JOHN JAY ALVARO

Lead Pastor

As far back as I can remember, church was a part of my family's life. I was baptized as a young boy, when belief was still simple and comforting. I studied architecture and studio art in undergrad, which have been unconventional foundations for how I approach ministry and preaching. I don’t believe in soul mates; and my wife Corrie is my soul mate. My kids Judah and Ruthie are just the coolest humans I know. I love to be outside, hiking, porch sitting and rock climbing. I read way too many books, and buy more books than I have time to read. I like coffee, but I love slow tea. I have found that following Jesus is rarely easy, but it is always good. I also make a lot of music to soothe my restless soul, which you can hear scoring a lot of the recordings we share with the church.

MARCIE LUMPKIN

Operations Director

We love this church and the people that are drawn here…I became a member in 2002. Since then, I’ve helped in the Children’s Ministry department and the Nursery & Pre-school rooms, and I was Church Clerk for the Board of Deacons and Assistant Wedding Coordinator. Outside of church I served on a PTA Board for 17 years. Before joining the staff here, I was the Office Administrator/Bookkeeper for a structural engineering consulting company for 9 years. I enjoy being out in nature, bonfires, walking or riding bikes at the beach, porch time in the desert, rides at amusement parks, and laughing with my family. My husband, our 2 sons & our kitty, Puddin' Pie, keep me on my toes, always! I love them to the moon and back. God has granted me strength to get through tough times. This church has shown me how to be open to God’s love and grace and to trust in Him.

ANDREW MASEMBE

Associate Pastor: Children, Families, Fun!

I am a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. At least that is what I tell myself. In reality, I feel big and try to live big. I love to use my imagination, humor, and creativity to help kids discover how God loves them, sees them, and cares for them. In my spare time you can find me anywhere from running around Disneyland to a soccer field (watching or playing), in nature or just at home playing video games or watching some Disney show/movie. My family means the world to me and I love them all. You can be excused if you don't remember them all but I am OBVIOUSLY Caeden's older brother.

CHIP BARABAS

Associate Pastor: Discipleship and Community

Some of my earliest memories of church were hanging out with friends and talking during Sunday School. Years later, the same teacher passed by my class as I was attempting to share with middle school students, without much success, and exclaimed, “I am grateful Jesus allowed me to live long enough to see you struggle today the same way I struggled teaching you!” Since then I have enjoyed the opportunity to lead in ministry, but with the humble realization that there is probably a better conversation in the back of the room! Some time ago, I moved from Georgia to pursue my MDiv at Fuller Theological Seminary. That amazing experience led me to discover FBCP, which has led to serving as Community Pastor and finding a church family that I have grown to love more and more. One of the best parts of my “job” is to connect people in our church to one another and to offer opportunities for them to lead. If these things can happen at a beach, so much the better! I also love college football and finding new dumpling restaurants in the SGV. If you can find a place that offers both those things, I’ll buy you lunch! Even if we can’t pull that off, at some point I would love to hear your story of how you connected to FBCP.

RILEY TAYLOR

Associate Pastor: Liturgy, Music, Mayhem!

Born and raised in rural South Carolina, I have been playing, singing, and serving in church since early high school, and never dreamed it would turn into my vocation. However, ten years later I find myself in California serving as Pastor in Residence to this lovely community! I first came to FBC while still a seminary student at Duke Divinity School for a summer internship in 2023. I fell in love with California and our fun, accepting, and loving congregation. Then after the Eaton Fires, I was offered to come back full time to help aid our people in any way possible. That being said, I serve in a variety of ways across a variety of programs. I preach, lead worship, lead Sunday School and help out with small groups. I am also in the process of making an album for the church so if that interests you, let me know! Music is the way in which I interpret the world, and I love talking with anyone who feels similarly. If you love vegetables, baseball, college football or fiction, I am also your guy. I believe my calling in life is to follow Jesus and to show his love to others. It is hard, always surprising, and always worth it.

GRETA L. BENNETT

Associate Pastor: Formation and Action

From as far back as I can remember, I have loved the Lord and the church. Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, I was faithful in church attendance, attending Sunday School (now I’m dating myself) and youth group. In my former life, I was a U.S. Army Officer, serving for nearly 29 years!!! DO NOT DO THE MATH! However, God did not allow me to “retire” but sent me here to lovely Pasadena to attend seminary. Now I am blessed to serve here at FBCP. What continues to overwhelm me is how embracing and inclusive the beautiful community of FBCP is. We may be quirky, and we are, but we are united in our love of God and the beautiful human tapestry God created. My go-to scriptures are Proverbs 3:5-6 and Jeremiah 29:11. My favorite chapter in the Bible is Romans 8, and my mission is to live by Micah 6:8 as I walk in the fruit of the Spirit. I don’t get it right all the time, but it’s what I strive for!

Michelle Espinosa

Choir Director

Michelle told me we could make up her bio for her, so here we go…
In a far off land, long, long ago, Michelle started off life as a child actor, mostly in soap operas and commercials for local auto dealerships in her hometown of Anchorage. She hopped shipping containers from up north down to California, where she reinvented herself as a Choir Director. She apprenticed with Władziu Valentino Liberace, which is unorthodox for a church Choir Director. But hey, Michelle has always played by her own rules. Her favorite hymn is #536 in the old Nazarene hymnal, Glorious Gospel. Given her time as a young adult on trans-oceanic ships to chart out a new life, this should come as no surprise. “Linger, O blessed Redeemer,/Leave me alone no more;/And with joy I shall make the blest harbor,/And rest on the blissful shore.”

KATHY OLIVER

Operations Admin

Let me get this out of the way:  this is absolutely the best job in the world!  And I’m not just saying that because my bosses will read this.  I came to FBCP about 6 years ago with my husband Trent.  We were hooked from the first service we attended, and became regulars pretty quickly (except, of course, when the NFL had the nerve to schedule our games on Sunday mornings).  We were kind of quiet, sitting in the back and not really getting to know a lot of people, but that worked for us.  When Trent passed away suddenly four years ago, I couldn’t have anticipated how much love and support I would receive from this church family.  It’s truly been astonishing.  And now…to be able to help to support the pastoral staff and community that has brought so much healing and light—pinch me!  Just FYI, I’m not quiet anymore—I have loved getting to know people here at FBCP and hope to meet many more friends as we grow. Outside of this church family, I have two fantastic, grown children who live nearby and a cat who thinks she is the center of my universe.  I love to travel and taste wine, walk, and spend time with family and friends, and to learn more about faith and God’s love.

RICK ESPINOSA

Ministry Admin

I’ve been going to church all my life so I figured why not work there? I’m a band conductor by trade - that career took my wife and I from Southern California to Baylor University in Waco, TX for 6 years. Then we moved to Joplin, MO for 5 years while I taught marching bands and concert bands at Missouri Southern State University. We moved back home to Southern California in 2019. I worked at Cal State Long Beach as a band director for a year and we bought a home here in Pasadena in 2025. My amazing wife Michelle is a choir director here in Pasadena at Marshall Secondary on Allen. We’ve been married since 2006 and have 2 awesome boys, Ethan & Lucas. I’m a fan of cooking and eating. I also like cats.

Natalee Ellis

Volunteer Coordinator

I am a native Californian who absolutely loves it here! I attended Azusa Pacific University and majored in Sociology. After working in business process improvement and various other areas, I quit and became a stay at home mom for a VERY long time! I have spent the last - let's just say 'MANY' - years homeschooling my two sons. I am married to my very best friend, Jason and we made two pretty fantastic humans, Asher and Bennett. A dog will always round out our family! We came to FBC in 2018 after being a part of a church plant in Hollywood for about 15 years. We wanted a place where we had community and theology that helped us experiance God's love and show God's love to others. That's what we found here! In 2023, I began my training to become a Spiritual Director and I love walking with others through the beauty and complexity of life with Jesus! In my free time, I love tending to my veggie garden, practicing West Coast Swing dancing and enjoying time with friends and family over a cup of coffee or a good cocktail! 

MARCO ECHAURY

Maintenance Supervisor

I’ve been at FBCP for about 14 years, and I have three beautiful daughters. In my free time, I love to pray and talk to people about Jesus. Work and life can be hard, but I’ve learned that my joy comes from the Lord. Right now, I’m meditating on Isaiah 40:31, which says that “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.” God gave Isaiah this verse when the Jews had been taken out of their land and some of them had lost their faith. The verse goes on to talk about soaring like eagles–and if you know about eagles, they have a difficult time when their molten feathers go away, and they suffer a lot, but after some months, they grow new feathers which help them to soar high. Hang in there when times are tough, friends!

Paul Baker

Harpist/Pianist/Organist

Paul has been part of this church for decades, played musical styles as varied as the ministers he has served beside. He is usually found sitting at the grand piano in the sanctuary. But if you stick around long enough, you will find him with a harp in hand during Advent and Christmas. And if you REALLY stick around and get to know him, you will find that he is one of the quietly funniest guys you will ever meet. Paul is a gift.

STEPH WONG (they/she)

Sound Magician

I've been part of church production in one form or another since I was in high school. The church where I grew up was not LGBTQ+ accepting, and the sound booth was an easy place for an awkward queer teen to hide. Even still, I was convinced of the goodness of God. I never expected to continue running sound after high school, but God's plans are funny that way, aren't they? After leaving my job at my childhood church, I've been blessed to find FBCP, and even more blessed to work here. Production can often be stressful and chaotic, but it's a joy to be a part of the many forms worship takes! In my free time, I love playing D&D, listening to music, playing tennis and pickleball, and spending time with my friends.

BOARD OF DEACONS

Naming them left to right will not work in this situation, so we will go with ending position, front and back row…

Back Row left to right: Rich Laski(Treasurer), Jessica Henson (Moderator), Judy Sutterlin(Clerk), Dave Powell
Front Row left to right: Saskia Pallais (Vice Moderator), Matt Christopher

Bar Bar & Lissy

Church Cats Emeritus

Bartholo-meow and Fur-licity retain the honorary title of Church Cats Emeritus, from henceforth and forever more (or until another, saner staff comes along and edits this website). In the Fall of 2025, our church found itself in troubled times. Experiencing storms within and without, we were heading into Advent with heavy shoulders and lots of unknowns. Then one Sunday Pastor John Jay stepped out of his office to find a kitten wandering around his side door. Then another kitten popped out, then another! Assuming some sort of miracle had occurred, and not being a cat-person himself, he summoned the first feline fans he could find. “Look what God gave us!” Marcie, being the most feline-fan of them all, was quick to the task. We located all the kittens, and then found their parents. Mom and Dad were a beautiful pair of grey and white cats, and their kittens were just old enough to be adopted. Quickly members of our church community took them home, one by one. But before we could hum Boyz II Men, Licy got pregnant again, and right in the church courtyard no less. This time we fostered the parents until the next litter arrived, adopted those kittens to new homes, and took the parents (now snipped and snapped) back to the church courtyard. Slowly they charmed pretty much everyone on the staff, Pastor John Jay included. And as mentioned before, he isn’t really a “cat person.” Then one day someone left a door propped and they wandered into the offices. Then someone bought cat food and cat toys and cat beds and helped them to continue wandering into the offices. Indoor/outdoor church cats is a cute concept, but in the heat of the summer and with the erratic schedules of a church staff, it made the most sense for all creatures involved to find them a new home with a family. So why write all of this, now the longest of our Team bios? In ways we could not have planned for, God gave us a little bit of joy and companionship through these unexpected creatures. And especially for Marcie, Kathy and Greta, these cats gave comfort and affection. Bar Bar slept in Marcie’s office into the late afternoon when Marcie gets a lot of her work done otherwise solo. Lissy snuck into Pastor John Jay’s office when no one was looking and shredded his couch lining (in love). Cats have a long tradition in church life. Julian of Norwich had a cat with her in her solitary room where she wrote her masterpiece, Revelations of Divine Love. And for a few sweet months, we had cats keep us company. Thanks be to God.