About Us...
Mission
The mission of the Lakewood United Church of Christ (LUCC) is to develop our faith in God, enabling us to know the abundant life Christ promised by nourishing our spiritual journey, fostering community, inviting others to join on the journey, and going forth into the world through service to do justice, love others and promote peace. We are an Open and Affirming church, respecting all God's children regardless of race, color, ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
Learn a little more about our staff
Rev. Curt Preston, Pastor
Jen Keyes, Director of Christian Education
Joan Wagner, Director of Music
Jean Chavez, Office Manager
Tabby Bernardo,
Moderator
Rev. Curt Preston, Pastor
By unanimous vote of the LUCC congregation, the Rev. Curtis Preston began his ministry at Lakewood United
Church of Christ in August of 2008. Curt had previously served for 5 years as the Associate Pastor at the First
Church of Christ, United Church of Christ in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and also served as a Pastoral Intern
at Rock Spring Congregational Church in Arlington, VA. He received a BA from Pacific University in Forest Grove,
OR and a Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. He was ordained by the Metro-
Denver Association of the Rocky Mountain Conference UCC in July 2003.
Curt is originally from Centennial, CO., and both he and his wife, Danielle, have deep roots in the greater Denver
area. They have three daughters: Lucy (born 2002), Campbell (born 2004), and Juliet (born 2009). Together with
his family, Curt enjoys cooking, writing, playing guitar, camping, politics, pop culture, recreational athletics and film.
During the evaluation process, many profiles with recommendations & references were read. One of them said,
"To me, Curt is everything that a pastor should be. He knows how to lead and how to collaborate. He listens without judging, providing gentle guidance when the path is difficult. He reaches a congregation not just intellectually, but also spiritually in the heart."
Jen Keyes, Director of Christian Education
Jen Keyes joined the LUCC Family, January, 2010, as our Christian 
Education Director. She has 6 years experience as a lay minister for
a Children and Families Ministry in Golden, Co., and is currently
working on her Masters of Divinity degree, which she started in 2009.
Jen received a BA from the University of Wisconsin -Madison in
Education and received her first Masters in Curriculum and Instruction
Development from the University of Colorado -Denver.
Jen is a wife of 21 years to her husband Brian, and has two teenagers,
Josh and Nate, who are a great joy in her life. Other family members
include her cat, Ralph, her mini Chihuahua, Chloe, and family hamster,
Finkle. Jen enjoys a great cup of McDonald's coffee, reads mysteries,
enjoys knitting, and loves black and white movies.
Jen's mission is to encourage children /youth and their families to be the love
of God, as they learn to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus.
Joan Wagner, Director of Music
Joan received a Bachelor of Music from Drake University in 1965 and a Master of Music from Drake University
in 1967. She has held a variety of music positions with various churches in the metro Denver area since 1969,
among them organist, director of music, handbell choir director, and children's choir director. She is a member
of the American Guild of Organists, Choristers Guild, and American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. She is
also certified to tune pianos.
Joan is the mother of four children and six grandchildren, all of whom live in the metro area. Her husband, Jim
Mead, is a retired veterinarian. When not working, Joan continues to enjoy music, read, and be with her
grandchildren.
Jean Chavez, Office Manager
Our office manager, Jean Chavez, has been married to her childhood sweetheart, Al, for 37 years. They have
three grown children and three grand children. She retired from the United States Postal Inspection Service
where she was a law enforcement support technician. She also worked for ten years as a Human Resources
Associate, and prior to that, many positions within the Post Office.
Jean has been a sponsor in her church girl's club program for 16 years and is active in the senior women's
ministry. She is a collector of tea pots and teacups and often hosts tea parties for family and friends. She
and her husband love to camp, spend time with family, visit their daughter in San Francisco, and enjoy the
grandchildren.
Tabby Bernardo, Moderator
The Moderator is the head of the church council, working closely with the Pastor and presiding at
all regular and called meetings of the church. With the Pastor, the Moderator has general oversight
of the total church welfare.
Now, for a secret peek into the life of our Moderator:
There's something you should know about Tabby Bernardo, our moderator. Despite being called
Tabby since she was about three years old, she has never liked cats. You will agree, though, that
Tabby is a lot easier to remember than Lydia Mae Lilinoe Yuk Choy Bernardo.
Church was always an important part of her childhood. Her parents were the first couple from the
church to marry. They lived on the church grounds while her mother was Christian Education Director,
and today the fifth generation of the family still attends Kalihi Union Church in Honolulu.
After graduation from the University of Missouri (yep, she's a Tiger), she returned to Honolulu to
work in public relations, where she met the wonderful guy who became her husband. She and Ruben
took a leap of faith in 1984 to move to Syacuse, New York, where she completed a graduate degree
and toyed with the idea of moving to either Alaska or Colorado. You know who won.
Shortly after their arrival, they found LUCC in the yellow pages, but not many people were in church that morning; they were at Camp LaForet.
Nevertheless, the Bernardos were welcomed with graciousness by folks such as Harriett Wilkinson and Ruth Blosser and their late husbands,
and others. A few days later, Rev. Peter Meister knocked on their door, officially becoming their very first guest in Colorado. They joined
the church in 1987.
In the intervening years, the Bernardos served on various committees; most of their efforts were as Deacons and on the Fellowship
Committee. As Tabby says, "LUCC is a wonderful House of God, where sincerity, love and respect are always of utmost importance.
God is always present, even as we sometimes disagree on theology. Some of my greatest learning as a Christian has come through the
discussions held with folks who may not be in agreement, but they surely stimulate my gray cells. I'm grateful for folks like that."
LUCC Beginnings
The Lakewood Community Congregational Church was founded by Pastor Martin Roy Murray, Jr. and thirty-five charter members on June 14, 1953, with worship services held in the basement of the Murray home at 120 Carr Street, Lakewood, Colorado. By the end of the year, the original membership roll had doubled, and the Sunday Church School, a Pilgrim Fellowship and both Junior and Senior Choirs had been organized.
Throughout the ensuing years, membership grew, land was purchased next door, and a new church was built at 100 Carr Street, with remodeling done in the years 1966 and 2003. In 1960, we became a part of the United Church of Christ and four years later, our name was changed to Lakewood United Church. We became open & affirming June 4, 2001.
Our involvements with the community and our church activities have continued to grow, creating the enthusiastic and exciting church that we have today. In 2003, we celebrated our fiftieth year!
Our Christian Roots (see also www.ucc.org)
The United Church of Christ came into being in 1957 with the union of two Protestant denominations: The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches.
- The Evangelical and Reformed Protestants came to America in the 1700's and 1800's.
- The Congregationalists were the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock and throughout New England. As within local churches, the larger denomination reflects a wide variety of beliefs and practices within the overall context of the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior.