MEET  THE  STAFF

  • REV. ROBERT J. DYER    he/him

    Senior Pastor/Head of Staff

    Pastor Rob is the Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at FUPC. Born and raised in Belleville, Rob graduated from Belleville West High School and went on to receive degrees in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and Purdue University. After a career in computers and project management, Rob left engineering to pursue his lifelong passion for ministry in 2002. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA. From July 2005 until November 2012, he served as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Vernon, IL. Rob has a particular interest in linking the needs of the community with the passions of its Christian servants. As a public speaker (www.robdyerspeaker.com), Rob enjoys speaking to various organizations and churches looking to transform lives.  Rob’s wife, Dr. Sarah Dyer, oversees a clinical psychology practice in the area. They have 4 children. Rob enjoys time with family, playing guitar/piano and dabbling with technology/computers. You can also occasionally catch Rob on stage performing standup comedy or alongside his improv comedy group ComedySportz St. Louis.

  • REV. ALEXANDRA K. LYSDAHL    she/her

    Associate Pastor

    Pastor Alex is the Associate Pastor at FUPC. She grew up in Peoria, IL, and went to Coe College (Cedar Rapids, IA) for her undergraduate studies, earning her Bachelor of Arts. While in Cedar Rapids she was involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Her call to ministry led her to complete her Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI and her Master of Social Work from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During graduate school, she was able to engage in ministry in a number of settings including college campus ministry, chaplaincy with the retired community, and as a social worker at a skilled nursing facility. Alex served as a hospital chaplain and a licensed social worker at a dialysis clinic prior to joining the team at FUPC in October of 2018. She remains a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) in the state of Illinois. Alex is passionate about meeting people where they are at and caring for all of God's people.  Alex's husband, Rev. Zach Lysdahl, is also a pastor serving a local church. They have two dogs (Nala and Phil). Alex enjoys spending time in God's creation, baking, gardening, and trying new things.

  • RHONDA EUGEA    she/her

    Director of Christian Discipleship

    Rhonda is the Director of Christian Discipleship at FUPC.  Rhonda was raised in Beach Park, IL. Rhonda moved to the St. Louis area after earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Education from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.  After teaching in St. Louis County and volunteering as a youth director, she felt the call to full-time ministry. In 2010, Rhonda earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.  After working in an urban ministry in Virginia for several years, she moved back to the St. Louis area.  Rhonda has had numerous paid and volunteer positions working with children, youth, and adult ministries.  Rhonda is passionate about helping others explore their faith in meaningful ways.  Rhonda and her husband, Craig, have 2 children (Olivia and Charlotte).  Rhonda enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, knitting, reading, and baking.  

  • JAMI OLSEN    she/her

    Front Office Administrative Assistant

    Jami is the church’s part-time Administrative Assistant.  She was born and raised in Belleville, graduating from Belleville West, Belleville Area College (SWIC), and Illinois State University.  She has lived in Swansea since 1990. Jami retired from full-time employment in the summer of 2021.  To remain active she decided to return to work part-time with a nonprofit organization and joined FUPC's staff in September 2022. Her son and daughter-in-law blessed her with a beautiful granddaughter on her birthday in 2022!  They reside in Belleville.  Jami enjoys spending time with family and friends, yoga, reading, and spending as much time as possible outside walking, hiking, and gardening.  


  • DR. ANDY JENSEN    he/him

    Director of Music Ministries

    Andy Jensen joined our First United staff on August 1, 2012. As Director of Music Ministries his work includes directing the Chancel Choir and United Bells, and providing general oversight of our church music program. A native of central Illinois, Andy came to Belleville with a new appointment as Director of Choral Activities at Southwestern Illinois College in 2011. He served in a similar capacity from 2008-2011 at Arkansas Northeastern College. Andy held full graduate assistantships in choral music while pursuing the Master of Music at Illinois State University and Doctor of Musical Arts at The University of Southern Mississippi where he studied both conducting and educational pedagogy under Gregory Fuller, John Flannery, Karyl Carlson, James Major, and Timothy Fredstrom. He is married to Cathy, and they have two children, James and Eli. 

  • DIANA UMALI     she/her

    Piantist/Accompanist

    Diana Umali has assisted with the music ministry at the church since Nov. 2017, providing music for Sunday services and accompanying the Chancel Choir. Currently, she is a music professor at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, IL and enjoys performing chamber music with various groups in the St. Louis area.

  • MAT CONWAY     he/him

    Worship Music Leader

    Mat Conway works with Pastor Rob and Andy Jensen to design and implement new musical elements into our worship experiences so that God may be glorified, and that the people who worship at First United find themselves more fully engaged in meaningful and transformative worship. His goal is to use music in new ways that will naturally evolve from our traditional worship experience into something that will be a blessing for our current congregation and new visitors.