Rev. Dr. Lonnie Richardson, Founding Pastor
Lonnie is the founding and senior pastor of Fox River Congregational Church. His life has been shaped by a lifelong commitment to Christian ministry, theological education, and service across a wide range of congregational settings, including rural, urban, and university communities.
Pastor Lonnie began his ministry journey in 1970 with the Methodist Church, quickly progressing through leadership roles as a licensed minister and traveling preacher. He earned a degree from Greenville University in 1975 and later completed a Master of Divinity at Eden Theological Seminary, where he was ordained as an Elder in The United Methodist Church in 1981. Over the years, he served congregations in Missouri and Wisconsin before founding Fox River Congregational Church, where he continues to serve today.
A dedicated student and pastor, Dr. Richardson earned his Doctor of Ministry in 2008 and has pursued ongoing leadership training, including certification in transitional ministry. His work has been recognized for its innovation and impact, with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describing him as “a twentieth-century pioneer.”
Known for his thoughtful, transformative approach to ministry, Pastor Lonnie is committed to helping individuals grow in faith and live with purpose. Alongside his wife, Mercedes, and their three children and grandchild, his legacy reflects a deep devotion to spiritual leadership, community building, and lifelong service.
Rev. Jacquie Quirk, Retired Minister
Pastor Jacquie holds a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister and a certified Stephen Ministry Leader. For nine years, she faithfully served Fox River Congregational Church as Minister of Congregational Care, providing compassionate pastoral leadership and support to our congregation. Although new retired from her staff position, Pastor Jacquie continues to share her gifts by offering pastoral care and serving our church in a retired ministry capacity.
Kostia Efimov, Resident Composer
Kostia is a Russian-born pianist, award-winning composer, and Narada recording artist who performs internationally. He arranges, composes, and records music for worship at Fox River, where his original compositions are featured each Sunday at Fox River Congregational Church.
Over the course of his recording career, Kostia has released several solo albums, including Suite St. Petersburg, 10 Pebbles, Piano Ocean, and others. His work also includes film and media projects. He composed the soundtrack for the motion picture The Play in the Modern Style and for Blue Lamp, a short film by Alex Boguslavsky. He collaborated with LEGO and George Lucas Films to create music for the animated short Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick, and one of his compositions was featured in the television series Sex and the City.
Kostia has recorded multiple albums with longtime bandmate Daryl Stuermer, including GO!, Rewired, and Retrofit. He also produced Carmen Nickerson’s debut album, Tomorrow Is Another Day. His most recent release is Still, Still, Still, a sacred and inspirational recording.
His music has been performed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, and the internationally acclaimed Veronica String Quartet. Kostia has been the resident composer at Fox River for years.
Carmen Nickerson, Worship Song Leader and Soloist
Carmen has earned admiration from audiences of all ages and across a wide range of musical styles. Her work spans from collaborations with nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Willy Porter to voicing Sonya Lee, a character in Fisher-Price’s Little People live stage productions.
Beyond the stage, Carmen is an accomplished professional vocalist and studio voice-over artist. She has recorded for Hollywood Records, a Disney subsidiary, in Los Angeles and contributed to the Pro Vocal Series for Hal Leonard Publishing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A member of Fox River, Carmen has been part of our professional music talent pool for many years.
Cate Goemans, Director of Operations
Cate comes to this role with a genuine heart for people and a background in organizational development, systems design, and leadership across a variety of business environments. Most recently, she served as Director of New Business Development for a franchisor, where she was instrumental in helping build the franchise system from the ground up, alongside the company’s founder. That work centered on developing the operational structure, onboarding & training, and brand standards that enabled independently owned franchise locations to function effectively within a unified and scalable model.
Across previous roles, the focus has been similar in developing and improving processes to help teams operate effectively. This experience includes business development for a real estate investor and developer, corporate training for a Fortune 500 extension, and as an independent consultant supporting senior executives within their respective fields.
Connie Siebenaller, Worship Assistant
Connie has held executive management positions in the corporate field since graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a business management degree. She works with the pastoral staff and ministry teams in developing worship support materials.