Our Church Staff
To reach the church office or any of our staff by phone, call 781.444.2510
Rev. John MacIver Gage, senior minister
Rev. John is a native of Austin, Texas. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University and an M.Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and was ordained into the ministry of word and sacrament in the United Church of Christ in 2000. He then served at United Church on the Green in New Haven, CT (2000-2014) and United Christian Church of Austin (2014-2018) before accepting the call to be senior minister with us at The Congregational Church of Needham beginning in January 2019. John also holds ordained standing in The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, a "majority Black, historically Pentecostal, radically inclusive" coalition of churches and church leaders. He is passionate about intriguing worship that gets past all the "Bible words" to find the Gospel already embodied in messiness of real life. As he says, "I believe we ought to offend somebody in worship every week; we just ought to take it in turns. That's how we grow." He also feels called to intersectional justice work across traditional boundaries, particularly around sexuality and gender and racial and ethnic identity. John shares a home with his husband, David, and their dog, Nick. To email Rev. John, click here.
Darlene Wong, director for children & youth
Darlene is the director for children and youth at NeedhamUCC. She works in cooperation with members of the Christian Education Committee, leading Sunday School for K-5 children, and coordinating youth activities for middle school and high school students. Most recently, Darlene served as interim church administrator and Christian education youth coordinator for the First Parish of Westwood where she has been an active member since 2015, volunteering often in the Sunday School classroom. Her newfound passion of teaching and working with youth comes after a career as an attorney and a stay-at-home mom. She holds a B.A. in psychology from UC Berkeley and a juris doctor from Emory University School of Law. Darlene welcomes your questions, ideas, and comments. To email Darlene, click here.
Valerie J. Becker, director of music
Valerie is a graduate of Boston University, where she received both her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees in piano performance. Her post graduate studies led her to the University of Illinois where she worked on an accompaniment and coaching degree. Valerie taught for 15 summers in the Boston University high school program at Tanglewood, working with both choral and chamber groups. She also taught at the North Carolina School for the Arts from and was the pianist for the Metropolitan Opera regional auditions. In 1994 Valerie joined the staff of the Treble Chorus of New England as the pianist, and in 1998 directed the new intermediate choir. As Associate Director, she directed the Training Choir and Concert Choir. In 2007 she was appointed Artistic Director and she now directs the Schola choir and My Own Voice Choir (a chorus for children with special needs.) To email Valerie, click here.