Foothills Staff

About Me
Rev. John Farley has served as senior pastor of Foothills UMC since moving to San Diego with his wife and two sons in January of 1996. Rev. Farley comes from a family of pastors and has served the church in Southern California for over 20 years. He received his Masters of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology in 1981, and his Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Institute in 1989. In ministering to this dynamic congregation of 1300, Rev. Farley provides leadership in preaching, administration, teaching and counseling. He brings biblical and spiritual insight, as well as a sense of humor with practical guidance to families and individuals in all walks of life.

About Me

Christian DeMent has served in ministry at Foothills UMC since 1996.  Growing up in La Mesa, he attended Helix High School and graduated from SDSU. After receiving his Masters of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology he was ordained an Elder in 2009.

Christian has been an active leader in youth and missions ministries. He has served as dean for district camps for all ages, led workshops on leadership and youth work, and has led the Strength for the Journey camps for adults with HIV/AIDS.  He has also led mission teams to Russia and Louisiana/Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina relief.  His passion for young people has led him to organize several youth mission teams to a variety of places across the U.S. and Mexico as well.  For the past few years Christian has been trained to lead the new church start ministry of Foothills and is now appointed as the minister of Foundry UMC in Otay Ranch. 

Christian enjoys running (completing his first marathon in 2009), surfing, and attending Padres games with his wife and friends. Christian and his wife Kelli seek to be active in the community, attending many fundraising events for community programs along with enjoying unique restaurants, tandem kayaking and traveling.

About Me
Rev. Martha Kogle is a former associate pastor and retired Deacon of The United Methodist Church. Her service with the United Methodist Church has been focused on missionary work and she paved the way for many of the programs that are thriving within our church today. Here at Foothills, she began the disciple group and prayer group programs as well as the Russian mission team. On mission, she has helped communities in South Africa, Alaska and Sierra Leone to name only a few. She continues to assist in the furthering of our mission community here at Foothills while also being an organizer and asset to our pastoral care team. When not busy with the church, Martha loves to traveling and motor-homing.

About Me

About Me

Sheri joined Foothills staff in July 2007 as Office and Finance Manager. A member at Foothills since 1993, she has participated in various projects over the years, most notably serving as the Acolyte Coordinator from 2004 to 2007. Sheri received her bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from San Diego State University and has a number of years experience in office management and community project leadership. A San Diego native, she currently resides in the Spring Valley area with her husband and two children and enjoys gardening, reading, fishing and fitness activities.

Sheri is a certified candidate for ministry as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Divinity Degree program at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO.

About Me
Carrie has enjoyed being a member of Foothills Church since 1993 and joined the staff in 2007. She has lived in San Diego's East County her entire life. Carrie has three children Ashley, Jason and Allison, two cats and an Australian shepherd named Brinkley. In her free time she likes to travel, garden, cook and go hiking with her husband, Tom.

About Me

Ruth came to Foothills in 1978. She brought Child Development Experiences from a military preschool as well as two Church Related Schools. She taught three year olds here at Foothills Preschool for five years and in 1983 she began Directing Foothills Preschool.  

Ruth is an adjunct instructor at Cuyamaca Community College. She teaches many different Child Development Courses which she says keeps her updated with the field and her career.

Ruth has a grown daughter and son who are both married as well as two wonderful and sweet granddaughters and a siamese cat.

About Me

Theresa Erb joined the Foothills staff in June 2002. Ms. Erb is a Certified Lay Minister in the United Methodist Church with a passion for working with children and families. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University with additional training in early childhood education.

Active in many areas of ministry at Foothills, Theresa treasures the relationships she has developed after being at Foothills for over 20 years. Currently she directs the Faith Formation and Spiritual Development team, planning Sunday School, scheduling childcare, collaborating on the mid-week children’s program, Kid’s Exploration, and leading a book group for young mothers. Theresa coordinates a monthly luncheon for retired seniors, as well as yoga and pilates classes on the church campus. She is the staff contact person and lead administrator for the church’s Prayer Quilt Ministries program and a collaborative outreach to six local elementary schools called Common Ground Collaborative.

Theresa is married to Jack Erb, a musician, teacher and general techie-extraordinaire.  They have a daughter, Elise, attending Cal-Poly University in San Luis Obispo, California. Theresa loves spending time with family and good friends, creating art using pastels and practicing yoga.

About Me
Anthony has been a part of the Foothills Youth ministry since his early teens. He quickly became an active member of the group by assisting with the 4^th, 5^th group and with just about every event the youth group had to offer. He went off to college at SDSU and brought his wealth of experience, creativity and energy back to the Foothills youth group in 2005 as its summer intern. In 2006, he became the full-time youth director of the group. When he's not a counselor at camps, putting together days at the beach for the youth, going on missions or just hanging out with the young adult group and youths he enjoys rock climbing, cooking, local cuisine and seeing his friends.

About Me
Jeanette came to the Foothills’ staff in July 2000 and is now serving in the areas of Welcome & Discipleship Ministries, which includes Guest Services, small groups and marketing communications. Prior to Foothills, she worked as a manager in the wireless industry and served on various teams as a Quality Facilitator and Trainer. Over the past 15 years she has also held several positions in marketing and public relations, but truly found her purpose in life when she came to Foothills. She enjoys teaching classes, equipping others to serve using their gifts, community building and helping others develop their spiritual life through our small group ministry. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Public Relations from Northern Arizona University in 1986 and received her Quality Facilitation training certificate in 1996.

Jeanette is a certified candidate for ministry as a Deacon in The United Methodist Church, and is enrolled in the Masters in Christian Leadership program at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is married and has two children.

About Me
Tim came to Foothills in 2001 after relocating from South Carolina where he was a Methodist church choir director in downtown Columbia. He studied music composition at the University of South Carolina after receiving a scholarship award for music composition. Tim composed his first piece, a full liturgical mass, at the age of 17 while a senior in high school. Since joining Foothills, he has been a part of the chancel choir, hand bell choir and has become a worship leader with Foothills' contemporary band, Witness. He also creates the imagery displayed on the screens for Sunday services.

Tim is married with one daughter and enjoys the outdoors. He is an avid runner, having been part of hundreds of road races, triathlons and marathons. Professionally, Tim works as a web designer and developer for a broadcast television company.

About Me

Active at Foothills United Methodist Church as a music and special events volunteer, Valerie has worked in non-profit marketing and fundraising for 25 years. Her past clients include The Salvation Army, San Diego Opera, Rady Children’s Hospital, Museum of Man, Joan B. Kroc Foundation, Union of Pan-Asian Communities and the San Diego Commission on Arts and Culture. Valerie has published several articles on homelessness in San Diego. Her self-produced music video “Restore Hope” raised one million dollars towards the building of a transitional living center for homeless women and children near Kearney Mesa.

A proud San Diego State University graduate, Valerie is married to another SDSU alum, Neal, a software engineer.  They have three grown children and live in Rancho San Diego

About Me
Tish is the Wedding and Bereavement Coordinator. She has enjoyed numerous volunteer positions at Foothills over the years, including annual fundraising auction chairperson, Vacation Bible School and Sunday School leader, and is part of the Ladies in Faith Together (LIFT) group. Her professional background spans 25 years in marketing management in the computer industry; and she holds a Bachelors of Behavioral Science from the University of San Diego. Her passion is in creating art in a variety of media, in addition to her love of dogs. She has two Scottish Terriers, and lives in San Carlos with her husband, teenage daughter, and mother-in-law.

About Me
Glenn joined Foothills as the church organist in 2011. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received degrees in Mathematics and Statistics. He moved to San Diego and worked as a Systems Engineer with BAE Systems and General Dynamics for over twenty years. He has held various positions as organist and accompanist, most recently with Lemon Grove Lutheran Church and Mission Hills United Church of Christ. Glenn performed in the 1988 Super Bowl halftime show in San Diego (sharing the stage with 87 other pianists) and at the White House with the San Diego Men’s Chorus in 1995. He is currently the accompanist for the 120-voice San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus.

About Me

Linda Cree came to Foothills in 1988. She immediately fell in love with the hand bell choirs and has been involved with the children and adult choirs ever since. She has also participated in a variety of other ministries over the years including Vacation Bible School, LaRoca Ministry, Prayer Quilt Ministry, and has been a Sunday School Teacher.

Linda grew up in Pennsylvania. She attended Rider University, receiving a B.S. in Business Education. She moved to California in 1980 but remains a Philly fan. Linda lives in Jamul with her husband, teenage daughter and dog Choo Choo. She feels truly blessed to be part of such a loving, caring group of people called Foothills staff.

About Me
Jonny is Foothills' facility support staff member and began work in June of 2011. He is a 2008 graduate of San Diego State University and received his Bachelor Degree in Foods and Nutrition. His hobbies include a passion for Mini-Trucks and BMX bikes. Although his family religion is Catholic, he is currently interested in learning more about different religions of the world.  

About Me
Steven joined the Foothills staff in 2011 in order to enhance the church's online presence and visibility. He studied Film Studies as well as German studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara. He has lived abroad in Germany for two years and while he has called many places 'home,' has never forgotten where he came from. He runs a local video production company and specializes in stop-motion animation and brings those skills to Foothills in our weekly 'Mini-Message' and 'Question of Faith' videos.

About Me

Sue joined the Foothills staff at the beginning of 2012 in order to take over much of the printing, organizing and support positions on our staff. She is a member of Foothills and is married with 2 wonderful children. She has been an avid volunteer in the Foothills Sunday school program as well as common ground and our impact Sundays.

When not helping to make the Foothills front office run smoothly, she enjoys Crafting, interior decorating and vacations in the Carribean.