Dr. Paul Tellström
paul@iucc.org

The Rev. Dr. Paul G. Tellström was called to the Irvine United Congregational Church on February 26, 2006. Paul received his B.S. from Syracuse University and his Masters of Divinity with honors from the Claremont School of Theology, where he also received The Claremont Distinguished Preaching Award. His Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching was earned at the Chicago Theological Seminary, through the ACTS D. Min. in Preaching program.

For eleven years, Paul was on the board of Hope-Net, an interfaith non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating hunger and homelessness in Los Angeles. He is the immediate past president of Hope-Net, an agency that has grown to form a network of twelve food pantries and six feeding programs throughout the city. In addition to food pantries that operate throughout the week, Hope-Net owns Hope-West Apartments, a 17-unit low income apartment complex.

The Rev. Dr. Tellström is the recipient of the 2001 Paul Rothman Humanitarian Award. This award was given in honor of his service to the fight against HIV/AIDS by AIDS ReSearch Alliance.

Paul comes to us as the immediate past Senior Minister of the Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church, where he spent eight years. His work at that church is featured in Dr. William Avery's book, Revitalizing Congregations, in the chapter entitled, Peace Congregational Church. In 2001, their story was featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, and in 2002, he accepted the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Social Justice on behalf of the church.

more about Rev. Paul Tellström >

Elizabeth Griswold - Associate Pastor
elizabeth@iucc.org
Irvine UCC is happy to announce that on November 15 we called a new Associate Pastor.  Elizabeth Griswold is certainly no stranger to the Southern California/Nevada Conference, as you will see below. 

Elizabeth grew up in Carlsbad, California and was a member of Pilgrim United Church of Christ, where she was recently In-Care.  She graduated from UCLA in 2000 with degrees in English and Religion.  After graduation, she chose to live in an intentional Christian community in voluntary poverty, serving as a social justice advocate for the Los Angeles Catholic Worker Community, helping to provide for the homeless through a soup kitchen, free medical/dental clinic, and religious and counseling services.  She later spent a year as a volunteer English teacher at an indigenous Mayan community school in Guatemala through Church of the Brethren Volunteer Service.  She attended Pacific School of Religion for one year before transferring to Harvard Divinity School from which she graduated in 2009 earning her Masters of Divinity degree. 

While at Harvard, Elizabeth lived in the Cambridge Cooperative Club, an intergenerational housing collective, with members ranging in age from 24 to 80.  She helped lead the UCC student group and WomenChurch Worshipping Community while helping to organize events on campus for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice.  She regularly attended ecumenical and interfaith worship services, including at local synagogues.  Earlier this year, she was a visiting participant at both the Taizé International Ecumenical Monastic Christian Community and Plum Village Buddhist Monastery in France.

While all of her social justice activities are too numerous to list, Elizabeth has been involved with the UCC Justice and Peace Action Network, Global Ministries in Guatemala and South Africa, Harvard Prison Education Project, War Resisters League of San Francisco, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, among many others.  Elizabeth has provided bilingual crisis intervention and long-term case management to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, tutored children in San Francisco, and counseled homeless youth. 

Elizabeth’s goal has been to serve as a parish minister: “What a privilege it would be to baptize children, to help lead marriage ceremonies and funerals – to really walk beside people through all the different stages of life.”  She was seeking a congregation similar to the one she grew up in where she could do social justice advocacy and some international work.  At Pilgrim, she served as a guest preacher, liturgist, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher, choir member and fundraiser for international outreach projects.  She has also been a counselor at Pilgrim Pines Camp and Conference Center.

She enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures and languages, spending time at the beach, meditation and exercise (bike-riding and yoga), talking with people, and reading.  Her parents still reside in Carlsbad, and her siblings and their families are all Southern California residents. 

She will be leading our programs for children, youth, and young families, as we seek to expand our outreach in those regards.throughout the region.

Robinmarie McClement - Adult Program Director
robinmarie@iucc.org

"The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place to spend one's leisure." This quote by Sydney Harris has always inspired me. It is what I try to inspire in Christian Education. To provide a safe and loving environment for children and adults alike to explore their faith and to learn about what the Bible proclaims. A place where discovery is possible and theology is grounded in the great mystery of God and the universe in which we live. 

Robinmarie has been working in church ministry for over 20 years. Having been raised a catholic gave her a deep sense of spiritual connection, however she felt boxed in and always had more questions than could be answered. Joining the UCC as a teenager in Scottsdale , Arizona she began to feel more comfortable in her connection to God and her call to serve. She has been involved with many churches over the years in the UCC in Arizona and California and has served on the conference level on several different boards and ministries. She has been a member of IUCC for ten years.

Additionally, she received her degree in Childhood Development and has taught in the local area for 15 years. She has a great love for Outdoor Ministries and has also served as the Director of Program and Operations at Pilgrim Pines UCC Camp in Oak Glen, California for two years. She maintains involvement both as a volunteer and staff member for retreats and programs including summer camp. She is a certified facilitator for teambuilding and low and high ropes programs. Robinmarie enjoys being active in the American Camping Association where she served as the Program Chairperson for the Camp West Conference for 2005. When she is not at church, she can be found with her family, playing golf or at the high school where her son, Alex attends as the "Comedy Sportz Mom" working with the students and school team. 

"It is important to me to help the children (of all ages) to realize that Jesus saw everything as being alive. To help them understand the scriptures and what they say to them. To ensure discovery and to help them realize their own destiny. What does the Lord require of you? This is something we explore each week here. That is why it is such an exciting place to be. To offer a place of peace where we can all make that journey together is my goal and as Sai Baba said 'With Faith, we can achieve anything. Faith is the foundation for the realization of God'."

Irma Rosales - Director of Early Childhood Center
ccc@iucc.org

Irma Rosales is the Director of the Irvine United Congregational Church Early Childhood Center. Her love for children and her commitment to the school led her to this position. Irma has over nine years of experience in her field.

Irma's responsibility is to oversee the development of each child in the program. From early on in her career, she understood just how important it was for young children to gain a strong sense of self. Here at IUCC, she and her staff of seven foster each child towards the goal, by focusing on the "whole" child.

The entire staff feels that this philosophy helps their students develop balance, which will give them a strong foundation on which to learn.

The center has a strong curriculum, as Irma and her staff feel that it is important that children attain the skills needed for kindergarten. Aside from academics, they also spend a great deal of time teaching social skills, sharing, language development, and conflict-management. Irma and her teachers work hard to maintain a positive learning environment that is fun and enjoyable for all.

As director and a mother herself, Irma looks forward to many years of happiness and fulfillment in watching the students of IUCC's preschool grow in knowledge and self-confidence.

For information regarding the work of our ministries and committees
please contact the church office at iucc@iucc.org.  Your correspondence will be directed to
the appropriate chairperson.