Staff
Michael de las Alas
Custodian
Nancy Fortenberry
Director of Youth and Family Ministries
Timothy Foster
Director of Communications
Director of Communications | October 20, 2022 - Present
Timothy joined Northminster Presbyterian Church (NPC) as the Director of Communications on October 20, 2022. He serves the church as the primary contact between the media and the congregation while also developing communications strategies to promote the mission of NPC.
Education | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Timothy graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) in 2019 with a degree in Theology and Professional Writing. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in Leadership Development from SMWC with an expected graduation date of Spring 2023. He served as the communications liaison for the Athletics Department while assisting in gameday operations since 2016.
Personal
Timothy resides in Indianapolis with his fiancée Olivia and their three cats; Autumn, Millie, and Kit.
Melissa Hopkins
Interim Director of Children's Ministry
Interim Director of Children's Ministry | February 2020 - Present
Melissa joined the staff of Northminster as a childcare worker in August of 2006 and she has served in a variety of positions including Church School Teacher, Bible School Teacher, Worship Arts and Music Wednesday Night Coordinator, and Childcare Coordinator. As the Director of the Children's Ministry at Northminster, Melissa works with children from newborns through primarily 5th Grade. She is tasked with organizing teachers, childcare, and lessons for church school, and the Nursery.
Education
Melissa graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1997. She has completed classes toward an Elementary Education degree at Central College in Pella, Iowa as well as classes in Early Childhood Education at Ivy Tech in Indianapolis.
Personal
Melissa enjoys traveling to spend time with family and friends across the country. In her free time, she likes to read, watch movies, and spend time with her cat Callie.
Rev. Carol McDonald
Parish Associate
Tim McElroy
Lead Custodian
Marko Petricic
Music Associate/Organist
Marko Petričić holds D.M.A. and M.M. degrees from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from Ohio University. He is a member of the music faculty at the University of Indianapolis where he has initiated a program in organ and sacred music.
As an accomplished bayan-accordion performer, Dr. Petričić has won top prizes at International competitions in Italy, Germany, Yugoslavia, and the United States. He has performed for the Yugoslav National Radio and Television and with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.
Cheryl Plunkett
Office Administrator
Morteza Semnani
Director of Operations
Brian Shivers
Pastor/Head of Staff
John M. Wright
Director of Music Ministries
John Wright has served as Director of Music Ministries at Northminster Presbyterian Church since 2000. He previously served as the conductor of the Butler University Chamber Choir and as Director of Music Ministries in United Methodist Churches in Morristown, Tennessee and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
At Northminster, John oversees the choir program; conducts Bel Canto, the Chamber Ensemble and the Chancel Choir; conducts major works with choir and orchestra throughout the year; serves as Artistic Director of Sound & Spirit, the church’s arts series; and prepares liturgy for all worship services.
A native of southwestern Virginia, John holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in music (vocal performance) from Emory & Henry College; a graduate teachers’ certification from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Tennessee.
John is the ICDA (Indiana Choral Director’s Association) Repertoire and Standards Chair for Music in Worship. He served as the Director of the 2016 Montreat Conference on Worship and Music, sponsored by PAM (Presbyterian Association of Musicians). In his spare time, John enjoys backpacking and landscaping, and is a charter member of the Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club.