Dennis Tarr – Iterim Senior Pastor

Dennis Tarr brings over twenty-five years of experience as a pastor, university professor, dean, international consultant, conference speaker, fund raiser, facilitator and seminar leader.  As a turn-around-specialist, he has served as transitional senior pastor of seventeen Presbyterian congregations in New York City, New Jersey, greater Philadelphia, Miami, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco.

For eighteen years he taught international diplomacy and American foreign policy at Temple University in Philadelphia, as well as holding a variety of administrative positions including Assistant to the President, Assistant to the Provost for Academic Affairs, Director of International Programs, and the founding dean of Temple’s Center City Campus with 10,000 students.  For nearly five years he was the Dean of the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Dennis also has corporate experience as president of his own marketing and strategic planning company, as a Senior Associate of Luntz, Suleiman and Associates — an international investment banking firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the education, training, software and information industries — and for three years as President and CEO of Suleiman, Tarr and Associates.

Pastor Dennis has studied, taught and traveled extensively overseas, has conducted study tours to Israel, Egypt, Western Europe, Cuba, Ethiopia, Kenya, Romania, Russia and Mexico, He has helped to establish university satellite campuses in Salzburg, Austria; Rome and Venice, Italy; Miami Beach; downtown Philadelphia, and academic programs throughout Central and South America including Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Uruguay.

Born in Minnesota and the youngest of three children in his family, Dennis spent the first five years of his life on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where his parents were missionary/educators to the Sioux.  His family planted five churches in Minnesota and South Dakota, and when his father finally retired, the family moved to East Whittier, California, where Dennis attended California High School and was active in athletics, music, drama, academics and student government.

Dennis received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from the University of Redlands, a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary where he was a Rockefeller Fellow; a Master’s Degree in American Government from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University as an Eagleton Fellow, and did his Ph.D. studies in International Relations and Diplomacy at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where he was an NDEA Fellow.  He has published in the areas of leadership, international diplomacy, history, religion and marketing.  An example of his writing is his chapter on “The Strategic Toughness of Servant Leadership,” in REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP, edited by M. Scott Peck and Peter Senge, published by John Wiley & Sons.

With all this energy and experience, Dennis pours it into his greatest passion which is preaching, teaching and leading a congregation into celebrative worship and service around the person of Jesus Christ. An ecumenist at heart, he is eager to serve the church of Jesus Christ in all its various forms and cultures, and is committed to “both legs” of the Gospel: personal and social.

Roxanne Lemereis, Minister of Christian Formation

Roxanne Derr Lemereis graduated from California State University at Fullerton with a degree in Graphic Design, and then received her Masters of Theology with an emphasis in Youth Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary.  While serving as an Area Director with Young Life, Roxanne was ordained with Evangelical Church Alliance.

Roxanne has been serving Healdsburg Community Church since December 2000 as Minister of Christian Formation. She feels honored to be called to share God’s love through periodic preaching and teaching on Sunday mornings.  She spends significant time with the Women’s Ministries including a Bible study, women’s seminars and events, as well as the congregational life events of HCC.  She has organized and led several mission trips to Mexico and Costa Rica, enjoying the challenge of bringing HCC family together with family of other cultures.

Roxanne is also responsible for recruiting and training volunteers to be teachers and assistants for Sunday School, along with interacting with our children.  Many months a year she is involved with creating our community Vacation Bible School which is held at our church at the end of June each year.

Roxanne loves music and theater arts of all kinds.  She enjoys leading group singing and playing the guitar.  She and husband Michael enjoy family time with son, Erick, and his wife, Angel, and two granddaughters, Alidalani and Laeoalani.  She feels blessed to be in a community of faithful people who are doing their best to live their lives by the example of Jesus’ love for the world.

Dean Anderson, Minister of Creative Arts in Worship

Dean is a native of Sonoma County: he was born in Santa Rosa and grew up in Fulton. He did his undergraduate work at San Diego State University and received his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Il. More importantly, he met his wife, Mindy at Trinity. Dean and Mindy have three children: Bret, Paige and Jill. Dean served as a youth pastor at churches in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as in Concord and Felton, California.

Dean is on part time staff at Healdsburg Community Church, concentrating on the area of worship, as well as as our youth group director. Dean spends some of his other hours writing, both for publication (his series of “Bill the Warthog Mystery Novels” for children) and for the church. Dean has written many of the skits and plays that are a part of our worship and you can read his monthly movie column in The Communicator.

Susan Nelson, Administrative Assistant

Susan manages the church office and assists the Pastors, as well as the members of the congregation. If you have any questions, or would like more information about our church, don’t hesitate to give Susan a call in the church office.

Susan has three daughters: Joanna, Melody and Caroline. Susan loves music and also serves as our church accompanist. In fact, her favorite relaxation activity and her favorite hobby are the same: playing the piano!