Monroe Street UMC Staff

Rev. Karen M. Shepler has been the Pastor at Monroe Street since 2001 and has been a member of the West Ohio Annual Conference since 1982. She has served the Victory and St. Paul churches in Dayton, was the Director of Church and Community Ministries in the Dayton Districts, and the Urban Ministry Director in the Columbus Districts. From 1999 to 2001, Pastor Karen was the Chaplain and Administrator of Refugio Del Rio Grande in San Benito, Texas and was the Director of the VIM Medical Clinic in Nuevo Progreso, Texas. She has taught extensively in Schools of Mission across the country and has served on the National Urban Strategy Network, North Central Jurisdictional Urban Network, West Ohio Conference Commission on Religion and Race, Board of Congregational and Community Development and its’ Hispanic/Latino Task Force.

Denise Mathias joined the Monroe Street staff in October 2010 as Music Director and Organist. She has served churches in Kentucky, Iowa, and Ohio, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Malone College and a Master of Church Music from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She studied piano with Marie Kassouny and Ronald Boud and organ with Ronald Boud and Boyd Jones. She also was a piano pedagogy and piano literature student of Maurice Hinson. As an active local musician, she performs in various venues as a soloist and collaborative keyboard player. Mrs. Mathias has teaching experience as a private instructor and in the public schools. She is co-founder and past conductor of the Greater Tuscarawas Children’s Chorus, and is a member of several professional organizations including the American Guild of Organists and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.

Dena Clark is our part-time Administrative Secretary. She is a member of Monroe Street church and also sings in the Wesleyan Chorus.  She enjoys making jewelry and knitting.  Her training is as a vet tech, and she loves animals.  Dena is multi-talented and has been on the staff since 2009

Tessie Studer has been the Building Superintendent at Monroe Street since December 2003. Prior to that State Aerial Farm Statistics employed her for 12 years and more recently by Washington Local Schools for 13 years. While employed there she attended the Ballard School of Steam Engineers and obtained a Boiler Operator’s License, which she has held since 1992. This makes her invaluable her at Monroe Street, tending to and maintaining the boiler as well as the rest of the building. Tessie has 3 grown children, and 5 grandchildren. She loves motorcycling and says that this is the most challenging job she has ever had other than being a mom.

Joseph Zielinski has been our Church administrator since January 2007. Although not a Toledo native, he has lived in the city since moving from Cleveland in 1980. Joe has been an adjunct instructor at Owens Community College since 1995. His business career has included work with Fortune 500 companies, home-based businesses, and everything in between. For over twenty years he has been advising and training leaders of owner-managed businesses, especially start-ups and early stage companies. His involvement in non-profit activities includes Parents for Public Schools, Friends of the Library, Multi-Faith Council, and leadership roles in his own church.