Our Staff

The Rev. Paula Jefferson

Vicar

The Rev. Paula Jefferson joined St. Christopher Episcopal Church Fort Worth on Aug. 1, 2022. The vestry called her to serve as its priest-in-charge, then vicar.


Paula graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1983 with a BS-Accounting degree. In 1990, she started a CPA firm in the mid-cities area of Tarrant County. She retired from the CPA firm in 2015 and graduated from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest (Austin, Texas) with a masters of divinity degree in 2018. Paula was ordained a priest by the Rt. Rev. J Scott Mayer in December 2020.


Paula and her dog, Dursey, are avid hikers. In the heat of summer, they are equally happy swimming laps. Texas Rangers, Penn State Nittany Lions, the Fort Worth Symphony, and Kimball Museum exhibits are joyful diversions. 


The Rev. Paul Flynn

Curate 

The Rev. Paul Flynn joined St. Christopher's in July 2024 just after being ordained a Deacon in the Diocese of North Carolina. He serves as Curate. He previously worked as a Chaplain at a Croasdaile Village in Durham, NC, and as a Diocesan Intern at Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Raleigh.


Paul graduated from Colby College in 1990 and earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky. He practiced law in New Hampshire and North Carolina, specializing in municipal government and immigration. He completed his Master of Divinity at Duke University in 2023 and earned a diploma in Anglican studies at Virginia Theological Seminary in 2024.


Paul and Jude live in Fort Worth with Annie, their 4-year-old King Charles Cavalier. Together, they have five adult children, one granddaughter, and enjoy biking and hiking, good food and travel to new places. 

Rev. Cynthia Steblein Ruiz-Riquer

Deacon

The. Rev. Cynthia Steblein Ruiz-Riquer joined the staff of St. Christopher as a deacon in 2024. 


Though from the Niagara borderlands with Canada, Cindy graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.A. in History and German and B.S. in Secondary Education. While there, she met and married her husband, Gustavo. When he returned to Mexico, she went with him and completed a Masters in Applied Linguistics at the University of the Americas-Puebla. She taught at the American School in Puebla, and their two daughters were born during that time.


The family came from Mexico to Fort Worth in 2001, and their son was born in 2003. Active in Latino Ministry since then, she studied at the Instituto Teológico in Dallas before entering their ordination process. She began her M.Div. at Perkins before transferring to the Seminary of the Southwest. She completed her degree with the Hispanic Studies Concentration in 2011. She was ordained a deacon by the Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl in 2012.


Cindy is a teacher, translator, writer, poet, and continues to hone her skills in those areas. She continues the repairs and maintenance on the family 1928 Craftsman home in Fort Worth's East side. Her favorite activity is facilitating the transformation of the "tossed-out" to the "treasured."


Melanie Kingsbury

Director of Young Adult and Youth Ministries

Melanie Wright Kingsbury serves at St. Christopher’s as the Director of Young Adult and Youth Ministries. In this capacity she has helped to launch our College and Career group known as Christofolx. She is currently overseeing the Journey to Adulthood program for our youth ages 11-18 and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children ages 4 to 11.  On the second Sunday of each month, Melanie invites our youth to join her for a children's sermon.   


At the age of 12, Melanie sensed God calling her to shepherd God's sheep, remembering especially the little lambs.

In the years since that time she has devoted her life to living out this calling  She has invested her life in nurturing children, youth and adults in their lives of faith. Melanie obtained her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Texas Christian University in 1991 and her Masters of Divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary in 2006.


Melanie also enjoys gardening, creating things out of clay and spending time enjoying life with her wife and three grown children.

David Lindsey

Director of Music

David joined the staff of St. Christopher in 2001. He has been a church musician-pianist-organist-chorister for more than 60 years. He grew up playing the piano in Baptist churches his father pastored. He’s played in Baptist, Disciples of Christ and Episcopal Churches. His professional life has included stints in journalism, political consulting, public relations-events planning and financial services. He is married to Rosemary Cooper Lindsey. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.

Shirley Johnson

Choir Director

Shirley Johnson earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Texas Christian University and has served as music director for Christ the King and St. Elisabeth Episcopal church for over 30 years. She has over 30 years experience as a private voice instructor for adults and adolescents and headed the voice lesson program at Haltom High School from 1990 to 2019. She enjoys her time with her husband, Stanley and her cat, Zoey.

Margaret Mieuli

Treasurer

Margaret Darmon, a cradle Episcopalian, came to St. Christopher Pre-school as a teacher in 1973. She found in this church a loving and welcoming family and soon transferred her membership and began attending regularly.


Margaret has served on the Vestry, was Senior Warden in 1990 and has enjoyed countless opportunities to serve the church and the community. She became treasurer of both the church and the school in 2000.


Marriage in 1992 gave her a new last name – Mieuli, but she reserves the “D” initial in honor of her original in-laws. She is overjoyed to have two children, Rick and Kelly, five grandchildren and two precious great-grands. Life is good!


Tara Moore

Administrative Assistant, Safeguarding records administrator


Tara came to St. Christopher's in June 2011. It was meant to be a temporary position while she awaited the birth of her son, but the church made the decision to keep her around. Tara’s daughter was born in 2014 and spent her first year in the office with her and was known as the ‘office baby.’ Both of her kids attended St. Christopher Preschool, and it was a blessing to have them nearby. Tara says she gained an amazing church family when she began working at St. Christopher's, and she is thankful for this Parish.

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