Our Pastor  -  Rev. Craig Sparks 

Rev. Craig Sparks grew up in East Tennessee, graduating in 1979 from Science Hill High School in Johnson City. He received his Bachelors degree from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1983. For the next nine years Craig served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army, serving with the 82^nd Airborne Division, Southern European Task Force and finally the Infantry School as a Company Commander in the Airborne Training Command. Craig then attended Wesley Theological Seminary, graduating in 1997 with his Masters of Divinity. Rev. Sparks was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ in 2005 and has served as pastor of Columbia United Christian Church ever since.

For the 5 years before being called to CUCC he served as the Chief Executive Officer for Oakland Mills Interfaith, Inc. Craig lives in the community of Woodstock, Maryland in western Howard County, where he and his wife share a home with two Australian Shepherds named Tilley and Niebuhr.

Our Music Director - David McGarvey

David McGarvey currently serves as Music Director at Columbia United Christian Church.  David began his formal music training at Oberlin and Peabody.  He holds an Associate of Arts degree in Music from Howard Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Music degree from Towson University.  He also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Johns Hopkins University.  David has studied piano with noted jazz pianist Alan Blackman, and classical piano with concert pianist Dr. Lisa Rehwoldt.

Before coming to CUCC, David's experience as a church musician included memberships in the Proclamation Choir (Amherst, OH) and Joyful Noise (Columbia, MD).  The Proclamation Choir produced a self-titled recording, and the Joyful Noise group recorded songs for the release, Christmas at New Hope.

As a co-founder of Moonstruck Jazz, David performs professionally on piano and bass in the Washington/Baltimore area.  His composition "Paul's Waltz" has been published in "The Baltimore Real Book: Volume 1."