Rev. Eva Thai-Erwin, or Pastor Eva as she prefers to be called, grew up in Long Beach, CA. and was an active member of Long Beach First United Methodist Church before heading off to college. After receiving her undergrad in Religious Studies, she worked in various church ministry positions: youth director, campus minister, and Christian Ed director. While these ministries were fulfilling, she knew God was calling her to the path of Ordained Ministry. So she began her Master of Divinities studies at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, but completed her degree from Claremont School of Theology back in CA.
Upon receiving her Commissioning and Elders Orders, she served Chinese UMC from 2011-2019 and then was appointed here to the Church of the Good Shepherd. Here she leads the church in Word (Worship & Education), Table (Sacraments & Special Services) , Service (Outreach & Fellowship), and Order (Administration and Leadership).
Pastor Eva and her husband enjoy traveling together, eating out and experiencing new restaurants, staying in and trying new recipes at home, walks with their dog, and watching or attending baseball games (LA Dodgers for Pastor Eva and Chicago Cubs for Phil)!
Pastor Eva has always felt God’s presence in her life and is inspired by the words of Christ in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Rev. Eva Thai-Erwin, or Pastor Eva as she prefers to be called, grew up in Long Beach, CA. and was an active member of Long Beach First United Methodist Church before heading off to college. After receiving her undergrad in Religious Studies, she worked in various church ministry positions: youth director, campus minister, and Christian Ed director. While these ministries were fulfilling, she knew God was calling her to the path of Ordained Ministry. So she began her Master of Divinities studies at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, but completed her degree from Claremont School of Theology back in CA.
Pastor Eva and her husband enjoy traveling together, eating out and experiencing new restaurants, staying in and trying new recipes at home, walks with their dog, and watching or attending baseball games (LA Dodgers for Pastor Eva and Chicago Cubs for Phil)!
Pastor Eva has always felt God’s presence in her life and is inspired by the words of Christ in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Jenny joined the Church of the Good Shepherd staff in July 2020 as the Financial Secretary. Her duties include recording donations, issuing checks, processing payroll, and ensuring the financial statements are accurately reported.
Jenny also works with the Finance committee to update policies and automate processes.
Karen Schaefer is an Office Assistant to the staff at the church. She is also the reception at the church office and responds to phone calls for information, mail, processing the Weekly Newsletter, the ‘Word’, and other correspondence. She also assists with management of the Church Membership System.
Suzanne Wright is also an Office Assistant to the staff at the church. She and Karen share the responsibilities for the position, working at the Church Office on different days and times during the week.
Franklyn Shen has been the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Church of the Good Shepherd since November 1, 1999. While at CGS, Franklyn has represented CGS as the Pasadena District Youth Coordinator, East District Youth Coordinator, Cal-Pac Sr. High Camp Dean, and six-year Sierra Service Project Board Member.
Linda Brown has been a member of Church of the Good Shepherd since the 1970’s and serves as the Director of the Church of the Good Shepherd Children’s Center since 2007.
She has had a career in early childhood education for more than 45 years, has a master’s degree in human development, and considers her work as Director of the Children’s Center to be her passion and calling!
Dr. Stephen Cook has played a key role in the music ministry of the church since 2001 when he was invited to join the music department as staff accompanist. Since then, he has enjoyed working as Associate Organist and Organist, as well as an Associate Director for the Adult choir. He assumed the role of Director of Music Ministries in 2020 and continues to serve as organist and Pianist for the Church services each Sunday morning.
Dr. Cook has served in many musical capacities at the Church since receiving his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of South Carolina and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California. From 1996-2012 he taught on the faculty of the Colburn School of Performing Arts and from 1996-2004 served as Director of the Pianist Program at the Orange County School of the Arts. From 2002-2017 Dr. Cook was Associate Professor of Music at Whittier College and currently is Dean of Arts at California School of the Arts | San Gabriel Valley while maintaining his position as Chair of the Piano Department at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.
Kirk Averitt is a conductor, music educator, and vocalist in Los Angeles, California.
In addition to directing the Chancel Choir at Church of the Good Shepherd, he coordinates the Popular Music Conservatory and also conducts the choral ensembles for the Vocal Arts Conservatory at California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley.
As a singer, Kirk has performed with choirs around the globe. He currently performs with Choral Arts Initiative, C3LA, Quartz Ensemble, and The Voices of Christmas.
Church music has played an important role in Kirk’s life. The church is where he first learned to read and conduct music. He finds joy in creating a welcoming atmosphere for worshippers and has experience working in various sacred spaces.
Kirk is Managing Director of The Resonance Collective, an arts non-profit that focuses on the intersection of the arts and spirituality. He holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelors in Vocal Music Education from Lipscomb University.