Meet Our Elders.
tom hayes,
Elder Chairman
Tom has been an Oregonian all of his life. He loves the area for it beauty, and all that it has to offer. He’s married to his best friend that he met while attending church camp as children. This year marks his 30th year of marriage. Tom and Ronalyn have two grown children he’s extremely proud of. Tom would be out-of-town riding a bike everyday, if he could just figure out how to pay his bills by riding. But instead, you can find him painting vehicles in a local body shop during the week.
Tom Gambill,
secretary
Tom and his wife Jenny were both born and raised in Lane County. They
have been married since 1997 and have raised five wonderful children and are proud grandparent to four granddaughters. They have been members of Santa Clara Church since 2000. Tom is a veteran of the United States Air Force, retiring after over 20 years of service. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with their family and their two dogs.
Ed Alexander
My roots at Santa Clara Church go back to the summer of 1957 when my parents moved to Eugene from southern California. At an early age, I enjoyed going to Sunday school, Church and attending youth group functions. Sheryl and I were married February 9th, 1973 by Bud Palmer, the associate pastor at Santa Clara Church at that time. I became an Elder at First Christian Church in Napa, California in 1983 about seven or eight months before moving our family back to Eugene. I was invited to join the Santa Clara Eldership when Charles Crane was the pastor.
I enjoy working with Wes and serving the church along with the other Elders. As to hobbies, I love to cook, read, write and do a little fishing and traveling with my wife. My personal email address is: edalexander1030@gmail.com and my phone number is 602-694-7608. You are welcome to contact me at any time.
Mike Choate
Mike hails from Newcastle, Texas, moving to Colorado at the age of 21. While in Denver, Mike met and married his wife, Linda in 1974. They relocated to Oregon in 1979. Mike and Linda have four children and eight grandchildren all residing in Oregon and Washington. Mike and Linda recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. They cherish spending time outdoors, and visiting new places with their family. They have been members of Santa Clara Church for ten years.
Scott simmons
Scott and his wife Barbara joined SCC in 2002. He was born in Dallas Texas, raised in Los Angeles, and after high school he joined the Navy where he served as a radioman aboard an antisubmarine destroyer. After the Navy he got a job with Ma Bell telephone company where he met a little redhead girl named Barbara who was raised here in Eugene. They were married in 1968 and move to Eugene in 1969. In December 2025 they will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary. They have three adult children and five grandchildren. He likes to read, study languages, and study God’s Word the Bible.