First Presbyterian Church

Reverend Paul Elgin has been the Senior Pastor at 1st Presbyterian since January of 2017.  He and his wife, Elizabeth, were married in 1991.  They have two adult children.  Pastor Paul holds two master's degrees:  one from Fuller Theological Seminary and a music degree from the University of Washington.  He served as music director for various churches and denominations for over three decades and graduated from Fuller Theological seminary before being ordained at First Presbyterian.  He is active in the community, having served on the Casa Grande Police Department Advisory Board, Casa Grande's Pastor's Fellowship, and is the past President of the Faith Alliance of Casa Grande.

My name is Nicole Crowder, and my family has been attending this church for approximately a year and a half. I have 15 years of experience in education (2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th/8th Art and Design). I am currently set to graduate with my master's degree in counseling this June. Originally from Tucson, AZ, my family relocated to the Florence area due to my husband's job.

In Tucson, I served as the Director of Children's Ministry at St. John on the Desert and as the Director of Youth at Christ Presbyterian Church. I was actively involved with Presbyterian Campus Ministries, where I had the privilege of participating in mission work in Northern Ireland and various locations around Tucson. Additionally, I contributed to the worship experience by singing in the praise band during church summer camps and services around Tucson, which helped raise money for our trip to Ireland. After moving to Florence, we attended Crossroads Lutheran, where I took on the role of Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministry, and I sang in the praise band. 

I have served as a youth leader at Montlure, bringing campers from Christ Presbyterian and leading groups at church camps in Prescott with Crossroads Lutheran families. I also led a family connection trip to Ocean Side, CA, once a year with Crossroads families. I coordinated mission trips to Los Angeles, Prescott, and local communities.  At Crossroads, I successfully brought together our educators to create an engaging summer camp, complete with stage props, music, themed snacks, crafts, and daily science experiments. 

I possess a strong background in addressing the needs of Children, Youth and Family Ministries, as well as supporting worship/praise committees and conducting hospital visits for youth.

I am eager to contribute to First Presbyterian Casa Grande, embracing its rich history and looking forward to its promising future.

Stacey was born in Warragul, Victoria, Australia, and raised in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Stacey moved to Casa Grande in 2004 after graduating from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in music education and taught music in the CG Elementary District before founding the BlackBox Foundation. She holds a master’s degree in theatre education and one in conducting. Stacey is currently the Professor of Music at Central Arizona College. Last fall, she began work on a doctorate in music education, which she anticipates finishing in 2025. In her spare time, Stacey enjoys reading, traveling, participating in improv and stand up comedy, and hanging with her family.