WHO WE ARE
Come join the journey with us!
Who We Are
Come join the journey with us!
Our Values
Welcoming
Christ-Centered
Safe
Grace-Filled
Vibrant
Relevant
Our Mission
What We Believe
Who is God?
- God is love, and that God loves all people unconditionally.
- The Bible is God's word to us and provides answers for all the challenges of our lives.
- God's love is revealed to us in the life and death, and resurrection of Jesus.
- The teachings of Jesus are timeless; that means that they are relevant for all people, at all times, and in all circumstances.
Who are humans?
- We are all one people of God.
- Each person is wonderfully and perfectly made in the image of God and, because of this, is intimately known by God.
- Each person falls short of living the life God intends us to live.
- Jesus offers his love and grace and invites us to be forgiven, transformed and renewed.
- Each person is called to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Who are we?
- We are called, as individuals and as a church, to respond with joy to God’s love for us.
- Growing in our faith helps us address the challenges we face in our families, our relationships, our work, and in our broader social context.
- We are guided by the Holy Spirit as we serve others and seek healing of our relationships with God and with humanity.
- We are called to be faithful allies to those affected by social inequities, injustice and exclusion.
Past + Present
burlpres Leaders

Rev. Dr. Graham Baird
Lead Pastor
2020 marked his 20th year as an ordained Presbyterian minister, and also his 20-year anniversary with his wife Star. He says he married his wife and the church in the same year! Earlier in Graham’s life journey, he wasn’t sure he wanted to follow in the family tradition (he’s a 4th generation pastor), but God had a plan. He got started in ministry as a professor of religion at a small boarding school in central Utah (Wasatch Academy). There, he learned that he loved teaching people about God, and that kicked off his journey to becoming a pastor. Graham has started three new churches in his career, the most successful of these was Highlands Church in Paso Robles. He also served as Lead Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs.
Graham’s role as Dad to his three wonderful kids, Haley, Sheena and Ewan, is the most rewarding, important and challenging current role in his life. When he’s not at burlpres, you can find him working as “horse lesson chauffeur, laundry folder, dance lesson picker-upper, and lego builder.” But when he has time, he also enjoys playing the bagpipes, singing, playing piano, reading, and doing home improvement work on his 100 year old house!
Contact Graham at gbaird@burlpres.org.

Rev. Jane Doty Mackenzie
Associate Pastor of Community Care
Contact Jane at jmackenzie@burlpres.org.

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Frykberg
Associate Pastor - Adults + Families
Contact Beth at bfrykberg@burlpres.org.

Rev. Cynthia Purvis
NextGen Pastor
To help students in their formation as Christ followers, Cynthia focuses on three key areas of development: identity, belonging, and service. With these three areas in mind, she cultivates an atmosphere within our program that reminds students who they belong to, where they belong, and what they were created for.
In her free time, she loves taking her nephew and niece to the zoo to see the hippos. On a Saturday afternoon, you can find her hiking the beautiful trails around town and satisfying her sweet tooth with plenty of baked goods. Cynthia loves to play board and card games and is always down to teach others how to play games.

Stephen Koh
Commissioned Lay Pastor
Mandarin-Taiwanese Congregation
Contact Stephen at skoh@burlpres.org.

Dr. Deborah Concklin
Commissioned Lay Pastor
Contact Deb at dconcklin@burlpres.org.

Steven Hall
Worship Arts Director
Contact Steven at shall@burlpres.org.

Carolyn Richardson
Finance Manager
Contact Carolyn at crichardson@burlpres.org.

Astrid Barrientos
NextGen Associate

Lupe Rodriguez Office and Human Resources Coordinator
Contact Lupe at lrodriguez@burlpres.org.
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Danny Navarrete-Estassi
Associate Director of Classic Worship (Chancel Choir)
Danny is passionate about music and its power to deliver the beautiful message of God’s word. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at san Jose State University where he is one of the conductors of the award winning SJSU Opera Theater and leads the Tenor Bass a cappella group, “Pitch Please.” In addition to conducting, Danny is an active soloist and performer in various musical theater and opera productions. He has performed as the Judge from Sweeney Todd and scenes from Le Nozze di Figaro as Figaro, from Don Giovanni as Leporello and from Cosi fan tutte as Don Alfonso. He is committed to facilitating faith, love, and understanding of God and those around us through music. When he is not doing music, he enjoys playing with his dog, Luke, hanging out with his younger brother, Alexander, and playing card and board games with his family. Danny also enjoys exploring cultures through language and of course food.

Casey Fowler
Technical Director
Casey is passionate about building volunteer teams and using technology as a tool to help others on their faith journey. Casey grew up in the church and comes from a musical family He has been involved in ministry for the last 13 years, previously at Menlo Church, and Congregational Church of San Mateo. When Casey is not at church, he enjoys going to concerts and sporting events.
Contact Casey at cfowler@burlpres.org.

Peter Bassford
Organist
Contact Peter at pbassford@burlpres.org.

Onkar Sharma
Custodian

Julie Corpuz
Preschool Director
Contact Julie jcorpuz@burlpres.org.

Sonu Sharma
Facilities Supervisor and Services Coordinator
Contact Sonu at ssharma@burlpres.org.