What brought you to Wilshire?
My earliest memory is being in the nursery at Wilshire. My parents, Pagett Gosslee and Steve Holley, are still members today. As a young adult trying to find my own way, I visited other churches, but when I met Trey in 1999, Wilshire is where I brought him. I then realized that I had been sitting on the treasure the whole time. Now, Wilshire has raised two of our children, Davis and Evelyn, and is working her magic on our youngest, Cameron.
Who was pastor when you arrived?
Bruce McIver was my childhood pastor, and he baptized me alongside my sister, Shannon Nadalini. In 1989 when I was in the youth group, we traveled on a choir tour through Mobile, Alabama, where we stopped to have lunch with Kim and George Mason, who had recently been called as our new pastor.
What ministers or staff members have impacted your life?
I will most likely use the rest of my words listing Wilshire staff members who have impacted me. I was very close with my youth minister, Belinda Blessen. She was an absolute blast! We were a tight-knit youth group, and she had a lot to do with that. Bob Brooks was my Youth Choir director, and he influenced my love of Broadway music and made space for secular music to be performed at Wilshire. I like to think that out of the seeds Bob planted, Faith in 3D blossomed. George Mason married Trey and me in 2000 and baptized my husband and two of my three children. I value his bravery and commitment to Wilshire and his continued guidance in my life. For the past 16 years, Trey and I have taught “down in the basement.” Wilshire Student Ministry is one of my favorite things about our church. Wilshire’s youth group was pivotal in my coming of age and WSM continues to shape who I am becoming. Because of the way Darren DeMent connects and unites, it is one of the most beautiful and accepting communities I have ever known. It isn’t perfect, but it’s darn close. I honor Wilshire’s past and am energized by where we are going. Evelyn was the youth representative on Timothy Peoples’s search committee. Last August, he baptized Cameron, and I will never forget the beauty of that day. Timothy is leading us forward in important ways, and I’m here for it!