Leadership
What is the distinctive of a Presbyterian church? The answer is our leadership culture, the clue of which is found in the name itself.
In the New Testament, appointed leaders were called presbeuteroi, or in English, elders. Each Presbyterian congregation is governed and led by a group of men and women, chosen by and representative of the congregation, called ruling elders. Together they serve on and comprise the leadership group, called the Session. The pastor of a Presbyterian church is called a teaching elder, and serves as the moderator of the Session.
Chrissy Field
Elder for Design Team
Chrissy grew up in Piedmont, California, a small town in the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended California College of the Arts and graduated with a degree in architecture and interior design. Chrissy and her husband, Jim, married in 1978 at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Orinda, California. They were introduced to having a personal relationship with Jesus during their premarital counseling and have been believers ever since. They lived in the Bay Area until 1996 when, after exploring the western states in an RV, they discovered and moved to Sun Valley. At that time, their children, Brent and Hilary were going into 6th grade and 4th grade respectively. Chrissy spent the majority of her time actively participating in the Parent Organizations at Hemingway Elementary and Wood River Middle and High Schools. Jim commutes to the Bay Area to continue his real estate work. Chrissy and Jim enjoy all the outdoor activities Sun Valley has to offer and they love spending time with their two grand children. They have been active members of the Church of the Big Wood since 1996. Chrissy has previously served on Session.
John Dimant
Elder for Deacons Ministry
Deb and I moved to Hailey from Gig Harbor, WA in 2014. We started attending the Church of the Big Wood seven years ago, shortly after meeting Pastor Mark for coffee. For us the church has been a wonderful opportunity to grow in our faith, make some amazing friends and gradually get involved in various ministries. It truly is the first church we have been a part of that really feels like family to us. In my former life I spent 28 years as a partner in a large Pediatric practice in the Tacoma-Gig Harbor area. Deb and I ski, both downhill and Nordic, and snowshoe in the winter. In the warmer weather months, we like to mountain bike and hike and love to explore the western US and Canada in our truck camper. I look forward to joining the other session members in a concerted effort to help serve our church.
Mark Mary
Elder for Building and Grounds
Mark was born and raised in Boise, is the youngest of eight children and has been in the Wood River Valley since 1994. He has been married to his wife Lisa for 25+ years. They have two daughters, Jordyn (22) and Adisyn (17). They have been attending CBW for the last ten years. Mark worked for POWER Engineers for 28+ years in Human Resources and recently retired so he can spend time with his family, serve the Lord, give back to his community and enjoy life.
Todd Harmon
Elder for Youth Ministry
Todd was raised in San Jose, California. He graduated from U.C Berkeley where he played collegiate soccer. Before moving to Ketchum full time in 2010 he resided in Piedmont, California. Prior to joining the Church of the Big Wood Todd was a member of the Piedmont Community Church. Todd has been in wealth management for 33 years and works for RBC Wealth Management in Ketchum as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Todd is most proud of his family and cherishes his time spent with his wife Erin, and his four children Trevor, Audrey, Hudson and Finley.
George Kirk
Elder for Worship
Jerry Mitchell
Elder for Big Wood School
My wife MB and I lived in Issaquah Washington for 30 years and raised our family there. We shared a vacation home here with my brother during those years and visited often making the Bigwood Church our affiliate home. My oldest daughter, Laura moved here after college in 2003 and started teaching grade school. She met and married her husband Reggie and subsequently had her first child. My wife and younger daughter, Kristen came over for the delivery and never came back home. After commuting back and forth for a year, I sold all in Issaquah and moved to the valley full time. We now have three grandkids: Jayden 14, Stevie 10, and Mitchell 6 who live one mile from us in Board Ranch. Kristen lives in Boise and works as a physical therapist. It's great having our kids and grandkids so close and we love the mountain life.
JoAnne Morrical
Clerk of Session
JoAnne and Dick Morrical moved to Hailey in 2011 from northwestern Connecticut (35 years) by way of Davenport, Iowa. After spending many summers here, they decided that they wanted to spend their retirement in the valley. Adult children, Heather and Greg still reside in Connecticut. JoAnne was an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Davenport and Clerk of Session for five years at CBW. Her work experience includes laboratory work as a medical technologist, office secretary at her church in Connecticut, and administrator with a nonprofit in Iowa.
Gary Peterson
Elder for Personnel Committee
Mark Westman
Elder for Administration and Finance Committee
Mark moved from Telluride, CO to the Wood River Valley in 2017. Soon after moving, he met his wife, Debbie, and they now live in Hailey. Mark and Debbie have a son and two daughters, all in their twenties. Mark is the owner/manager of Alpine Lodging Sun Valley and serves as the CFO for Alpine Lodging Telluride. Prior to working in the hospitality industry, Mark spent two decades in the investment management industry. Mark is active in Rotary and previously served for 6 years on the Telluride school board. Raised a Lutheran, Mark attended a Lutheran-affiliated college where he served as a student assistant pastor.
Steve Dawson
Elder for Affiliates Ministry