Our Elders and Staff
Jeremiah York
Teaching and Discipleship Co-Pastor / Elder
The passion of my life is to love God and to love people for the glory of God. One of the central ways I desire to do this is through the faithful preaching of God’s word. I believe that when the Bible is clearly communicated, the Holy Spirit is at work. My wonderful wife, Heather, and I have been married since 2001. We have three beautiful children: Lily, Ellie, and Kyle. We have lived in various parts of the country but we especially love Tucson! I was in the Marine Corps for eight years before attending Moody Bible Institute, where I received my bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Studies. I then attended Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass., and received my Master of Divinity in 2011.
Steve Johnson
Student Ministries Director / Elder
My wife Annette and I have 9 kids, ranging in age from 16 years to 8 months old. They’re a fun bunch of basketball players who have been in church with us since birth. I love The Ridge Christian Fellowship and God’s people there. The opportunity to serve Him and those wonderful people is why I am honored and grateful to be an elder- especially during this time in which so much is happening in our church story. The Ridge is important to me because one can find Christ there. The teaching, fellowship, and mission-mindedness of the people truly are different from so many churches we have been a part of. These times have no room for casual churches. I am blessed to be the director of student ministries and also a part of the setup team. My favorite things to do are traveling with my family, coaching my kids in basketball, and watching movies with my wife.
Mark Caniglia
Music Leader
I am an Arizona native who grew up on the south side of Tucson.My earliest memories of life are of me banging on whatever I could get my hands on, i.e. pot and pans, cardboard boxes, countertops, etc. My dad finally bought me my first drum set when I was in the 6th grade and it absolutely changed my life! Since then I have played with various Metal, Jazz, Latin, Country, Funk and ultimately praise teams around AZ. Drums are where I feel most at home however, I am blessed to be able to praise my God and King with the guitar, piano and my voice. Prior to coming on staff at The Ridge I was a Firefighter/Paramedic for 18 years. I met my wife Nicole in 2004 and we were married in 2007. We have 6 amazing and very active little girls. Some of my absolute favorite things are family movie nights, reading my Bible, watching documentaries, fellowshipping with God’s people and collecting books. Occasionally, I even read some of them.
Dave Bowen
Elder
Dave and Sherel began attending The Ridge Christian Church in the spring of 2015. They’ve lived in Tucson since 1996, having recently arrived home from serving as missionaries in West Africa for eight years. Dave came to Christ through a Christian campus ministry as a teenager attending college in Nebraska. A few years later, taking a break from college he attended a Bible college in Michigan for a couple of years where he met his future wife, Sherel, whose family was serving as missionaries in the Philippines. Together with their four children, Dave and Sherel began their service in West Africa in 1986. Dave became an elder at The Ridge in 2017 and then took a break from leadership after three years. He rejoined the Elder board in 2022 and has been involved in leading Sunday morning adult classes. He is also part of the preaching team at the church and occasionally brings the Sunday morning sermon. Dave loves reading history, historical fiction, and sci-fi fantasies, and listening to legal and political podcasts. He and Sherel have eight wonderful grandchildren.
Jay Bertelsen
Elder
My heart's desire is to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and strength and to love others well. While I grew up going to church occasionally, things ramped up spiritually for me in high school. In my early twenties, I served for several years on staff at an orphanage in Baja Mexico. That experience greatly impacted my worldview and gave me a heart for the fatherless. I spent the next twenty years back in the U.S. growing very little in my faith and theology. But God has lit a fire in my heart this last decade, and especially the last three years since I've been at The Ridge. God has given me a love for His Word and a strong desire to grow in my understanding of reformed theology and church history. I have lived in Tucson since 1990 and have been married to my wonderful wife, Robbie, since 1992. We have two grown boys, Paul (and wife, Kenna, and daughter, Ellie) and David. We have attended The Ridge since 2020 and love the teaching, preaching, and all the loving, generous, and servant-hearted people. I love spending time with my family and holding my new granddaughter. I like fixing things, helping people, reading, eating at taco trucks, and going fishing.
Stephen Disang
Elder
I am originally from Botswana, Africa, and came to the U.S. as a transfer student from the University of Botswana to Creighton University in Omaha, NE, in 1997. After graduation I enrolled in Creighton Medical Center to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, graduating in 2004. I moved to Arizona to work as a pharmacist for Walgreens and am currently a pharmacy manager for Walgreens. I was saved in February 1993, and with the zeal of a new Christian, I devoted my time to reading the Bible. As an undergraduate in a Catholic college, I was required to take courses in philosophy and theology. Tebbie and I will be married 22 years this June, and we are blessed with two daughters: Zaneta and Anneta. My family and I became members of The Ridge from its inception. I’m currently one of the facilitators in the Connections Class and am also one of the regular speakers at the Men’s Breakfast.
Monty Kugler
Elder
I was raised as a missionary kid and spent the first 18 years of my life overseas. Throughout my childhood, my parents' devotional series went through Psalms and Proverbs every day; as a young child my prayer was that God would give me wisdom (a major theme in Proverbs). When I turned 16, God began answering those prayers with an opportunity for me to commit the next 10 years dedicated to knowing Him more deeply. During that time, God revealed Himself both as a close friend and as Mighty God - the giver of wisdom to those who ask. I took several in-depth Bible and theology courses and spent time in one-on-one communion with Him. God has given me the vision to make Him known to all people. Having settled in Tucson, God blessed me with a wonderful wife and has given us five fabulous children. My family has attended The Ridge since its inception. We love The Ridge, because it has been a family to us. It is a great place in which to raise our kids, and has great men and women's ministries where we dig in and challenge each other with God's Word. We also enjoy the non- compromising and passionate teaching from the pulpit, letting the fullness of Scripture equip the saints. My family is involved with the children's ministry, as well as set-up and tear-down on Sundays. I was asked to be on the elder board a few years ago. It has been a privilege to serve and get to know the members of The Ridge family, as well as to work alongside the God-honoring men that make up The Ridge elders.
Staff
Jeremiah York
Teaching Pastor
Steve Johnson
Youth Director
Mark Caniglia
Music Leader
Jeff Schildberg
Technical Director
Lily York
Website Coordinator