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Pastors & Staff
REV. Sarah Marie Bigwood
Head of Staff, Pastor
Pastor Sarah Bigwood serves as Senior Pastor at the historic downtown congregation of First Presbyterian Church in Fargo, where she preaches, teaches, and works with a gifted staff to offer meaningful worship and community outreach. She also helps guide the church in long-term planning and creative approaches to ministry in the growing Fargo-Moorhead area.

A second-career pastor, she earned her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, after an earlier career in computer consulting. For more than 25 years, she has worked with churches to strengthen ministry with youth, young adults, and families, and has served as pastor in congregations in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and Southampton, New York.

Pastor Bigwood lives in West Fargo with her husband, Tom. They have two children, Robby and Katie, and two corgis, Deacon and Otto. The Bigwoods have extended family in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana.
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REV. Nancy Emerson
Parish Associate
Rev. Nancy Emerson is a long standing member of the Presbytery of Northern Plains. She served as pastor of the Moorhead congregation for seven years before accepting a teaching position at NDSU. For the past 16 years Pastor Nancy has taught accounting while serving as pulpit supply for a number of congregations in the eastern side of our Presbytery. She also served on the board of Clearwater Forest as well as its treasurer.

Pastor Nancy’s pastoral wheelhouse include teaching, preaching, and pastoral care. In the summer you can find her on the lakes of MN and WI reveling in the serenity of God's amazing creation while pursuing her next big catch.
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REV. Daniel Billings
Parish Associate
Rev. Daniel Billings is a retired Minister of Word and Sacrament who continues to serve congregations through pulpit supply within the Presbytery. During his ministry he served churches in Kansas, Minnesota, and North Dakota, including Smith Center, Canby, Pipestone, and Midway Community Parish.

Rev. Billings attended Rocky Mountain College and later Dubuque Theological Seminary, where he met Lori Jean Olson of Fargo. They were married on September 4, 1976, at First Presbyterian Church of Fargo. Daniel earned a Master of Divinity, and he was ordained in 1979.

Daniel and Lori have two children, John and Rebekah, and grandchildren. Lori passed away on October 2, 2024. Blessed be her name.
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Rusty Bender
Director of Church Life
Rusty Bender has served as the Director of Church Life at First Presbyterian Church in Fargo since May 2024. Originally from Cooperstown, ND, he previously lived in Bismarck, where he served as a Ruling Elder at First Presbyterian Church–Bismarck. He brings a varied background in healthcare, theatre, and restaurant/office management, holds a degree from North Dakota State University, and is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity through United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

Rusty is active throughout the wider church and region. He serves as Moderator of the Presbytery of the Northern Plains, chairs their Nominations Committee, and also participates in the Congregational Vitality Pod. He is a member of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians and will serve as the Connecting Committee Representative for the North Central Region. In the world of communication and performing arts, Rusty has served on the CSTAND board for eleven years, is the 2024–2025 recipient of their Service to the Profession Award, and has judged statewide speech and theatre activities for more than twenty-two years.

Zone 1 vice-chair, District 5NE Childhood Cancer Chair, and immediate past president of the Dakota National Forensic League Lions Club, Rusty also enjoys being connected with the Presentation Social Justice Collaborative. He loves living in downtown Fargo—just a short walk from the church—with his two cats, Percy and Piper.
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jan lundgren
Business Manager
Jan Lundgren joined First Pres in 2014 as the Business Manager where she processes contributions, does the financial reporting and payroll. Previously, she spent 8 years as the part-time bookkeeper for Messiah Lutheran Church, which is also her church home. Before moving to Fargo, she was a staff accountant/payroll for a manufacturing firm in Minneapolis for over 10 years. She enjoys meeting congregants, loves her coworkers and appreciates the flexibility her position offers to attend her children’s activities.

Jan has been married for 21 years to husband, Michael. They live in North Fargo with their three children, Sophie, Natalie, and Daniel. An avid reader, you’ll usually find her with a book in hand when she’s not on a walk, attending one of her children’s events or folding countless loads of laundry.
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Carrie Lawrence
Sunday School Coordinator
In 2024 Carrie Lawrence accepted the Sunday School Coordinator position for First Presbyterian Church in Fargo. She and her husband, Jack, were married here and have raised their two children, Jayci and Carsten, within this church family.

Carrie grew up in Bloomington, MN. She completed a BA degree in Spanish with a minor in Child Development at NDSU and then earned her teaching degree in English as a Second Language from MSUM. She taught at Moorhead Public schools in Special Education and English Language Learner programs, as well as Spanish Immersion and Reading Recovery. She has been a stay-at-home mom since Carsten was born and has loved every blessed minute they’ve thrown at her!

Carrie has been active in our church community with various music interests as well as all facets of children’s ministry. Carrie aspires to lead the First Pres Children’s ministry with kindness and creative energy, continuing to bring fun and engaging programming to the kids at First Pres. When not at church, Carrie enjoys reading, gardening, traveling, listening to music and keeping up with their kids and all their activities and concerts.
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Matthew Pechtl
Organist
Matthew Pechtl was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, and was homeschooled by his mother, Susie. He began piano lessons at age 8, fell in love with the organ at 16, and later studied violin for 10 years. He plays a 1926 German Roth violin and is also self-taught on viola and cello.

Since January, Matthew has shared his musical gifts as the church’s long-term substitute organist and is excited to continue as the new permanent part-time organist.

Matthew currently lives in south Fargo and works full-time at Marvin Windows. He and his partner, Nick, were recently engaged on May 24, 2026, and are excited to move downtown this fall. When he is not playing music, Matthew enjoys being outdoors, walking, appreciating God’s creation, and spending time with family and friends.
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Bryan poyzer
Adult Choir Director
Bryan Poyzer is the Adult Choir Director at First Presbyterian Church of Fargo. He grew up in Amenia, North Dakota, and attended Westminster Presbyterian Church in Casselton.

Bryan will be starting his 33rd year in music education. He is currently the Program Coordinator of the Performing Arts/Communications Dept. at North Dakota State College of Science. His duties include teaching music theory, aural skills, applied lessons, and music appreciation. He also directs the NDSCS Concert Choir and Wildcat Singers.

Before coming to First Presbyterian, Bryan was the choral director at United Lutheran Church in Elbow Lake MN where he and Jessica raised their four children. He holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal/instrumental music education from Valley City State University, a master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas, and a master’s degree in music education from North Dakota State University. Bryan and Jessica live in Dilworth MN.
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Rick Fiebiger
Facilities Manager
Rick Fiebiger is the Facilities Manager at First Presbyterian Church. He has been with First Presbyterian for 20 years.
Rick works closely with the Building and Grounds Committee to ensure the church and grounds are well maintained. The historical aspects of the church are very interesting to him.
He is an avid reader and enjoys gardening on his homestead.
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Drew Brovold
Janitor
Drew was born in Fargo, ND, where he attended West Fargo High School and graduated in 2009.
His hobbies include going to concerts and Frisbee golfing. His favorite bands are Modest Mouse and Pink Floyd.
Drew previously worked in fast food management. He is excited to learn as much as he can about the facilities and upkeep of the church.
Val Anderson
Administrative Assistant
With more than 30 years of customer service experience, Val brings a deep love of working with people. For the past 15 years, she has worked for Medicare Health Systems. She lives in Fargo and also has a small farmstead outside Barnesville, where she hopes to move in the future. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human service management and values using her skills in meaningful ways.

Val loves rummage sales and flea markets, but her biggest passion is collecting rocks of all shapes and sizes to remember places she has visited. Serving at FPC gives her the opportunity to grow in her position, use her gifts, and help build community.
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