Meet Your Search Committee

We're excited to share our stories with you. Each member of our Search Committee brings unique gifts and experiences to this sacred task, reflecting the rich diversity of our congregation. From lifelong members to newer faces, from youth to retirees, we invite you to get to know the people representing our vibrant, inclusive, and justice-seeking congregation, working to make God's love and justice real in the world.

Kim Potts

Kim came to PUCC in 2015.  As chair of the Transition Team she gained insight into our congregation’s strengths, hopes, and opportunities for growth. She has been a Deacon, served on committees such as COVID response and Congregational Life, and participated in several other programs here.  Prior to moving to NY, she was very active in her previous UCC church in Cumberland, Maine, working part time in the office and chairing the Christian Ed committee, among many other roles.  Kim spent many years volunteering in classrooms and libraries and for her children’s scout groups. She earned a B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from George Washington University.  Kim and her husband Dave live in Milton.  They have three adult children.  In the summer they spend some time in Maine in a camp built by her grandfather.  A lifelong bookworm with a love for mysteries, Kim belongs to two book groups. She is currently serving as the chair of the Pastor Search Committee. You can contact her here.

Dorothy Phillips

Dorothy began attending PUCC in October 2023. Soon after, she quickly joined the choir and the Care Team, weekly Bible study, and women's gatherings. Seeing the need for an updated directory to help her get to know her new church family, she initiated and co-led the project to create one. Dorothy's main career was as a nurse practitioner, mostly in university settings, with backgrounds in public health research and nutrition; she is now retired. Widowed in 2017, with family living far away, she joined households with her oldest and best friend, and now lives on her friend's flower farm (Native Farm Flowers) in Greenfield Center with her dog Gracie. She is currently serving as the secretary of the Pastor Search Committee.

Charlie Wright

Charlie is a 10th grader at Saratoga Springs High School. As part of the PUCC youth group she worked with Shelters of Saratoga, Franklin Community Center and a few other local charities. For school she is the events coordinator and student planner for the Saratoga Pathways Academy, an interdisciplinary, project-based learning program for students in grades 9-12. She is a trained National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) leader and a no place for hate volunteer/member. Missions of the church that are important to her are housing immigrants in the Nolan House and Code Blue.

Jim MacNeill

Jim is a long time member with extensive service to the church. He and Peg were married in the church in 1984 and joined sometime in 1985. They have two children, Megan and Lauren, who attended Sunday School and Youth Group. Jim has been on three search committees, for two associate pastors and for hiring Pastor Kate Forer. He is currently a Trustee and has served on that board at least 3 or 4 times, often leading the group. He served as an Elder and on the Finance Committee, using his eye for detail as both as an Elder and as church member. Jim volunteered as Youth Group leader for several years and chaperoned on Europe trips. He currently maintains the church bus and coordinates its use. He started his career as a CPA and then moved to corporate accounting, retiring from a position as Controller. Jim has volunteered with Rebuilding Together and as a coach with the Saratoga Springs Rec Department. Most of his spare time has been spent on volunteer work at and through the church and on repairing and maintaining the MacNeill's older home.

Kristin Oakes

Kristin has been a member of PUCC since 2018. While church hopping, a friend asked: "Are you looking for a faith, or a community?" She realized when she came to (then) PNECC, that she had found a community that lives its faith out loud. Perfect. She's had the honor of being on the Governing Board since 2020. Having been on the Peace Fair/Peace Week committee since 2019, she has recently taken over as the committee chair. She's volunteered as an assistant Girl Scout leader the last four years, as well as being a classroom parent at Greenfield Elementary School. She lives in Greenfield, with her husband Phil, and daughters Maeve & Teagan. Kristin can often be found hanging out with her next door neighbors (her sister & family), running around her street, and in an adult hip-hop class at the dance lab.

Omay Elphick

Omay and Gwen joined our church in 2018. He has been active in various church committees including the Strategic Planning Committee, the Facilities Committee, the Community Solar Committee and most recently the Transition Team. He works in the renewable energy industry and has 24 years of experience in legislative advocacy and the financing and development of solar, wind, and low-impact hydro energy projects. Early in his career he taught marine biology on a 70ft historic wooden sailboat, started an after-school boat building program for urban youth, and lived on a sailboat.  Omay received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Skidmore College and a Masters in Business Administration from the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado at Boulder. He has been a Senior Fellow at the Environmental Leadership Program in Washington, DC since 2006 and recently completed two terms on its Board of Directors. Omay and Gwen live in Greenfield Center with their two teenage children.

Sally Marshall

Sally began volunteering at PUCC in 2021 soon after she moved to Saratoga Springs from NYC. She has packed boxes for rural food delivery, served food at the soup kitchen, and helped at the garage sale and other events. Sally has loved attending FFIRE events and the Women in the Woods retreat – and “performing” at the talent show. She worked at NYU in University Development as Executive Director until January 2024. In that role, Sally was a fundraiser, managed a team of fundraisers and was responsible for the fundraising enterprise for six NYU schools. Throughout her career, she has hired dozens of people and understands the importance of a well-managed, transparent hiring process to ensure that the right candidate is hired. Her expertise will help identify the pastor who will thrive and successfully lead our church into the future. She has one daughter who lives in Brooklyn.

Sean D’Evelyn

Sean has been a member of PUCC for 4.5 years. He has served on the Governing Board and chaired the Finance Committee, assisted with worship, and was a guest preacher. At previous congregations he taught Sunday school, led youth group, served on councils and was elected council president. Sean is the father of an 8th grader and a 12th grader. He earned a PhD and works as an Economist and General Manager at Health Economics and Modeling at Peregrine Market Access. Sean is a lover of board games and almost anything nerdy and volunteers for the Saratoga Rowing Association.