Pastor

Rev. Denise Clark-Jones joined Westminster Presbyterian as Pastor in August 2014. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Duke University; M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University of Maryland; and Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary. She has completed continuing education courses at Columbia Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Prior to joining the Westminster family, Rev. Clark-Jones served as Pastor of Faith United Church of Christ in the greater Harrisburg, Pa. area. Before attending seminary she served as an elementary school counselor.

Pastor Denise is married to Tom, who serves as organist/choirmaster. They have three grown children – Jill, Jenna and Will, and one grandson, Jamie and one granddaughter, Lily. In her free time, Pastor Denise enjoys listening to and playing classical music (viola), reading mysteries, crossword puzzles, and traveling.

Pastor Denise can be reached at pastor@westminsterpeoria.org.

Administrative Assistant

Mary Lee Caudle has worked at Westminster since July 2013 and is responsible for a wide range of daily administrative responsibilities. To her, this position is more than a job – it is a ministry. She is blessed to have so many who love, encourage, and support her as she serves this body of believers to whom God has called her. She is married to a wonderful, understanding husband, Jim. Her three children, Elizabeth, Bryan, and John have blessed her with eight beautiful grandchildren.

Mary Lee can be reached at admin@westminsterpeoria.org.

Financial Secretary

Denise Wirth has worked as the Financial Secretary at Westminster since 2009. She has two daughters, a son, and four beautiful granddaughters. She has been in the accounting business for over 50 years. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her Boston Terrier, Sydney, as well as her grandchildren.

Denise can be reached at financesecy@westminsterpeoria.org.

Buildings Manager

Steven Sager has worked as the Buildings Manager at Westminster since 01 November 2017. He holds a B.S. in Psychology & Management from the University of Maryland and is a 26 year Navy Veteran. He served as a Cryptologic Technician at a variety of bases around the globe to include, Iceland, Scotland, Hawaii, Guam, South Carolina and retired in 1999 while assigned to the National Security Agency, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

Prior to Westminster and after his tenure in the Navy, Steve worked in Information Systems at BROMENN Regional Medical Center, Training Manager at AFFINA, Business Liaison & Communications Officer at Western Illinois Works, and as the Director of Business & Community Education at Carl Sandburg College.

Steve has felt part of the Westminster family for many years as he is married to Valerie Sager, Director of Westminster Infant Care Center. Steve and Val have enjoyed 37 years of married bliss and have one son, Yuri and one granddaughter, Lilly.

In his spare time, Steve enjoys spoiling his granddaughter, watching classic movies, reading and pretending to be a competent chef in the kitchen.

Steven & Valerie worship in a Messianic Jewish Synagogue and have devoted their twilight years to honoring God through service to others and in various pursuits in helping to heal the world.

Steve can be reached at buildings@westminsterpeoria.org.

Organist-Choirmaster

Thomas Clark-Jones is a native of Northeastern Pennsylvania and an honors graduate of Wilkes University in his hometown of Wilkes Barre. In 1975, he was honored as an ‘outstanding young alumnus’. He began his church music career at the age of 15 and has been active in the field ever since, serving churches in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Abington, Pennsylvania, Flint, Michigan, Lynchburg, Virginia, Knoxville, Tennessee and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before arriving in Peoria in 2014. In Flint, he served on the faculty of the University of Michigan-Flint as an adjunct professor of Organ and Church Music. In Virginia, he founded the award-winning children’s choir, ‘Cantate,’ and served as its music director from 1993-1996. His teachers have included Clifford Balshaw, J. Earl Ness, Alexander McCurdy and Judith Hancock. He holds the M.A. in Organ Performance from the State College of New Jersey.

At Westminster, Tom plays the organ for the various worship services of the church and directs both the Westminster Choir and Hand Bell Choir. He is also the Director of the Gretchen R. Iben Arts Series at Westminster. Tom has been active in the American Guild of Organists since his college days and has served on the Board of the Philadelphia Chapter; as Dean of the Flint Chapter; as District Convener for the Commonwealth of Virginia; as Program Chair of the AGO Region III Convention in Harrisburg in 2011 and Dean of the Harrisburg Chapter from 2013-2014. He has appeared as a recitalist across the US and Canada, playing at major churches in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Los Angeles; Toronto and Montreal. In 2002 he was honored to be the Organist for the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu (hymn sing) held in Harrisburg, fulfilling one of the dreams of his life and having the occasion to celebrate his Welsh heritage.

He and Pastor Denise have three grown children and a charming young grandson and granddaughter.

Tom can be reached at music@westminsterpeoria.org.

“What goes through your mind as you sit in the sanctuary and look around?

As I sit in my pew and look up at the cross with the wonderful light illuminating it, I am reminded of why I am at Westminster on this particular day. The cross reminds me that Christ died for me and, in a sense, I am to do the same in my daily life. The brightness of the cross illustrates for me the brightness of living my life in the way of Christ.”