Our Leadership Team
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body.
So it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)
Chris Bird
Elder and Minstrel
Chris grew up in Ucluelet, and after a brief stint in the armed forces returned to live and raise his family here in addition to establishing and running SonBird Refuse and Recycling.
Chris is married to Maggie and a proud father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He's also enjoyed leading our CCC family in worship with voice and guitar for decades, and is an avid fan of Star Trek.
Rich Parlee
Elder and Storyteller
Rich came to Ukee in 1966 to teach grade 5 after training in Bible School and the University of Calgary. By 1970 he helped found Tofino Bible Fellowship along with the late Jim Sadler and brother Gil with the incredible support of their wives. By 1971 Rich retired from school teaching to become pastor/teacher of TBF and later of CCC for 25 years.
After 1995 Rich took a long sabbatical in house church format in Ukee, returning to TBF in 2008 for a few years and, in 2011, to CCC where he currently serves as an elder.
Rich's passion is the Life of Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, and enjoys recreational reading and time on the water with his wife Adrienne.
Henk Heuvelman
Elder, Chief Techhead and Treasurer
Henk moved to Ucluelet over 30 years ago to serve with the Canadian Coast Guard at their Marine Communications Traffic Services station. He's a whiz at most anything involving a computer in addition to an all-round handyman, and generously serves church, family and friends with both.
Henk and his late wife Judy have 3 adult sons, and he enjoys walking and hiking in and around Ucluelet as well as sharing a coffee and Nanaimo Bar with family and friends in his spare time.
Jens Heyduck
Deacon and Creative
Jens is an artist, photographer, and small business owner who moved from Germany to Canada with his wife and artist Nelly over 10 years ago, and they settled in Ucluelet / joined our church family soon after.
Now the parents of two beautiful boys, they continue their creative work while raising their family. Jens has a special passion for providing housing that is affordable, beautiful and creatively designed, and this shapes much of his current involvement as a deacon in our church family..
Connie & Jean Prémont
Connie and Jean met, married and lived just up the road in Tofino for thirteen years, then headed to Port Alberni for two years more. Life took them back east for 19 years, but now they're happily on the West Coast once again, enjoying Christ Community's close-knit family atmosphere which invites dialogue and participation.
Jean
Elder, Ponderer and lover of BarBQ
Jean is a numbers man who runs a tight ship at the local fish plant. When he's not perusing spreadsheets, he loves all things gastronomical with a generous helping of good company to boot. That's why he appreciates that Christ Community Church is a place where every individual is valued for who they are, no matter what point they may be at in their lives.
Connie
Deacon, Women's Committee, Author
Connie is a schoolteacher who loves writing for children and adores stubborn, comical dogs with long backs and stubby legs. She taught Sunday School for a number of years in Tofino and Montreal, and now has set her heart on tapping into and promoting the wealth of ideas, experience and wisdom the women of Christ Community Church have to offer.
Dave De Jong
Coach, Communication and Details Guy
Dave and Megan met, married and raised their 2 (now adult) boys in Port Alberni before a move to Nanaimo in 2016. Ucluelet has never been far from their hearts though, with Dave serving on the West Coast with Young Life of Canada for 9 years and enjoying the friendships built through work & church there over many years.
Dave has served in pastoral ministry for 20+ years in addition to various administrative and business ventures. He currently serves in part-time capacities with the Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes Foodbank, the Anglican Mission in Canada, and as a pastoral coach at CCC.
Megan served as a social worker for 20+ years, as a Sunday school teacher and elder team member in Port Alberni, and helps lead a prayer group at CCC.
"We really enjoy the way CCC focuses on relational and shared ministry, and are grateful for the faithful work of the church in the past and excited about CCC's future!"
_edited_edited.jpg)
Rob Stewart
Encourager and Sailor
Rob grew up in White Rock, BC, and has owned a boat since he was ten. He and Karen served with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in Victoria and directed boys camp at Pioneer Pacific. Later, they pastored for seventeen years in Delta, and in 2002, were invited to become District Superintendent for Evangelical Free Churches in south-western BC, and whose purpose is to, “…encourage and resource our growing family of churches to reflect Jesus Christ.” Rob resonates with this, as one here to serve, not direct local churches.
Rob and Karen have four children, three daughters-in-law and ten grandchildren. When not serving churches, Rob and Karen can be found camping in the rain or sailing the Salish Sea.
"I really love the people and mission of Christ Community Church. The focus is not programs, but people; accepting one another with the acceptance we have experienced in Christ, and serving one another and our community in the Name of Christ. It is always a highlight to visit this west coast church family!"
