About Us

Our Elders

---

Frank has served on the elder board since October 2009, and currently holds the office of Treasury. He's been married for over 24 years and has 2 wonderful sons; Trey and Colton. Frank has been employed by ExxonMobil and recently transferred to Nigeria where he has responsibilities for the maintenance organization.

Frank's passion for ministry is service, particularly youth. He has had the opportunity through his career to work in several countries and have found opportunities to minister - sometimes in unique circumstances.

Rich is our newest elder at VCF and we are so excited to see what God is going to do through his service. Rich was drawn to VCF three years ago through the preaching of God's word because, as he says, "it is not watered down and Pastor Jay is not afraid to challenge us." Rich has a heart for missions and has served on the Board of Directors for LAMA (Latin American Mission Association) at La Montana, a Christian camp in Costa Rica. Rich and his wife Gail have been married for 34 years and have three grown children: Brandon, Aaron, and Audrey. Rich is president of Pacific Design Technologies, an Aerospace design company in Goleta. Rich and Gail also enjoys working in their large garden and also raising a few small animals.

After retirement from Chevron Corporation, Thom and his wife of 46 years, Sue, moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 2009 and began attending VCF almost immediately. They were drawn to VCF because of Pastor Jay's preaching of the Word, the mission outreach and amazing youth and small group ministries. Thom and Sue have two adult children who live in the area. Thom has been an elder since late 2012.

Thom's passions of ministry are small groups/Bible studies, missions and hospitality. He is involved in a Ugandan aids orphan sponsorship organization, Children of Grace, through his wife Sue.

Jay graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas and worked in the computer industry for several years. He received his Masters of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and has completed most of his Doctor of Ministry work at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Jay and his wife Suzanne have three adult sons. Their oldest son Chris is a missionary with Kids Around the World. Their second son, Jonathan, graduated from UCLA, received his Masters in Theology from Talbot Seminary in La Mirada, California, and his PhD in New Testament from Trinity Seminary in Chicago. He also serves as an Associate Pastor in Camarillo, California. Their youngest son, Zachary, is working on his Masters degree from San Diego State. He is an active leader at his church in Southern California.

Jay's teaching style is practical and enthusiastic. His material is structured and relevant as he goes verse-by-verse through books of the Bible. Meaningful worship and small group studies are high on his list of priorities.

Jay loves to help Christians discover and use their spiritual gifts so they can experience the power of God in their lives.

Larry has been attending Valley Christian since 2004 and have served as an elder for the past 3 years. He's married to Linda Saarloos with 2 married sons, Keith and Kirk. He has lived in the Santa Ynez Valley since 1998 and am employed by Saarloos Group which owns a few properties in the Valley including a couple of vineyards and a tasting room. He enjoys bringing guests and new believers to Church to be blessed by our Church's music, sermons and wonderful church family. Larry is responsible for the Benevolence Committee at Valley Christian.

Eric has served as an elder at Valley Christian Fellowship since 2006. The Santa Ynez Valley has been his home since he and his wife Bo moved here in 1994. A few years prior to that, he graduated from the Master's College. Eric is the father of four and works as a businessman along the Central Coast. He serves as the elder in charge of youth ministries and enjoys occasionally sharing from the pulpit.