Staff & Committees

CCCPB is an autonomous congregation within the United Church of Christ. Our self-governance ensures everything gets done, from taking out the trash to inspiring people to go out and change the world for the better. Here's who is running the show right now.

Rev. Jerry D. Lawritson
Senior Pastor

Mr. Lawritson graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Doane College and did so with honors. He received his Masters of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion where he majored in New Testament Studies. Since then, his studies have been primarily in the fields of philosophy and theology. He has studied with some of the greatest thinkers of our time including Rev. Dr. Robert E. Fitch, Rev. Dr. Robert McAfee Brown, Rev. Dr. Gustavo Guttierrez and Dr. Maurice Friedman. He is the published author of of the definitive essay on the subject of Martin Buber's repsonse to the Shoah (Holocaust). At the invitation of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies at San Diego State University he delivered one of the annual lectures for the Maurice Friedman Lecture in Modern Jewish Philosophy. Mr. Lawritson has also attended the Summer Program in Thology at Oxford University, Oxford, England. His annual lectures delivered at CCCPB during the winter or spring months cover a wide range of writers, thinkers and artists and continue to be quite popular. Mr. Lawritson has been our minister since February 1986. He is presently the president of the Community Christian Service Agency (CCSA) which helps homeless and near-homeless people meet essential needs. He lives in Clairemont with wife Deborah. They have two grown children, Matt and Dasha.

Ronèl Wishnuff
Music Director

Ronèl was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. She showed an interest in music at an early age and started playing the piano at the age of seven and the violin at age nine. After she completed her schooling, she obtained a B.M. degree from the University of The Witwatersrand in Johannesburg with a distinction in piano. In 2006, she got a Master's degree in Music from San Diego State University. She also obtained several post-graduate diplomas in teaching and performance. Ronèl specializes in chamber music and accompaniments. She has played for various opera productions and served as rehearsal pianist for various South African voice teachers.

Ronèl started teaching at the Blairgowrie Music Centre in 1988 where she worked as a piano and theory teacher until October, 2002. The teaching post only required afternoon lessons which enabled Ronèl to freelance as an accompanist and soloist. During 1996, Ronèl was approached by Redhill Preparatory School to accompany and assist with their junior (grades 1-3) and senior (grades 4-7) choirs. Since 1997 Ronel also taught individual piano lessons and subject music at Redhill High School. Ronèl is also an enthusiastic singer and has sung in choirs most of her life from school days. These include the Wits University Choir, the South African Broadcasting Symphonic Choir, and the prestigious chamber choir ‘The Chanticleers Singers' under the direction of one of South Africa's icons, Richard Cock. Ronèl has been freelancing as an organist for many years and was the full-time organist of the Christian Science Church in Kensington, Johannesburg from 1995-1997.

In the fall of 2002 Ronèl moved from South Africa to San Diego and became the CCCPB Music/Choir Director. In 2006, she and husband Jon became proud parents of Alyssa Caitlin Wishnuff.

Rev. Elvin Harrison
Guest Minister

Elvin Harrison was ordained in the National Baptist Convention in 1991. He has served as youth minister at churches in Washington DC and Brooklyn N.Y. Elvin holds a B.S. from Jarvis Christian College and an MDiv. from Howard University School of Divinity. He has been a member of CCCPB since 2002 and became Christian Ed. Director in mid-2006. He has worked with youth and young adults in several capacities. He enjoys working with the Sunday School at CCCPB. He is seeking standing (ordination) in the UCC.

We are also very fortunate that Elvin can fill in for Jerry on occasion. Listen to this excellent sermon of Elvin's: Justice, Salt, and Light