BAY SHORE CHURCH - Key Persons
Felicity Miller has worked for Bay Shore Church for over 20 years. She started her position as Nursery Caregiver when she was 18 years old and studying Childhood Education at Long Beach City College. Since then, she married Lonnie Ray Miller and had two wonderful children of her own, Madison and Soren. Felicity lives in Huntington Beach with her family and has also worked at Hyundai Motor America for the last 16 years. She loves all the babies and toddlers she has the opportunity to care for each week and enjoys seeing them grow into wonderful young people. She also enjoys meeting and working with all of the wonderful families at Bay Shore.
Job Titles:
- Office Manager
- Our Office Manager
Heather Nelson is the Office Manager at Bay Shore Church. She is a Bellflower/Lakewood native, and attended Lakewood High School and Long Beach City College. She has a long history of volunteer work and service, both locally and nationally. She currently lives in Lakewood with her husband, mom, three kids, and one mischievous cat named Goose. Her hobbies include working on her planner scrapbook, watching movies, and working on her growing miniature collection. She grew up in the Methodist church and is proud to be able to serve the Bay Shore Church community. She brings warmth, enthusiasm, and organization to her position. She'll be glad to greet you in person or over the phone and help connect you to our church and various ministries and groups.
Our office manager, Heather Nelson, is always there to greet you with a warm smile and help you with whatever you need from the front office. Our bookkeeper, treasurer and financial secretary providing oversight and transparency for all our financial transactions.
Jason McNally is a Pennsylvania native and graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a Bachelor's of Music degree in Piano Performance. He moved to Los Angeles and there received his Master's in Piano Performance from USC as a student of Lucinda Carver. Other organ and piano teachers include Daniel Pollack, Daniel Shapiro, Samuel Hsu, and Ladd Thomas. Jason has been sharing his love of music through teaching since 1997 and has been working at the Neighborhood Music School in Boyle Heights since 2010. He also maintains a private piano studio in his home. Prior to coming to Bay Shore, Jason served the congregations of Grace First Presbyterian Church in Lakewood (eleven years) and St. Luke Lutheran Church in Woodland Hills (eight years). Locally, he has been featured on Grace First's Music at the Point Concert Series and St. Gregory's Episcopal Church's Music at Four. He has served on the board of the Long Beach chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Jason and his wife, Melody, live in West Hills and have two children, Ella (14), and Ethan (10).
Job Titles:
- Director of Music
- Director of Music at Bay Shore
Julie is the Director of Music at Bay Shore, and conducts the Chancel Choir, Children's Choir, and Bay Shore Bells. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from California State University, Long Beach. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association of Church Musicians, and is an active adjudicator for the Music in the Parks and Festivals at Sea programs. Julie has been on the faculty of CSULB and Biola University, teaching choral music and conducting, has taught public school at all levels, and has directed adult and children's church choirs throughout the Southland. She has served as Director of Music at Bay Shore Church since September 2006.
Melissa Carey works for Long Beach Unified School District in the ACT Program. She has been with the district for 10 years as a special education instructional aide. She is a full-time student is majoring in Education. She loves to sing, be creative with arts and crafts, play video games, and garden. She lives in Long Beach with her husband and two cats, Lilo and Butters. She grew up in the church surrounded by God's love and blessings.
Melissa Carey is our dynamic Sunday School teacher who brings energy, enthusiasm, and a passion for education to her work as she shares the good news of God's love with the children of our church.
Pastor Dave has long been an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ community. He was awarded as the Religious Leader of the Year (2019) and by the Long Beach branch of the NAACP for his work on racial inclusiveness and justice issues. Recently he was also honored by the Long Beach branch of the NAACP as one of the fathers and men of the year (2020) in Long Beach. He is very ecumenical in spirit, as his ministerial standing is held in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is married to The Rev. Dr. Dayna Kinkade who is the senior pastor of First Christian Church, Orange (Disciples of Christ) in Orange California.
The Rev. Dr. David Clark aka "Pastor Dave," is a transplanted Iowa pastor who began his ministry as our Senior Minister in December 2014. He is a dynamic preacher and compassionate pastor. Pastor Dave earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University with an emphasis in helping people live out faith in their daily lives. Previously he received a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University Divinity School with an emphasis in social ethics. Before that, he earned is undergraduate degree is from Westmar College with dual majors in religion and management.
He is sought after as a keynoter and workshop leader. Rev. Clark feeds his soul by spending time with his family, hiking, enjoying the arts and listening to music (he's a self-described Springsteen nut). His favorite activity for spiritual renewal is sticking his toes in the ocean. He considers his personal story to be a redemption story that speaks of the love and grace of God that shines forth especially in difficult times. His goal is to model the kind of authenticity and vulnerability that makes for true community.
Susie Bjork was born and raised in Los Alamos, NM. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Colorado College in Colorado Springs and went on to receive her Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion, a member school of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), in Berkeley. While at seminary, she met her husband, Dave Winter, who was studying theology at a partner school within the GTU. Susie was ordained at First Congregational United Church of Christ of Colorado Springs in March 2009 and began her ministry at Bay Shore Church in Long Beach in April 2009.
Susie is responsible for various pastoral duties including worship leadership, pastoral care, and providing direction to the Christian Education ministries of the church for children, youth, and adults; a ministry she approaches with enthusiasm for life-long learning and spiritual formation for all ages. Susie enjoys the arts (especially visual journaling and multimedia work) and is passionate about the intersection between creativity and spirituality. She is committed to helping to foster a warm, caring church community where all people are welcome, affirmed, and invited to grow and serve together.