Our Staff

Pastoral Staff

Rev. Dr. Shelli M. Poe

Senior Pastor

The Rev. Dr. Shelli M. Poe welcomes you to Little River! She is passionate about leading those who seek to grow in faith and love within this spiritual community, and about partnering with local organizations with whom we share our mission and values. After earning her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2007, Pastor Shelli was ordained within the Congregational tradition and then received full ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ in 2010. Since that time, she has served various churches in Warren, NJ, Charlottesville, VA, and Jackson, MS in a bi-vocational capacity. Alongside her service in the church, she earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies (Theology, Ethics, and Culture) at the University of Virginia, and was an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Initiative for Vocational Inquiry at Millsaps College from 2013-2020. Pastor Shelli served Safe Harbor Family Church (Jackson, MS) as its senior pastor from 2020, prior to arriving at Little River. She brings with her a wealth of experience and skill in teaching, organizing, and networking, along with her education and scholarship in religious studies and theology. If you'd like to learn more about her work in the church, academy, and world, please visit her website. In April 2023, the congregation at Little River UCC voted unanimously to call the Rev. Dr. Poe as our next settled senior pastor. Please feel free to contact Pastor Shelli at shelli@lrucc.org.

Music Staff

Craig Stapert

Director of Music and communications

Born and raised in the midwest, Craig attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, earning a BA in Classical languages and a minor in music. He then completed an MA in Classics at the University of Texas at Austin. Upon returning to Grand Rapids, Michigan, he served as organist and choir director of St. Matthew Lutheran Church (LC-MS) and First United Methodist Church in Hastings, Michigan. During that time Craig chaired the Grand Rapids Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In 1997 he moved to Washington to work in the Public Affairs Office at Washington National Cathedral, editing publications (including the flagship quarterly Cathedral Age) and eventually assuming responsibility for electronic communications. For two years Craig served as interim minister of music at First Baptist Church in Washington, directing the adult choir and an intergenerational handbell ensemble. Since the fall of 2000, he has been organist and, more recently, organist-choir director at Little River. He and his wife, Natalie, have a daughter, Annelise.

Ashton Streavig

Youth and Children's Choir Director

Growing up in York, Pennsylvania, Ashton was active in school chorus, band, and orchestra as well as the Bethlehem United Methodist Church choir. She holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from James Madison University (2008) and a master’s degree in education policy from the University of Virginia. Ashton taught elementary music in Fairfax County for many years before staying home with her three boys. Even though her boys keep her busy, she still finds time to read, garden, and spend time outside. As director of the Salt of the Earth and Joyful Noise choirs, Ashton selects music to develop vocal ability, reinforce the values of Little River, and promote fun and fellowship for the youth.

Office Staff

Jay Shackley

Communications Assistant

Jay has been at Little River all his life, attending the attached preschool and Sunday school when he was growing up, as well as going through Pilgrim Fellowship and Confirmation. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2021. He lives in Springfield with his grandmother Joyce, and loves plush animals. Jay is responsible for the Little River’s website and social media programs.

Building Staff