Ministry Team
The Church Ministry Team consists of men and women appointed for providing leadership under the direction of the Pastor-Teacher and the Pastoral Team for the purpose of implementing the various ministries of the church. Together with the Pastoral Team, the Church Ministry Team works to equip the people of Del Rey Church to better serve Christ and thereby bring glory to God. The purpose of this team is to work as ministers among ministers. As a church, we believe that all Christians are called to be ministers. The Bible declares that we are all – as Christians – the royal priesthood of God (see 1 Peter 2:5, 2:9). As the royal priesthood, we proudly identify the people of our church as ministers. Thus, when it is asked, “Who is the minister of this Church?,” let it be proudly answered by all Christians who regularly attend our church – “I am.” We are all ministers for the glory of Jesus Christ. The Church Ministry Team serves the church by calling the world into a life of ministry and service unto the Lord Jesus.
LUCY RODGERS - Church Administrative Extraordinaire
Lucy Rodgers came to Del Rey Church in 2010. She was (and is) an absolute gift from God. After volunteering in various capacities at the church, Lucy formally joined our ministry team and ever since things have never been the same. Did we mention, she is a gift from God. Lucy was raised around the church and journeyed with God on some paths as He formed her into the woman she is today. In college she majored in philosophy and in the business world she had great success in everything from operations to management and beyond. As a crucial member of our ministry team, Lucy's life has equipped her with incredible gifts and skills in administrating many of the nuts and bolts of our church. She lovingly helps welcome and assimilate people into church life, connecting people to resources and setting them on mission for serving others in the community. Lucy serves tirelessly and she refuses to take a pay check for it. If we did such a thing, Lucy would get the volunteer of the year award every year. In addition to serving in ministry, she also enjoys photography, cooking and reading. She is like real evangelical version of Martha Stewart - awesome at everything she touches! Lucy has traveled the world and has touched many lives along the way. Lucy and her husband Dave live in the neighborhood and together they have a huge heart for helping others.
TONY SHEN - Church Ministry
Tony Shen and his amazing wife, Jenni, came to Del Rey Church in 2005. They instantly became an active presence in the church and our preschool. Together they are the proud parents of three adorable children. Tony joined our staff in 2011 after many years of success in the business world, including the last several in non-profit public secondary education. He is a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied economics, and UCLA where he completed his MBA. Tony is currently finishing the counselor training program in the Del Rey Bible Institute and also pursuing studies in theology. At church you can find him wearing various hats, filling in the gaps and helping us renovate our ministries for bigger and better aims as we seek to spread the gospel in our community and beyond. In his spare time, Tony enjoys running, reading and being with his family. We are very thankful to have Tony on our ministry team and see him using his talents and lending his hands to help build the church.
ERIKA JONES - Children’s Ministry Director
Erika Jones has been a vital part of this church since the late 90s. She has walked with Christ since her childhood, when the Lord saved her by His amazing grace. Erika has served as a missionary overseas in Africa and India, and closer to home at an orphanage in Mexico. She is the daughter of a pastor (and now married to a pastor, our very own, Matt Jones). Erika was home-educated (along with her 5 siblings) until attending college, graduating from Biola University with a bachelor’s degree in humanities and a minor in biblical studies. Afterward, she attended graduate school at Talbot School of Theology, only to later transfer to Chapman University, where she earned a master’s degree in teaching. Erika holds a California State Teaching Credential and loves to talk about teaching, parenting, youth culture and curriculum. She enjoyed an active career as a middle school teacher, which she gladly swapped for the active life of a mother of three children. Combining her amazing upbringing with her passion for Christ and education in teaching, Erika serves the church as our Children’s Ministry Director (in addition to a whole assortment of details behind the scenes). In her spare time (of what little she has), Erika enjoys reading, swimming, gardening, and freelance writing (she's published children's literature and academic journals).
CLARA MORALES - DRCCC Director
Clara Morales has been working at DRCCC since April 2006. After attending Del Rey Church, Clara says she felt a renewed called to work in ministry. This desire, combined with her life-long passion to work with children inspired her to accept a position as lead teacher in the 3-year-old classroom (also known as the “Froggie” class). Clara received her teaching credentials from El Camino College. She hopes to one day go back and receive her A.A. in early childhood education. Clara displays her love for her favorite activity - music - and is our NEW Jesus Time teacher. She also enjoys movement and outside activities such as duck-duck goose. Clara is such an inspiration to new teachers, and she mentors many of them. Clara is married to Mario, who also works on staff at Del Rey Church in our facilities department, and they have two children; Illiana and Mario. When Clara is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, specifically, watching her own children play sports.
SARPONG BOATENG - Youth Ministry Worker
Sarpong has been a part of the family of Del Rey Church since 2007, when he and his wife Annie began attending. They are the proud parents of a son, Oliver, and a daughter, Indie. Sarpong is a native to the Los Angeles scene and cultural, proudly hailing from the city of Paramount where he went to high school and starred as a track athlete. He was raised by a mother who actively shared Christ with him and the importance of serving others in the church. After high school, Sarpong took up a career in coaching, which he gave up to pursue a calling in the music industry as a rapper in the famous LA Symphony hip hop group. They released 8 albums and toured the country playing in churches, clubs and shows. In addition to his musical endeavors, Sarpong graduated from California State University with a bachelor's degree in film. His passion for film and music was a perfect fit for working with youth, who are notorious for being overly consumed by media. Using his background in youth sports, music and film, Sarpong brings life to the Bible for our youth in our church's ministries to the young.
CANDACE WELTY - Church Media Artist
Candace has been attending Del Rey Church for over 10 years. She began as volunteer in our youth group and years later joined our staff in our preschool (DRCCC). When she joined the DRCCC staff she started as a teacher's aide. Candace went to college and completed training in early childhood education and then became a teacher in our school. With years of education and hard work under her belt, Candace eventually became the director our of our school and helped grow our program into the healthy and vibrant ministry that it is today. Wanting to slow down the crazy schedule of preschool ministry and focus on the homefront, Candace decided to hang up her director position in order to homeschool her three children. Yet, she still had a bug for doing ministry and she is crazy talented so we recruited her to join our ministry team as the media artist, making flyers, posters, mailers and doing web stuff to market and advertise the church's ministries to the fellowship and the broader community. When she is not at work, Candace enjoys scrap-booking, traveling to places like Big Bear and Hawaii, and spending time with her husband Chris (who is one of our pastors at DRC) and their sweet children.
