest challenge is promoting the CD, and he’s also working on starting a new church. In the future, he hopes to tour the country reaching out to fans through his music.

“The worship music’s where my passion is,” he said.

---article by Ian Hill, from Christian Music Online

 Oscar and Ninfa are sharing the responsibilities of caring for the church facility.  They also do the landscape maintenance.  Oscar and Ninfa were both born in Mexico, they moved to Lodi 20 years ago.  They have three children and one grandson. Their church home is St. Anne's Catholic Church in Lodi.

Dwight Holmquist is a long-time member of St Paul Lutheran Church, member of the vocal trio Tapestry, and lead in the barbershop quartet Great Western Timbre Company, dba Old Growth Timbre . He has been involved in the music ministries at St Paul since he was a child, including singing in the Chancel Choir, providing solos for worship, directing Peals of Praise, singing with Tapestry in worship and in special concerts that help raise money for the Youth Group, and much more. 

Samples of his barbershop music can be found HERE.

Marilyn is a former nurse and has a depth of knowledge in the medical field.  She heads a health cabinet in the congregation, trying to meet the informational needs of members, from young to old. Together with her health cabinet team, she helps to provide programs and educational information on current health issues. They also work to assist people with needs for physical and spiritual care through resource referral and prayer. She is married to Bill Maki, a Deacon of the congregation. They have 3 adult children and 6 wonderful grandchildren. She enjoys making visits to those in hospitals  or skilled nursing facilities or in homes, and her presence adds a spiritual and medical breadth to our staff.

Marilyn has been a Registered Nurse, actively working in her profession since 1958. She received her BSN in 1975 and completed her Parish Nurse training in 2006 at Fresno State University in 2006. She is the Parish Nurse program co-ordinator for Lodi Memorial Hospital.