Meet the Staff

The Rev. Dr. Mary E. Westfall has been the Senior Minister here at Community Church since 1999. Prior to joining us, Mary was the Executive Director of the United Campus Ministry and Chaplain to UNH for 11 years. She was Associate Pastor at West Park Presbyterian Church in New York City. Mary holds Bachelor’s Degrees in history and political science from Sterling College, graduated from San Francisco Theological Seminary, and received a Ph.D degree from the University of New Hampshire. Mary is married to Dale Rasmussen, an educator and Oyster River High School’s baseball coach. They have two children: Emma, a student at Macalester College and Zach,
a student at Oyster River High School.

Paula Norbert is the Director of Educational Ministries at Community Church of Durham. She brings with her more than 13 years of work as a college chaplain at Boston College and Loyola University of Chicago. While serving as chaplain, she helped organize retreats and worship as well as providing pastoral care, grief support and spiritual direction for those in the university community. She also organized service/immersion trips to Nicaragua, Mexico, and Ecuador, in addition to student-led service experiences in the Boston area and in Appalachia. She has experience teaching on the middle, high school, and college levels. Her education includes a BA in English from the College of the Holy Cross, a Masters in Education from Harvard University and a Masters of Theological Studies from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. Paula and her husband, Rich Westley, live in southern Maine with their two children, Emma and Liam. Her husband is a teacher of high school English and Instructional Support in Portland, Maine.

David Ervin is our Music Director. He is also a music teacher at Oyster River Middle School, where he directs their renowned Jazz Band. He is married to fellow teacher Ellen Ervin, and they have two children, Thatcher and Alana.

James Bullock, B.M., M.M.,D.C., has served the Community Church of Durham since Spring 2007 and has enjoyed a 52-year professional career as a church musician, organist or minister of music. During military service he administered a Chaplaincy center of six to twelve chaplains and prepared instructional materials for Clinical Pastoral Education. He has held faculty positions at the University of Oklahoma at Norman, John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and Plymouth State University in NH, teaching organ, piano, music theory and composition. Jim has performed in Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean, as well as the U.S. and Canada. He has been an occasional recitalist, accompanist, workshop presenter, choral conductor, and contest adjudicator. In addition, his experience includes several years in the classical organ building trade, and he has operated a chiropractic clinical practice. Currently he enjoys being an amateur violinist/violist in the Portsmouth Symphony. He also performs as a duo-pianist, harpsichordist, and as accompanist with area performing organizations.

Tom Murphy is the church's Business Administrator. He and his wife, Peggy, raised their three children in Montpelier, Vermont, where Tom worked as an attorney and real estate investment manager for National Life Insurance Company. Peggy is a Registered Nurse. When Tom took early retirement, they moved to Cape Cod, expecting the children to visit. In short order, however, the children relocated – one to Burlington, VT and one to Dover, NH. Two years ago, when another daughter selected Dover for her home, Tom and Peggy promptly followed to be closer to the kids and grandchildren.

Audrey Drogseth is the Office Administrator. She and her husband, Dennis, have been part of Community Church for over a decade. Dennis is an active member of the Music and Arts Committee. They have two college-age children, Melanie and Nathaniel.