Our Ministry Team
Rev. Joel Larson
pastor and Head of Staff
Rev. Joel Larson has been serving in church ministry for 25 years. Joel has served congregations in Northwest Ohio, the Los Angeles area, and as the Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood for 8 1/2 years. Joel is passionate about making flourishing disciples of Jesus Christ at FPC Monrovia.
Joel has a communications degree from Bowling Green State University and an MDiv from Fuller Seminary. He is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry in Leading Congregational and Organizational Change at Fuller Seminary.
Joel is married to Elisha, and they have three children, Claire, Will, and Finn. Joel enjoys the varied California landscape and loves getting outdoors for surfing, cycling, mountain biking, and hiking. He is always up for trying new activities or sharing a cup of coffee and some conversation.
Fawn Zappia
Director of Children’s & Family Ministries
Along with her husband and two daughters, Fawn has been attending FPC Monrovia since 1999 and joined the ministry team as the Children's Ministry Director in October 2015. She feels privileged to share and lead Bible lessons with the children of FPC Monrovia and is passionate about relating these timeless stories to the children's lives in today's world. Fawn has completed her Certification in Early Childhood Education at UCLA and is currently working towards another Certification in Advanced Early Childhood Education. Her desire is for every child to know the amazing love of God in his or her life, and enjoys partnering with parents to help their children form an important foundation for their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Eunyoung Sohng
Pianist
Having studied Food Technology, English Literature and Theology in Korea, Eunyoung followed her passion and became a collaborative pianist with MFA degree from UC Irvine. She is a staff accompanist at Riverside City College as well as El Monte High school and Ball Jr. High school. She has many experiences for serving church as an accompanist since high school. Her favorite activity among many is chatting and laughing with her two grown-up children.
Shannon Gray
Worship Team
Hailing from Ohio, Shannon Gray is a Los Angeles based soprano who loves singing in a wide array of styles from opera to video game music. She has enjoyed singing locally with Glendale Concert Singers, Los Angeles Choral Artists, and Video Games Live as well as performing with opera companies such as Celestial Opera, Centerstage Opera and Pacific Opera Project. In 2010, she sang in the world premiere of Marie’s Orchard, a new American opera by Philip Westin.
On the concert stage, Shannon has sung choral works with major Orchestras including Cleveland Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony. In recent years, she had the honor of being a guest soloist in productions of Orff’s Carmina Burana, Poulenc’s Gloria, Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem, Handel’s Messiah and the Faure Requiem.
Shannon holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Grove City College and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College.
