Rev. Dr. Steve Wright, Organizing Pastor [send email]
Steve grew up in Orange County and he loves it here. In his younger years, he enjoyed competitive swimming, water polo, and days spent at the beach. He graduated from Long Beach State with a degree in Speech Communication and later went on to complete a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. The love of his life is his wife, Joy. They married in 1988 and together they are raising three energetic children: Matthew, a sophomore at San Juan Hills High School, Andy, an eighth grader at Ladera Ranch Middle School, and daughter, Mackenzie, a third grader at Chaparral Elementary School.

Prior to moving to Ladera Ranch, Steve served churches in Fullerton and Huntington Beach.

An interest in “missional theology” inspired Steve to continue his education at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In addition to his course work, he learned to eat grits and say “hey y’all” with a very convincing accent. The title of his final project was, "A Missional Community Under Construction: A Creative Approach to New Church Development in South Orange County, California."

To read more about the day to day world of Village Presbyterian Church, visit Steve's blog porchpondering.com.

Rev. Leanne Strommen, Associate Pastor of Children's Ministries [send email]
Leanne is grew up in Mission Viejo and graduated from UC Santa Barbara.

Leanne met her husband Kevin at the bank and they have been married since 1991. They have one son, Noah, who is eleven years old and attends St. John's Episcopal School.

With love, support and lots of babysitting from family and friends, Leanne earned her Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2001. She has served as Associate Pastor for Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana and as Director of Children’s Ministries at Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church and at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Costa Mesa.

Leanne is pleased to now be serving the people of Village Presbyterian Church who are joining together to build a lasting church community in Ladera Ranch. She is privileged to be a part of these family’s lives and to experience with them God’s life-changing love. She is especially passionate about helping children to understand that church isn’t just for grown-ups. Even the youngest are an integral part of the Body of Christ. It is her hope to partner with families to give children a solid foundation in Jesus Christ, beginning their life long journey of faith.

When not working or chauffeuring Noah, Leanne loves to read, bake and try her hand at gardening. As a family, Kevin, Leanne and Noah enjoy going to Disneyland, doing home improvement projects, and playing golf.

Matthew Stark, Director of Music
After an lengthy excursion to Northern California in 2009, we are pleased to have Matthew Stark back on our staff. He and his wife, Kimberly, live in Mission Viejo with their three children (and another on the way). We are all pleased to have the Stark family back in Orange County (right where they belong).

Rev. Dr. Steve Wright, Organizing Pastor [send email]
Steve grew up in Orange County and he loves it here. In his younger years, he enjoyed competitive swimming, water polo, and days spent at the beach. He graduated from Long Beach State with a degree in Speech Communication and later went on to complete a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. The love of his life is his wife, Joy. They married in 1988 and together they are raising three energetic children: Matthew, a sophomore at San Juan Hills High School, Andy, an eighth grader at Ladera Ranch Middle School, and daughter, Mackenzie, a third grader at Chaparral Elementary School.

Prior to moving to Ladera Ranch, Steve served churches in Fullerton and Huntington Beach.

An interest in “missional theology” inspired Steve to continue his education at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In addition to his course work, he learned to eat grits and say “hey y’all” with a very convincing accent. The title of his final project was, "A Missional Community Under Construction: A Creative Approach to New Church Development in South Orange County, California."

To read more about the day to day world of Village Presbyterian Church, visit Steve's blog porchpondering.com.

Rev. Leanne Strommen, Associate Pastor of Children's Ministries [send email]
Leanne is grew up in Mission Viejo and graduated from UC Santa Barbara.

Leanne met her husband Kevin at the bank and they have been married since 1991. They have one son, Noah, who is eleven years old and attends St. John's Episcopal School.

With love, support and lots of babysitting from family and friends, Leanne earned her Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2001. She has served as Associate Pastor for Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana and as Director of Children’s Ministries at Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church and at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Costa Mesa.

Leanne is pleased to now be serving the people of Village Presbyterian Church who are joining together to build a lasting church community in Ladera Ranch. She is privileged to be a part of these family’s lives and to experience with them God’s life-changing love. She is especially passionate about helping children to understand that church isn’t just for grown-ups. Even the youngest are an integral part of the Body of Christ. It is her hope to partner with families to give children a solid foundation in Jesus Christ, beginning their life long journey of faith.

When not working or chauffeuring Noah, Leanne loves to read, bake and try her hand at gardening. As a family, Kevin, Leanne and Noah enjoy going to Disneyland, doing home improvement projects, and playing golf.

Matthew Stark, Director of Music
After an lengthy excursion to Northern California in 2009, we are pleased to have Matthew Stark back on our staff. He and his wife, Kimberly, live in Mission Viejo with their three children (and another on the way). We are all pleased to have the Stark family back in Orange County (right where they belong).