Our Leaders
Christopher and his wife Brooke have a blended family (Drew, Kyla, Christian, Charlie,
Alicy, Ewan, and Serenity). Christopher and Brooke started out serving together years ago on a church cleaning crew and then from there moved into youth ministry where they worked with some amazing kids and church leaders. They have both participated in youth camps as workers and leaders/organizers and they love serving in the church, community, and home Bible studies.
Christopher graduated from Liberty University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in
religion (Christian Counseling), and a master’s degree in public administration (Government and Non-Profit). Christopher served in the US Army and the Nevada Army National Guard where he was schooled and trained in various aspects information technology. Christopher has spent most of his career since the military as an information technology professional in both the private and government sectors and currently works as an information security auditor for the state of Nevada’s LCB audit division. Through his unique experiences over the years, he has been able to
work with at-risk youth assisting them as they worked through some tough personal struggles. He also worked as a hospice chaplain where he provided end-of-life spiritual care for people and grief support for their families.
Christopher Gray
Family Pastor
Barbara Farrar
Worship Leader / Pastoral Assistant
Background: Barbara is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University with a B.A. in Accounting and a minor in English. She is a Certified Public Accountant and worked in the banking industry for 10 years in Arkansas before moving to the Bay Area and becoming a stay at home mom.
Ministry: Barbara is passionate about worship and has been part of praise teams for many years. She served as the lead worshiper for three years in northern California before moving to Nevada in 2013 to become the lead worshiper at SMC. In that role she works with the pastor in selecting songs that will glorify God and fit with that morning's sermon. Barbara strives to faithfully lead others to magnify the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit .
Family: Barbara and Bill have been married for over thirty-five years. Bill, also a CPA, has served the church in the capacity of treasurer and bookkeeper for many years. Bill and Barbara are blessed to have two beautiful daughters, Anna Abeyta and Taylor Farrar (greeter and name tag extraordinaire at SMC), one amazing son, Zachary, one interesting (and yes sweet) son-in-law, Paul Abeyta. They also have four amazing grandsons, Silas and Oliver Abeyta, and Josiah and Nathaniel Farrar and four beautiful granddaughters, Nora Grace, Maisie Jane, Sophie and Eliza Abeyta! (absolutely ADORABLE... all 8 of them!!!!!!).
​First and foremost, I love the Lord. I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful boys. I have lived in the valley the majority of my life. I have my master’s degree in education and have been a school teacher for a few years. I then felt the Lord wanted me to be a stay-at-home mom. I took on the role of Children’s director in October 2021. Even though I am a stay-at-home wife and mother, God uses my talents in His house.
Taylorann Ferone
Director of Children Ministries
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Tom Kalb and his wife Missy along with their two boys, Ethan and Andrew, have been attending Shadow Mountain Church (formerly First Baptist Church) since 2006. Tom holds an Electrical/Electronic Engineering degree and moved to Nevada in 1992 to work for Bently Nevada. Most Sundays you can find him using the electronic skills God gave him to help run the equipment in the audio/video booth.
Tom Kalb
Elder, Chairman
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Paul has been married to his wife Shawna for over 25 years. They have two daughters, Rachel and Abigail, who are college students. Paul and his family began worshiping at Shadow Mountain periodically in 2019 when they visited Gardnerville on weekends to check progress on their new home under construction, and they have been a regular part of the church family since relocating from the San Francisco Bay area in 2020. Paul worked as an electronics engineer on a variety of projects at a government laboratory, then at a startup company, and finally at one of the “Big Tech” companies. He has a passion for leading small-group Bible studies where participants can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and draw nearer to Him. Paul also enjoys using his skills and abilities to help the church staff and community.
Paul Sargis
Elder
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Jim LeGare and his wife Linda have been attending Shadow Mountain Church since early 2019. Between them they have five children and four grandchildren. He worked for the Department of Corrections in California for twenty-five years and just recently retired from Douglas County Court House as court security. Ministries that he served in are pre-marital, Biblical counseling, and divorce recovery ( STEP program). Jim is a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and recently was re-baptized by Pastor Larry. Interesting tidbit, Jim is an avid comic book collector!
Jim Legare
Elder
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