Rev. Lucas Williams grew up in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, with his parents and two brothers and is very close to his family. Lucas discovered his call to ministry in January 2010 rather unexpectedly, but the more he sought discernment, the clearer his call to ministry became. He is passionate about youth and young adult ministries, although he enjoys spending time with people of all ages. Rev. Williams was called to serve Saint Stephens United Church of Christ in June 2018 in the role of Associate Minister, He graduated from seminary in 2017 and was ordained to the ministry on July 8, 2018. He is excited to grow and develop his ministry and to share his passion and enthusiasm as he seeks to draw youth to church. Rev. Williams enjoys disc golf, softball, attending sporting events (football, baseball, and hockey), watching movies, and spending time with family and friends. He is very extroverted, so you are likely to see him out in the community as he gets to know all that Merrill, Wisconsin, has to offer.

Responsibilities:

• Worship
• Pastoral Care
• Children's Ministry
• Youth Ministry
• Mission
  

You may contact Rev. Williams via email at:  lucas@ststephensucc.net

Photographer, business owner, and now Business Manager at Saint Stephens. Tina L. Scott went to NTC for Business Management and has been using those skills in various capacities ever since. She still continues to operate her own business, Photography by Tina, specializing in wedding photography, and when she is not in the office at Saint Stephens, she can probably be found in either her home office working on wedding portraits, shooting a wedding on location, or embarking on some other creative pursuit. Tina is married to Mark and has two grown children and two granddaughters.

Responsibilities:

• Newsletter
  
• Website
  
• Financial
  
• Church Database
  
• Reports & Statistics
  
• Payroll
• Food For Kids Administration

Kimberly McCaskill is a lifelong Wisconsin resident who hails from the “Holy Land” area (St. Joe, St. Peter, St. Cloud, Mount Calvary, etc.), which is near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where her father-in-law has been active in planting nearly half a dozen Converge Worldwide (formerly the Baptist General Conference) churches. (Journey Church in Merrill is a Converge church.)

She has been looking for a way to serve a Christian community with the gifts and talents God has given her, and looks forward to getting to know the community of Saint Stephens in her capacity as Administrative Assistant.

Kimberly lives with her husband and three children in Merrill.

Responsibilities:

• Administrative Support
• Bulletin
• Medical Ministry
• Orders Supplies
• Sunday School Support

Darlene Johnson quite simply makes beautiful music here at Saint Stephens. On the organ or the piano or directing the chime choir, she lends her talents to our music ministry. Darlene is our primary accompanist for worship services in addition to funerals, weddings, and other special occasions. When she is not playing music or giving piano lessons, she can be found relaxing at her cabin, canning, or spending time with her husband, Jim, and her children and grandchildren. 

Responsibilities:

• Organist
  
• Pianist
  
• Director of Chime Choir

James "Jim" Bjorklund joined Saint Stephens as our Music Director on August 1, 2016, after retiring  from the position of High School Choir Director at Merrill High School after 24 years. He taught for 13 years at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois, prior to coming to to Merrill.

A native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Jim is a 1979 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he studied with Weston Noble. He earned a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from Arizona State University where he taught undergraduate studio voice. Over the years, Jim has directed several church choirs in various denominations, most recently at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church here in Merrill. Jim just started his fifth year of teaching studio voice and techniques at the University of Wisconsin - Marathon County. 

When not teaching music, Jim also enjoys performing. He has performed three times with the Robert Shaw Choral Institute Choir at Carnegie Hall. Locally, he has been active in recent Wausau Community Theater productions, performing lead roles in "South Pacific," "Man of LaMancha," "Les Miserables," and "1776" to name several.

Jim and his wife, Pamela, are also busy being grandparents to five active grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, reading, hunting, and studying history.

Responsibilities:

• Choir Director
• Music Scheduling

Jason was born in Minneapolis, raised in Marathon City, and currently lives in Wausau with his wife Monica, three children, and pets. He brings with him almost 30 years of maintenance and property management experience related to houses, apartments, schools, and hotels, and is experienced in all aspects of property maintenance and management ... preventative, routine, and emergency.

Jason says most of his "spare" time is spent repairing and selling homes and spending time with his family. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, playing guitar, building computer systems, metal detecting with Monica, and fixing ... everything! When he's not fixing or discovering, he also enjoys creating. One of his favorite hobbies is making jewelry and rings from unique coins.

Responsibilities:

• Repairs
  
• Maintenance
  
• Janitorial
  
• Groundskeeping
  
• Supply Purchasing
  

You can email Jason at:  jason@ststephensucc.net