Our Staff

Sierra Livengood serves as our Office Manager.  She started with us in August  2023.  Sierra is a graduate of DMACC-Newton and is a student at  Iowa State studying History Education.  She is responsible for our  bulletins and publications, manages our rental parking, and generally  keeps things running around the church.  She is an avid reader and  enjoys spending time with family.  Sierra likes working on puzzles,  crochet, embroidery, and Sudoku.  

 Emma Phomvisay serves as our Music Intern.  At Roosevelt High School in Des  Moines, Emma participated in various choirs as well as Honors Orchestra  and theater productions, and was named to All-State Choir.   During  our Zoom-only worship , Emma served as soloist each week and played  violin, ukelele and guitar as well as managing in-meeting Zoom  controls.  She continues to be our song leader and musical voice  for those worshiping from home on Zoom, as well as sharing her many  musical gifts.  

Mindy has served as our Director of Music since 1998.  A native of Alta,  Iowa, Mindy is a graduate of Iowa State University.  She is an  elementary music teacher and has served as a director with the Ames  Youth Choir.  Mindy is a flute and piano teacher and a featured  soloist for the Ames Summer Bandshell Concerts.  As our Music Director,  Mindy directs the choir, accompanies worship services, leads our youth  and children in music, and is co-director of our fabulous Music  Camp.  She currently serves as president of the Fellowship of American  Baptist Musicians.  Mindy is the parent of three children.  

Rev. Dr. David Russell came to us as pastor in 1999 after serving as a pastor and  campus minister in Illinois.  A native of Evansville, Indiana, he  is a graduate of the University of Evansville and Southern Baptist Seminary and received his Doctor of Ministry degree from  United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.  Dave has served in  the denomination in various capacities including president of our  region's Minister's Council and on the board of Mid-American Baptist  Churches.  He currently serves on the boards of American Baptist  Homes of the Midwest and the Center for Creative Justice.  Dave enjoys basketball, travel, church history, and riding his e-bike.  He also enjoys singing in the FBC  choir and playing alto sax in the Yuletide Orchestra.  Dave's wife  Susan is also an American Baptist minister who has served on our  staff.  Dave and Susan have an adult daughter and share their home  with their cat Harry and dog Eddie.

 After  several years as a choir member, Elizabeth Stegemoller joined our staff  as our Choir Accompanist in the fall of 2021.  A Professor of Kinesiology at Iowa State, Elizabeth is the only Music  Therapist in the nation with a Ph.D. in Neuroscience.  She combines  these passions as she leads a singing group, boxing group, and dancing  group for persons with Parkinson's Disease as part of her  research.  The annual Parkinsons Disease Singing Festival is held each August at our church.  Elizabeth is the mother of two daughters.