Meet the Team

REV. MIKE EGGLESTON  is a United Methodist elder, retired to Los Osos in July, 2013 after pastoring seven churches. His two longest pastorates were 10 years at St. Andrew UMC in Santa Maria and seven at Trinity UMC in Los Osos. He has been a member of Peace with Justice and Church and Society teams in the California-Pacific Conference. His interest has become primarily environmental over many years. Mike is a part time  Minister of the Environment and New Ministries at Trinity UMC in Los Osos.  

MARGARET FERTSCHNEIDER    Somewhere about jr. high school age, I got interested in social justice issues.  That interest continued to grow as I became an adult and I have always sought ways  to make that part of my discipleship as a United Methodist. My most fulfilling activities in the church were when I was Conference Coordinator of Peace with Justice.  After serving in that capacity, I served as Mission Coordinator for Social Action for the United Methodist Women on both the District and Annual Conference levels. I am always looking for new challenges. 

THE REV. DR. RICHARD KURRASCH has served as the Executive Director of PFJ for two years. A minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he has served churches in the Upper Midwest and Southern California. Following forty years of pastoral work, he and his wife, Ann Marie, moved from Los Angeles to Arroyo Grande. He has always emphasized the social justice implications of the Gospel and continues that same emphasis in this more concentrated, interfaith setting.

​THE REV. JIM NIELSEN  is a retired Presbyterian minister. He played a major role in the early organizing stages of Central Coast Clergy for Justice, which is now known as People of Faith for Justice. He has served on the Board from the beginning and continues on the Board because he believes the Central Coast needs a strong progressive religious voice (ecumenical and interfaith) to counteract the outrageous charges and actions of many on the religious right, especially when hatred, injustice, bigotry, intolerance, and indifference are espoused and demonstrated.

GINA WHITAKER  is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of SLO County and has been a UU for the last 54 years. She has lived on the Central Coast for the last 33.She has served on the board of People of Faith for Justice for 8 years. She believes interfaith work has helped her become more open to and accepting of other faith traditions. One of her favorite definitions of social justice is "finding out what belongs to whom, and then giving it back!" Gina has two sons, Josh and Justice, who live in Oakland and Santa Fe, NM respectively; she is retired and lives in Arroyo Grande with her husband, Ken Hill.

THE REV. JASON SISK-PROVENCIO  is Pastor at the United Church of Christ in San Luis Obispo, which has its origins in the Congregational Church. He values interfaith collaboration and cooperation, especially in Social Justice work. He believes in restorative justice and is passionate about the incarcerated. Pastor Jason also advocates for our local LGBTQIA+ community. He believes that understanding others is the key to greater peace, justice, and harmony in our world. In his free time, Pastor Jason enjoys life with his husband Stephen, traveling, cats, Oxford commas, and all things Star Trek.

​   BOB WOLF   is a retired Cal Poly math professor. He has been an environmental activist for many decades. He was a founding member of the anti-nuke Abalone Alliance and the Concerned Cal Poly Faculty and Staff  (the Cocoa Puffs). He spent ten years on the board of ECOSLO, and seven months as its interim director. Currently, he is active with the Citizens Climate Lobby and the Social Action Committee of Congregation Beth David, as well as People of Faith for Justice. In his spare time, Bob participates in a dizzying array of frivolous pursuits: ping pong, tennis, disc golf, chess, backgammon, go, piano, hand drums, foreign languages, and more.