University Covenant Church

Tommy Bottoms is a graduate student in plant science at UC Davis.  He loves cycling, gardening, Jesus, and people - especially his amazing wife Mandy.  Tommy co-leads the 10th grade guys' small group with Gerald. 

Mandi Bottoms writes really spiffy curriculum for the California Farm Bureau Federation.  In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, triathlons, gardening, and hanging out with her amazing husband Tommy.  Mandi co-leads the 10th grade girls' small group with Kate, Judith & Kristin.  For Mandi's Facebook, click here.



 

John Wadginski (aka "Briggs") is a student at UC Davis, about to graduate with a degree in Linguistics.  In his spare time he enjoys cagefighting and experimenting with various facial hair configurations.  Briggs is currently transitioning between life in Davis, Redding, and somewhere on the other side of the world, so he is scaling back his role as one of the 11th grade guys' small group leaders.  For Briggs' Facebook, click here.

Kate Angshing is a UCD graduate working nearby in Vacaville.  At Genentech, she stirs up drugs that eventually make their way into the veins of patients with cancer and hopefully cures them!  When she is not working she loves being with her epic husband after 3 years of being across the world from him.  She enjoys spending time at coffee shops with a good book, playing sports, hanging out with her three younger siblings, being outdoors, and contemplating life.  She is passionate about social justice and dreams one day of living in India.  Kate co-leads the 10th grade girls' small group with Mandy, Judith & Kristin.  For Kate's Facebook, click here.

 

Vennyei (pronounced "Vinny") Angshing is from Nagaland, India.  He moved to Davis this year and married the amazing Kate Angshing.  He studied in seminary for six year in India and also served as a youth pastor there for three years.  Working with youth has been one of his greatest passions and he is excited to co-lead the 11th grade guys this year.  He loves music (guitar) and sports (soccer) and community.  Vennyei insists that their home is always open to anyone.  Vennyei co-leads the 12th grade guys' small group with Alex.  For Vennyei's Facebook, click here.

 

Barb Paulson graduated a long time ago from the University of Illinois, majoring in Math.  For several years, she worked as a consultant in the U of I computer department, stopping when she had the first of three children.  After a break of about 12 years, she became treasurer for Davis Aquatic Masters, from which she retired a few years ago.  Today, she enjoys taking trips with her husband, Ken, swimming, cross-stitch, and spending time with her 7 grandchildren -- and she gladly shares pictures if you ask her :-).  Barb co-leads the 11th/12th grade girls' small group with Stacia.  For Barb's Facebook, click here.

 

recently moved to Davis from Redding with his beautiful wife Judith.  Working with youth groups has been a passion of his for several years and he's excited about getting involved at Summit.  When he's not serving at the church, he is working at the Gucci Nugget.  And if he has time, you can find him out at a paintball field (Gerald's favorite way to release aggression!).  Gerald is grateful for the opportunity to work with high school students and hopes to have a great time as he digs into the Word with students. Gerald co-leads the 10th grade guys' small group with Tommy. 

 

and her husband Gerald began serving at Summit after moving to Davis from Redding, where they were also involved in youth ministry.  She transferred to UC Davis where she is working on a degree in Biological Science.  When she's not at school or church, she likes to cook and bake, play the piano, and do crafts.  Her favorite thing is a smiley face because she likes to be happy and make other people happy too!  She's looking forward to getting to know all the girls in her small group and is sure they'll all have tons of fun while also growing closer to God.  Judith co-leads the 10th grade girls' small group with Kristin, Kate & Mandy.  For Judith's Facebook, click here.

 

Kristin Stone is a Ph.D. student in American History at UC Davis.  When she's not working on her dissertation, you can find her hanging out with her husband.  She loves cooking, crafty stuff (like scrapbooking and cross-stitch), and for some strange reason, cleaning!  Kristin co-leads the 10th grade girls' small group with Kate, Mandy & Judith.  For Kristin's Facebook, click here.

Weston Powell loves to sleep and eat.  In between eating and sleeping, he reads and studies everything that is wonderful about the human body, and everything that can go wrong.  He plans to keep this up for the next 7 years, and graduate, one day, with a MD/Ph.D. so he can go be a doctor.  He grew up in Davis, so he knows where every street is and how awesome Davis is.  He studied Classics as an undergraduate at Princeton University and loves arguing about Greek texts.  However, if you really want to find out about his passion, ask him how to cook the perfect steak.  Weston co-leads the 11th grade guys' small group with Justin.  For Weston's Facebook, click here.

 

Stacia Galusha loves to cook, bake, sew, and spend time with her friends and family.  She also enjoys music both in the car and live.  Stacia currently resides in Dixon with her family, while working at the Firehouse Café as a baker and a barista.  She is also going to school at American River College where she is double majoring in Commercial Music with a business emphasis and Culinary Arts / Hospitality Management. Stacia co-leads the 11th/12th grade girls' small group with Barb.  For Stacia's Facebook, click here.

 

Despite loving free time and sleeping in, Justin Heuser finds himself pretty busy.  He's a rocket scientist by day and a grad student by night (MBA from UC Davis, graduating in Summer '08).  At home, he can hold his own in the kitchen and has a backyard garden where there's something ripe year-round.  When he gets the chance, Justin likes to camp, play frisbee and, like all good engineers, fix things around the house that aren't broken.  Justin co-leads the 11th grade guys' small group with Weston.  For Justin's Facebook, click here.

 

Youth Pastor Alex Wright likes to climb big, scary mountains, read non-fiction, run marathons, cook gourmet meals, tinker with computers, and snowboard.  He also likes to play with power tools and be generally destructive around the house.  Still, his favorite hobby is definitely spending time with his beautiful wife Erica.  Alex graduated from UC Davis in 1994 with a degree in Biological Sciences and Psychology and from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2006.  Alex has been enjoying following Jesus with students at University Covenant Church since 1991.  Alex co-leads the 12th grade guys' small group with Vennyei.  For Alex's Facebook, click here.