our staff

  • Head Pastor

    Lisa, who came from the McCabe Roberts Avenue United Methodist Church in the Beaumont District, is our senior minister. Prior to that assignment, Lisa was an Associate at the First United Methodist Church of Sugar Land. She is in her 14th year at St. Philip’s.


  • Daniel Zajicek

    Director of Music Ministries
    Daniel has a doctoral degree in music composition from Rice University. He currently is a bass player and singer for the bluegrass band Brazos River Pickers. He grew up in Columbia, Missouri, where he played piano, sang in choir, performed in plays, as well as with jazz and rock bands. He is married and has one child.


  • Ryan Pennington

    Director of Outreach Ministries

    Organist/Accompanist
    Ryan joined St. Philip’s on June 1, 2017, as the accompanist with degrees in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and Organ Performance at UCLA. He has taught instrumental and vocal music in  school programs for over 15 years. He now manages his own music studio here at the church (pennystudioshouston.org). Additionally, Ryan was hired as the Director of Outreach Ministries on June 17th, 2022

  • Day School Director
    Susan Smith joined the Day School as the new Director and has been a parent and a teacher in the school as well. In addition, she assisted in the day school office. She was the director of her own church’s Children Ministry. Susan is a graduate of The University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her husband has been the Scout Leader at of the troop at St. Philip’s for a number of years.

  • Financial Administrator
    Originally from Alabama, Rebecca Long has been in Houston for 10 years. She holds a bachelor degree in Accounting from Texas Southern University. She currently works at Structuneering, Inc. - formerly owned by Winston Ed Kile. She is a mother of three children and is passionate about people and God.