People - Worship Leaders
Charlie was born in Long Beach in 1948. He is a 1970 graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion at Berkeley in 1973. After ordination in the United Church of Christ, he served two congregations in upstate New York: McLean Community Church, from 1973 until 1978, and First Congregational Church, Corning, from 1978 through 1986. He then returned to his hometown of Long Beach where he has been Senior Minister of Bay Shore Community Congregational Church in Belmont Shore since 1987. He met his wife, Peggy, a teacher, in the choir of his first church. The Ensleys have two adult daughters, Emily and Amy.
Charlie has served on committees for the Central Association and the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ. He is treasurer for the Long Beach CROP Walk for Hunger, was summer camp counselor at Pilgrim Pines Camp for 21 years, and serves on the boards of Pilgrim Pines Camp and Cooperative Protestant Campus Ministry at CSULB. He is a member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of Long Beach, and currently serves on its board of directors.
Susan Bjork was born and raised in Los Alamos, NM. After graduating from Los Alamos High School in 1998, Susie entered Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion in 2002. Susie went on to receive her Master of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion, a member school of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), in Berkeley, CA in 2007. While at seminary, she met her husband, Dave Winter, who was studying theology at a partner school within the GTU.
Susie was ordained at First Congregational United Church of Christ of Colorado Springs in March 2009 and began her ministry at Bay Shore Church in April 2009. Susie’s responsibilities include providing direction to the Christian educational ministry of the church for children, youth, and adults as well as other pastoral duties at Bay Shore Church and within the broader United Church of Christ. Susie enjoys the arts and is passionate about the intersection between creativity and spirituality.
Julie is the Director of Music at Bay Shore, and conducts the Chancel Choir and Children’s Choir. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from California State University, Long Beach. Julie is also on the faculty of Biola University in La Mirada where she conducts the Women’s Chorus and teaches conducting. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association of Church Musicians, and is an active adjudicator for the Music in the Parks and Festivals at Sea programs. Julie has been on the faculty of CSULB, has taught public school at all levels, and has directed adult and children's church choirs throughout the Southland. She has served as Director of Music at Bay Shore Church since September 2006.
Alicia earned a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in organ performance, from Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo), Montevallo, Alabama in 1969. She also earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama in 1983, and practiced as an attorney for fifteen years. She has served as organist at a number of Episcopal, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist congregations in Alabama, upstate New York and Southern California. Alicia has served as organist and handbell director at Bay Shore Church since August 2000.