Pastor Tom Neilsen
Pastor Tom and wife, Joan Neilsen are happy to be joining the St. Paul’s family. PastorTom is our new interim minister.
The Neilsen’s live in LaVernia, Texas now. They are both retired and loving it.
Tom grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. He has served in churches throughout the Midwest and East Coast for the past 41 years. He has been doing human rights work throughout Latin America for about 36 years, working with the poor in Southern Mexico and El Salvador.
Joan grew up in San Antonio, graduating from Trinity University. She became a French and German teacher and taught in Wisconsin and San Antonio.
The Neilsen’s have 4 adopted children. They aren’t kids any more. They range from 36 to 31 years old. Unfortunately, they all live in Wisconsin. They have one granddaughter, the lovely Nevaeh.
OUR MUSIC DIRECTOR
Mr. Paul R. Villarreal
A few words from Paul:
Born in Robstown, Paul was an honor graduate and ranked 10th in his senior class. He attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi where he was the recipient of the Carl Duckwall Memorial Scholarship, the highest music scholarship awarded to a vocal major.
He studied voice with John Boyer and piano with Joan Allison. He was student conductor of the top college choir at Howard Payne University under Dr. Curtis Hamlett. He attended Interlochen, an international music camp in Interlochen Michigan. Paul has a Bachelor of Music Education and is certified to teach in Texas, New York and New Jersey.
Paul has 25 years experience teaching Pre-K to freshmen in college. Paul has taught in Robstown, Raymondville, Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, in Texas as well as Port Washington, New York, and Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Paul says, “It is good to be back near my hometown and near my family. Corpus Christi is so deserving of its nickname as the "Sparkling City by the Sea" and I am honored to be a part of the music ministry at St. Paul United Church of Christ.”
To email Paul, CLICK HERE.
