If health concerns or even just a busy schedule makes joining us in person a challenge, we welcome you to join us online. Every Sunday, we’ll livestream our services via Facebook Live, and welcome you to join us for an online Fellowship Hour via Zoom (password to join is CPC).
Charis has attended Central since 2019 when she joined the choir, and enjoyed getting to know its wonderful members. She was promoted to soprano section leader and subsequently became a Central member with her family in 2022. That same year she was inspired to apply for the vacant positions of Music Director and Church Administrator and a unique dual position was created that allowed her to draw on her time as a professional musician and her business executive experience.
Charis has an undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from Wheaton College and a Masters Degree, also in Vocal Performance, from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She enjoyed a decade and a half of performing worldwide with memorable solo performances at Carnegie Hall, with the Colorado Symphony and at the Vatican, among many others. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians and a member of Actor's Equity Association. She is supremely grateful for the support of her husband Ryan and daughters Ahna and Liza, who humor her by singing in her choir.
Glenn joined the staff at Central in 2021 with two decades of leadership in the classical arts. With a wealth of knowledge in all areas of performance and operations, Glenn brings valuable technical and administrative experience to his role at Central Presbyterian Church.
Glenn is also a musician and professional photographer, with a focus on portraiture, live music, and events. His work has taken him around the World and his imagery has been featured in esteemed publications, magazines, books, and newspapers.
Glenn holds Bachelors degrees in Business and Philosophy and is involved in various community-based organizations. He enjoys writing, helping others, learning new skills, and traveling to new places.
Molly Dowling Brown, Director of Mission & Faith Formation
Molly has been a member at Central since 2004 and joined the staff team in 2018. From 2013-2015, Molly served as the Director of Central Presbyterian Church’s Health Assistance Site which assisted Coloradans in health insurance enrollment.
Molly worked for over a decade on behalf of Federally Qualified Health Centers here in Colorado. Prior to that, she taught middle school social studies in North Carolina. Molly holds a BA in History from Davidson College (Davidson, NC). As the Director of Mission and Faith Formation, Molly believes faith is built via serving others in need in one’s community.
Molly and her husband, Adam, have 3 daughters: Caroline, Morgan, and Francee plus two canines…Murray (a goldendoodle) and Sylvester (a standard poodle).
Molly enjoys mountain and beach trips with her family, hiking, photography, water aerobics classes, dining out, and a good happy hour(s).
Louise Westfall became Central’s senior pastor in 2011, following pastorates in Cleveland, Detroit, and Iowa. She received a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She has co-authored two Bible studies– The Face Is Familiar: Remembering Unnamed Women in Scripture, and Peacemaking in Mark: Restoring God’s Community of Men and Women. Her dissertation Listening Beyond Our Differences: Conversations about Abortion was honored with a faculty prize.
Louise believes the Church is a community of transformation and the congregations she’s served have resettled refugees, built homes with Habitat for Humanity, tutored urban school children, converted a closed church into a Boys and Girls Club, and helped enroll people in affordable health insurance. Her leadership has helped make connections between suburban and urban, Black and White congregations, and among Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Increasingly she considers the Communion cup a central symbol of faith representing God’s love poured out for all, and the Table a place where everyone is welcome.
Louise is the mother of a son, Paul, an attorney in Washington DC.
Central members Jon Dreux and Jean Hart at a Guns to Gardens event.
As part of Central’s Equity Through Action: NOW team, Cheryl Fleetwood has been leading our efforts to address the gun violence epidemic. So far, Central has officially joined a coalition of congregations called CO Faith Communities to End Gun Violence and we have become active with the national Guns to Gardens Movement. Many members of our congregation have been involved with and supported these efforts, and we welcome everyone to participate.
We are at a critical juncture with regard to gun violence in our country, and many of us are feeling called to DO something to bring about positive change. Gun violence is the number one cause of death for young people in our country. The majority of gun deaths are suicide. The proliferation of guns in our society is out of control!
Here are some Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) – Opportunities for Action
Through Central’s membership in CO Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence (CFCU) there are three distinct areas for involvement: Advocacy / Education / Public Health.
In each activity, CFCU leaders and Central’s GVP Team will provide the support necessary to ensure you are equipped to engage effectively. Some are opportunities for individual involvement and others would be undertaken as a community.
Gun Violence Prevention: Advocacy
Engage in our democracy through direct, concrete actions to impact state-level public policy. Express your views and share your experiences with state legislators regarding specific GVP-related bills.
During CO General Assembly’s Session – January thru early May
Email legislators with your views on GVP-related bills
Attend committee hearings on GVP-related bills to show support/opposition
Testify during committee hearings
Participate in CO Ceasefire’s Lobby Day (usually in March)
Attend GVP rallies and vigils
During the Session Interim – June thru December
Host workshops to educate members about how the Colorado legislature works
Build relationships with our state representatives in Colorado House and Senate
Host panel discussions / GVP events with legislators
Gun Violence Prevention: Education
Raise awareness and educate our community about suicide prevention, safe storage and Extreme Risk Protection Orders – ERPO (red flag laws).
Attend/host a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training to learn how YOU can help prevent suicide.
Attend/host events focused on learning about CO’s safe storage laws and then commit to share this information with your networks.
Attend/host events designed to educate community members about how Colorado’s red flag laws are being implemented and the process for requesting an Extreme Risk Protection Order.
Gun Violence Prevention: Public Health
Volunteer with public health-based programs which offer a wide variety of engagement opportunities, enabling you to put your specific skills to work.
Handgun Intervention Program (HIP) – Denver’s Youth Probation Department offers youth with a first-time gun offense an opportunity to enroll in a 6-week course which includes a Community Accountability Board (CAB) made up of community members. CAB volunteers are assigned to a young person and attend all the classes, in a mentoring capacity. Upon successful completion of the course, the offense is removed from the young person’s record.
Guns to Gardens (G2G) – Movement of faith communities across the country which provides a service to folks who have UNWANTED guns. G2G hosts “Safe Surrender” events during which gun owners can anonymously surrender their weapons and have them dismantled while they wait. The gun owners receive a “thank you” gift card for donating their gun pieces to be transformed by blacksmiths into gardening tools.
Gun Safe and Trigger Lock Giveaways – Focused on harm reduction by promoting responsible gun ownership through safe firearm storage, these are events where congregations raise funds to purchase gun safes and trigger locks which are then distributed to gun owners who might not otherwise be able to afford them.
Please contact Cheryl Fleetwood, cherylrfleetwood@gmail.com, if you’d like to learn more about any of these activities.
