Staff
Pastoral and Ministry Team
Ron King | Senior Pastor
If there ever was a living example of how fantastic God’s love
is… that would be me. How in the world I ended up so blessed in life
is way beyond me.
I grew up in the thriving metropolis of Yucaipa, Ca with two, wonderful parents who love Jesus and taught me through their example to do the same. As a High School student I sensed God’s call to vocational ministry and dove right in. Ever since my graduation from Westmont College I’ve been at it full time.
For the first 20+ years I had the rich blessing to be in student ministry. What a great ride! The Lord graciously took all my short-comings and failings and kept pouring out His grace. Through the years, thousands of students and dear ministry partners taught me so many lessons about life with our Lord.
Along the way God brought my wonderful wife Sue into my life (we’re about to celebrate 19 years together). He has honored the two of us with two very cool boys… Josh and Andrew who are great at taking Mom and Dad to school and who both love our Lord.
For the past 5 years God has had me in the role of serving Him as a lead pastor (First at Grace Point in Michigan and now here at Bridges). What an amazing demonstration of His grace!
When I’m not doing the pastor thing I love worship, hangin’ with my family, baseball, travel, running, and kissing my wife.
Fred Biby | Executive Pastor
I
am a true born and raised Californian. The other day someone asked
me why I was all dressed up. I told them, whenever my wife gets
behind in the laundry I start dressing nicer. For me, the casual
look is not a style of dress but a way of doing life. I am a middle
child with seven siblings. I met Laurie, my wife, in high school. We
married after completing two years of college. Yep! That would be 32
years ago!! We have three adult children-Shannon, Aaron, and
Theresa. Shannon has two children: Anna will be five in Jan '07
and Sebastian will turn two in February. This makes Laurie and I
proud grandparents! I still enjoy a day a week with the two of them
all by myself. I’ve seen every Veggie Tale movie and enjoy playing
building blocks and coloring the most. My favorite title is “papa”.
I am a graduate of Southern California College and Talbot School of Theology where I earned a Master of Divinity. My ministry has spanned the Life Development Stages and more. I’ve also spent seven years in corporate life working in high-tech management-including Quality and Human Resources, Consulting, and Sales. The last 16 years I’ve spent serving in the position of Executive Pastor-almost seven here at Bridges Community Church.
My passion in ministry stems from seeing churches and their staff achieve scriptural health through the development, empowerment, and collaboration of fellow believers pursuing the same vision. I am committed to growing and multiplying churches through small groups. I believe being purpose driven provides for the greatest opportunity to achieve balance and health in our personal lives and the life of the church.
Laurie and I enjoy walks in the evening and involvement in the activities of a small town culture like Livermore. We love serving in ministry together. Our favorite place during the week is the small group that meets in our home. Relationships are a high priority, whether neighbors, people with whom we work, or our own personal family. Our goal in life is to continue influencing people to follow Jesus Christ and become like him in every way.
Dale Goncalves | Relationships Pastor
Dale Goncalves grew up in Sacramento, California. In 1977, one
month after marrying his high school sweetheart Colleen, they packed
all their belongings in a 9x12 U-Haul trailer and moved to the
Midwest where Dale graduated from the North American Baptist
Seminary and served as youth pastor near Detroit, Michigan. In 1986
they moved to Fremont where Dale served as youth pastor for 8 years.
Since that time he has been giving leadership to our many growing
adult ministries.
He has a passion for seeing people connect with one another in community through the many cell groups offered at the church. Dale and Colleen have 2 daughters, Katie and Beth and a big dog named Toby.
Ryan Kwon | Growth Pastor
Growing
up in Southern California all my life, I can’t help but to add to
the already stereotype of So Cal’ers. Yes, warm weather, beaches,
sushi, and city life is the atmosphere I thrive in. When I asked
Jesus to come into my life in college, I immediately felt the desire
to spend my life for Him. My first impulse was to be a medical
missionary but soon realized God has made me to lead and teach in
the local church.
I graduated from Talbot School of Theology with an M Div. and a Th. M. In Southern California, I was a part of an exciting church plant for 7 years until God made it clear for me and my family to be a part of the family here at Bridges. I have a renewed passion for the Gospel and have a great desire for our church to be a place to process the Gospel for believers and unbelievers alike. My other areas of passion in ministry are teaching and social welfare.
I definitely married up! My wife Jenni is a daily reminder of God’s grace in my life. We have our only begotten son Caden, who loves to read and ask “Why” questions all day long. Apart from ministry, I have a passion for food, UCLA football/basketball, coffee, and 80’s music.
Nathan Eagles | Worship Arts Director
Beau Coffron | High School Pastor
I have spent most of my life growing
up in Northern California. I lived in Paradise (it wasn’t as great
as the name implies) for my teenage years and then attended Simpson
University in Redding until I graduated in 2000 with a degree in
General Ministries. I have been serving in ministry around the Bay
Area for many years working with students and I love being able to
raise my family around the Fremont area. I relish the time I get to
spend with my beautiful wife and best friend, Linnea, and my
wonderful, crazy daughter Abigail.
When I am not with them, I can be seen watching the A’s or Raiders or keeping up on my fantasy sports teams. I also have a passion for playing paintball, going to the movies, and am a reality show junkie. We have three pets, an American Eskimo Dog named Shasta and two poison dart frogs who my daughter named Hip and Hop. I am also currently working on my Masters degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Nate Glaze | Junior High Pastor
I'm
an Oregonian born and raised. This would probably explain why my
favorite leisure activities are fishing, hiking, snowboarding,
waterskiing... and anything else that has to do with being outside.
I graduated in Youth Ministries from Western Baptist College. After
school, God did some awesome guiding as he took my wife and me from
the church where we were serving and opened the doors for us to come
down here.
As for my family, well, actually it is just my beautiful wife and I.
We've been married, since August '03. We have no children, except
for the 50+ junior highers each week. We used to have two goldfish,
but that's a sad story so now we have a dog. Beca is a middle school
counselor in San Jose so middle schoolers are a common topic in our
house. We are both really excited to be down here in the Bay Area
and serving at Bridges Community Church.
Pattie Larsen | Children's Ministries (4th-6th Grade)
Pattie and her husband, Garth, and son, Brad moved to Fremont in
1996 from San Jose. They began attending Bridges in May, 1998. Garth
has his own business in Fremont, and Brad attends Azusa Pacific.
Their two older daughters, Gwen and Sara, live together in
Alexandria, VA. The Larsen family enjoys serving in Children's
Ministry together!
Pattie's focus on the Children's Ministry Team is the Large Group Teaching which includes leading the Drama Cell Group. This is an incredible serving cell which provides skits for All STARS on Sunday at all three services, special events, and occasionally for worship services.
Pattie began serving in Children's Ministry when she was 16, teaching Kindergarteners in Sunday School. She also taught school for 11 years in Arizona and one year in California.
Dwight Hunnicutt | Children's Ministries (2nd-3rd Grade)
Tami Campbell | Children's Ministries (K-1st grade)
Melinda Paull | Children's Ministries (3's-4/5's)
Jolene Thym | Children's Ministries (Nursery-2's)
Jolene and her husband Charlie live in the Niles district of
Fremont and have three daughters. In
addition to her ministry at the church, Jolene has worked as a
newspaper reporter for 25 years. She has a passion for travel and
cooking – which works out well for her husband Charlie, a jeweler.
Find out more about our great support
staff.