Our Staff

At Lyndale, our members are our ministers. Meet the people helping them.

Rev. T. Michael Rock

Pastor for Congregational Life

Before Rev. T. Michael came to Lyndale UCC, he was a pastor for 29 years in Sudbury, MA , Providence, RI and Robbinsdale, MN. Each congregation nurtured him and helped him to grow in his spiritual leadership. Over the past two years Rev. T. Michael Rock has served as the Director of Contextual Education and Spiritual Direction at United Seminary of the Twin Cities and as a professor in those programs and in Spiritual Formation. He is thrilled to be in a place that nourishes this bi-vocational journey of being a scholar, activist, pastor and spiritual companion.

Rev. T. Michael Rock brings to this ministry a passion for spiritual formation and social justice. He thinks we need to both pray and protest and that we need to ground ourselves in our spiritual lives and stand in solidarity with the earth and oppressed peoples. As a queer identified Christian Pastor, a follower of Jesus and a student of indigenous cosmology, he has been seeking the interconnectedness of all beings and creation. He wants to hear your story and invite you into the big story of Lyndale UCC and how we can transform each other and the world.

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel

Pastor for Justice Ministries and
The Director of the Center for Sustainable Justice

In addition to serving as serving as the Pastor for Justice Ministries and Director of the Center for Sustainable Justice at Lyndale UCC, she is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities where she teaches in the Social Transformation Program and the Doctor of Ministry program.

She is the author of Carnal Knowledge of God: Embodied Love and the Movement for Justice (Fortress Press, 2017), co-author of Sacred Reckonings: White Settler-Colonizer Churches Doing the Work of Reparations (with Jessica Intermill), and of To Do Justice: A Study of Welcoming Congregations, A Time to Build Up: Analysis of the No on Proposition 8 Campaign and Its Implications for Future Pro-LGBTQQIA Religious Organizing, Preventing Sexual Abuse: A Course of Study for Teenagers (Pilgrim Press, 1996) as well as numerous articles and sermons.

Voelkel is a pastor, theologian, trainer, and movement-builder who specializes in coalition and collaborative partnerships across movements for justice. She is a graduate of Earlham College, Yale Divinity School and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. She and her partner are the parents of a young adult. She can be found at www.RevDr.RebeccaMMVoelkel.com.

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Cali Jirsa

Church Administrator

Cali Jirsa started work as an administrator at her church, then at a bank. The 20 years following, Cali has been in the bicycling industry. She is the first solo woman to run a bike shop in Minneapolis and has always focused on accessibility for those who are underserved in cycling such as LGBTQIA, women, two-spirit, non-binary, and people of color. She has volunteered at Cycles for Change (transportation justice), Bolder Options (youth mentorship), and The Bond Between (animal fostering). She has two cats andwhen not training animals or riding a bike you can find her utilizing her art history background in crafting with stained glass.

Chelsea Boyden

Youth Minister

With nearly a decade of experience in youth ministry and youth work, Chelsea Boyden has served as the Youth Minister at SpringHouse Ministry Center since February 2023. Their ministry is shaped by a deep commitment to belonging, justice, and spiritual curiosity. Chelsea believes faith grows best in communities where people are welcomed as they are & are invited to participate in God’s ongoing work of healing and transformation. Chelsea earned their Bachelor of Arts from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2021 with majors in Political Science, Philosophy, and Peace, Justice, & Conflict Studies. In 2025, they graduated with a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. They are currently a Member in Discernment in the United Church of Christ, preparing for ordained ministry. Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys crafting, tackling DIY projects, playing games, and spending time with their wife, Olivia, and their pets, Kiwi and Minnie.

Paul Kovacovic

Director of Music

Paul Kovacovic enjoys a career that spans both classical and popular styles. He has been the guest soloist with several orchestras as well as the accompanist for artists such as singer-songwriter Ann Reed and Las Vegas entertainer and television host Tony Sandler. Paul has won first prizes in the Thursday Musical, Schubert Club, and Indiana University Piano Concerto Competitions. Paul was an accompanist and coach for the Florida Grand Opera in Miami and has also worked with several theater companies in Minnesota, including the Minnesota Opera, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. Paul loves to teach piano and compose as well as perform.

Rev. Don Portwood

Pastor Emeritus

The Rev. Don Portwood served as Pastor of Lyndale Church starting December 1, 1980 through May, 2015. About his time with us, Don writes, “Lyndale is a wonderful and crazy mix of people whom I was privileged to serve. And they kept me on my toes!” While he no longer lives in the area, Don helped Lyndale UCC ground our faith so we have the spirit and energy to live the call to be a people and a community “who embody and extend God’s welcome, healing, justice, and love.”