ST PAUL STAFF
TRANSITION PASTOR
Pastor Don Larsen is a Lutheran pastor who lives in Medford with his wife, Mara Moldwin. Don served congregations in Connecticut and Massachusetts for more than forty years before retiring in 2019. Since then, his siblings in Christ in New England have done their level best to save him from boredom. He has served as transition pastor at two New Hampshire congregations in addition to preaching and presiding as a supply pastor hither and yon. Mara and Don are members of Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge. He is a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs, giving him practical experience of Luther’s theology of the cross. He’s excited about walking with St. Paul in the transition ahead!.
VICAR
Vicar Samantha Menapace (she/her) is also grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with St. Paul and support the congregation through this transition. She has lived in the Boston area since 2016, when she moved to Massachusetts in order to attend Harvard Divinity School. After graduating with a Master of Divinity, she worked as a Christian Education Director at a Lutheran church in Westborough, where she honed the skills of teaching, leading volunteers, and nurturing the faith of our church’s youngest disciples. As an intern, she has enjoyed growing in her gifts of preaching and pastoral care, with the love and support of the St. Paul community. After her internship officially ends in August, she will continue in her role as Vicar with St. Paul through the end of December.
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Croatia-born pianist, organist, accompanist, music director, and piano teacher Ana Zecic Jeffers is an active soloist and chamber musician. Ana holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance degree from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, a Concert Diploma from Schola Cantorum Paris, a Master of Music degree from Conservatory Niedermeyer, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, and a Master of Music in Piano Performance degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. A passionate organist, she is a student of Christian Lane and a part of Boston Organ Studio. Her previous positions include a Music Director job at University Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL, and a Music Director job at the First Presbyterian Church in Brookline, MA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she organized a virtual choir and has done all the video editing. Ana lives in Acton with her husband Scott and three kids, Adam, Noah, and Izabela.
DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILY MINISTRY
Sarah grew up in Metro-Boston, and has wonderful memories of this region from her childhood. After graduating High School, Sarah moved to Ohio to attend Wittenberg University, where, she studied History and Education. It was there that she also met her future husband, Matt. The two of them lived together in Michigan, and eventually moved to the Boston area for family and career reasons. Sarah has been an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church since she and her family joined in 2009. In that time, Sarah has been on the Children, Youth, and Family Committee, and was instrumental in instituting the Our Whole Lives Program that is run in the church. She has helped to find and implement the middle school curriculum. Sarah is a mother to Geneva, Owen, and Beatrix, who are in Lexington schools. Sarah has dedicated her time and energy to many volunteer opportunities around town, including Girl Scouts and PTA. Sarah worked as a middle school social studies teacher and school librarian before having children. Managing her household and finding ways to work on different committees take up most of her time. Sarah also enjoys Square Dancing, reading, and working on puzzles.
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR
Paul became St. Paul’s business Administrator in 2014. He brings with him over 35 years of financial experience ranging from being the Chief Financial Officer at a nonprofit social service agency, to managing the finances and administrative responsibilities at a residential remodeling company. Paul majored in accounting at Providence College, graduating with a degree in Business Administration. When he is not in the office, Paul enjoys woodworking, cooking, and traveling around New England. He lives in Woburn with his wife, with whom he shares three grown children and eight grandchildren.
PARISH ADMINISTRATOR
Jennifer White and her family have been members of St. Paul Lutheran Church since 2011. From North Reading, Massachusetts, she is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Communications. After working in the film/video and photography industries she attended Massachusetts College of Art and became a graphic designer, working in book publishing for many years. She lives in Arlington with writer husband, John Turner, and twins Charlotte and Stella Turner, who are students at Arlington High School. Jennifer’s interests include gardening, home improvement projects, traveling, singing in the choir, and doing puzzles at a frightening speed.
PROPERTY MANAGER
Dennis O’Brien takes care of upkeep and routine maintenance at St. Paul. After graduating high school, he attended East Coast Aero Tech and was trained as an airplane mechanic. He began his long career in automated equipment maintenance, working at such companies as Teradyne and and Millipore (where his achievements included winning an award for modifying a machine to increase productivity). More recently, he spent six years as Maintenance Manager at Photo Etch Technologies in Lowell. With an extensive knowledge of carpentry, Dennis enjoys helping friends and family with all kinds of remodeling projects.