Our Staff
Charles Teixeira
Charles Teixeira
Charles Teixeira
- Pastor Charles was called to be the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Albert Lea in 2021. Charles’ passion is to see those who feel far from God, for whatever reason, brought near to Him by faith in Christ.
- Charles grew up in Dighton, Massachusetts, about an hour south of Boston. At a small Christian camp in 2005, Charles put his tru
- Pastor Charles was called to be the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Albert Lea in 2021. Charles’ passion is to see those who feel far from God, for whatever reason, brought near to Him by faith in Christ.
- Charles grew up in Dighton, Massachusetts, about an hour south of Boston. At a small Christian camp in 2005, Charles put his trust in Christ as his Lord and Savior. He was later baptized in 2006.
- Charles’s undergraduate years were spent at the University of Connecticut and then later Gordon College (Wenham, MA). Upon graduating in 2010 with a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies with a concentration in Jewish Studies, Charles began to serve his community at a local group home serving teenagers who had been displaced from their homes. He would also study addiction therapy (University of Massachusetts, Boston) and work with men experiencing sexual addictions through the parachurch ministry XXXChurch (Las Vegas, NV).
- Realizing a deep desire to work in the local church, Charles began attending Bethel Seminary (San Diego and Minneapolis) and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Missional Church Leadership in 2018. During seminary, he served as a pastoral intern under Corey Widmer at Third Church in Richmond, Virginia (ECO Presbyterian). He was later ordained for pastoral ministry under ECO in 2018. From 2018 to 2021, Charles served as the Associate Pastor of Congregational Life at First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas (ECO).
- Charles is married to his wife Elizabeth, a career social worker with a passion for the underprivileged and underrepresented. She currently serves as a social worker at Mayo Clinic in Austin, MN. Together, they have two elementary-age sons, AJ and Isaac. The Teixeiras enjoy hosting friends for meals, exploring the outdoors, kitchen dance parties, and playing with their dog Juneau and cat Ginny Weasley.
Steve Piper
Charles Teixeira
Charles Teixeira
- Our Connectional and Missional Minister. Steve is a veteran of Ministry with over 30 years of youth ministry experience. Steve is in charge of our churches missional outreach. He also serves others by getting them connected into the church! Steve is married to the love of his life, Susan. Together, they have three adult children Stephen,
- Our Connectional and Missional Minister. Steve is a veteran of Ministry with over 30 years of youth ministry experience. Steve is in charge of our churches missional outreach. He also serves others by getting them connected into the church! Steve is married to the love of his life, Susan. Together, they have three adult children Stephen, Joshua, and Laura. In his free time, he enjoys coaching football for Albert Lea High School and for the Albert Lea Grizzlies. Steve has been at First Presbyterian Church since 2001.
Dean Christianson
Dean Christianson
Dean Christianson
- Our Director of Children and Family Ministries is Dean Christianson. Dean is the stereotypical "kid who never grew up." As such, he is a perfect leader for KidZone - the cornerstone of our Children's Ministries. Dean’s wife, Kay, is a perfect match for Dean. Together they have two adult children. Dean’s faith can be summed up in this sta
- Our Director of Children and Family Ministries is Dean Christianson. Dean is the stereotypical "kid who never grew up." As such, he is a perfect leader for KidZone - the cornerstone of our Children's Ministries. Dean’s wife, Kay, is a perfect match for Dean. Together they have two adult children. Dean’s faith can be summed up in this statement; “I believe that LIVING for GOD is dangerous, miraculous, thrilling, powerful, on-the-edge, amazing!” Dean loves gardening and has one of the “showcase” yards in town.
Dan Jones
Dean Christianson
Dean Christianson
- Our Youth Minister is Dan Jones. Dan was apart of our high school ministry and felt called to go into ministry because of what he learned through our church. Dan attended Ozark Christian College where he earned a degree in general ministry. Dan is in charge of our teen ministries such as highlife and frontline. Dan is a guy who loves fam
- Our Youth Minister is Dan Jones. Dan was apart of our high school ministry and felt called to go into ministry because of what he learned through our church. Dan attended Ozark Christian College where he earned a degree in general ministry. Dan is in charge of our teen ministries such as highlife and frontline. Dan is a guy who loves family and friends. He enjoys many sports but his favorite team will always be the Minnesota Vikings! Dan also enjoys being able to minister to an online community through playing video games! Dan is glad to be working at the church he went through youth group in and is excited about the great things God is doing at First Presbyterian Church.