Meet Worship Elder Chris Birkelo!
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Detroit, and lived in surrounding communities until I was nineteen.
Hobbies? Favorite vacation spot(s)?
Music – love playing ukulele. My favorite place in the world is Hawaii.
What’s your role and why do you like being an elder?
I am a Worship Elder – I like the worship team particularly because I love the worship experience as a whole, and the music in worship is a particular love! I also love the technical side of worship.
How long have you been at MPC, and what’s your favorite experience at MPC?
Maureen and I visited shortly after we were married in 2011 – we intended to check out churches, but didn’t ever try another one. We joined a membership class right away and have been happy members since then. I can’t think of a single favorite experience at MPC, but what does occur is a mashup of a Blues Brothers themed talent show where we set up a drum circle and were excited by all that joined in – most from grade school through college age.
Profession? Family?
I worked at the commercial side of the Port of Hueneme until I retired on the last day of 2014 – my job was basically projects – I hired the engineers to design and advertised and hired contractors to build various projects from cold storage warehouses, to developing adjacent property for various uses. From building substations to deliver shoreside electrical power to allow cargo vessels to shut down their engines, to dredging the entrance, turning basin and berths to deepen the access for deep draft vessels and to remove contaminated and unsuitable sediments from the waterways so that the dredged material could then replenish the adjacent coastline.
Maureen and I have a blended family – she has 2 daughters (one in Moorpark, one in Hawaii), and I have one son (in Montana). Our Moorpark daughter is married to an Oxnard Fire Captain and has given us 2 grandkids – a 7 yr old girl and a 5 yr old boy. Our son is married and has given us 3 grandkids – an 18 yr old young man, a 17 yr old young woman, and a 14 yr old young man. Maureen and I both came from large families – I had 5 siblings, and Maureen had 6 siblings. Both of our father’s passed before we were married, but we did have a chance to meet and know each other’s mothers.
What’s your favorite bible verse/book/or movie?
I’m going to say that Psalm 150 is my favorite bible verse right now.
One kind of ice cream.
You’re kidding, right?
Favorite pair of shoes.
OluKai shoes – Hawaiian brand – very comfortable!
