Our Team

Our teams make up a dynamic group that shepherd our congregation and oversee the work we do in worship, music, education and service.  Scroll down to meet us and email the church office to contact any of us.

Minister

A graduate of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Rev. Anne Robertson served United Methodist churches in Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts for 13 years. In 2007 she became the executive director of the Massachusetts Bible Society, the first woman to hold that position in the organization’s 210-year history. On August 1, 2020 she began as the pastor of Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church.  You can find out more about her on her website.

Winner of the Wilbur C. Ziegler Award for Excellence in Preaching, she is the author of four books:  Blowing the Lid Off the God-Box,  God’s Top 10: Blowing the Lid Off the Commandments, and God With Skin On: Finding God’s Love in Human Relationships, and New Vision for an Old Story: Why the Bible Might Not Be the Book You Think It Is..  She is also the author of the popular Bible study series, Exploring the Bible: The Dickinson Series and Exploring Justice: The Ten Commandments. 

Music Director

James Gutierrez is an assistant teaching professor at Northeastern University. Growing up in Southern CA, James’ family nurtured a sense that the core of our being intersects the highest conceivable good in the state of music, and it is this intersection that grounds his music making, writing, and teaching. James is an interdisciplinary educator, researcher, and musician whose overarching mission is to investigate and realize the potential of music-making as a force for social change, community building, and personal wellbeing.  Outside of academia James serves as Managing Director for Cambridge Common Voices, a neurodiverse choral collaboration between Harvard and the Threshold Program at Lesley University, and was previously in leadership at the Center for World Music, leading programs that continue to improve the visibility of refugee communities in San Diego through the promotion of their musical cultures. We are grateful to have him join us as Crawford’s Music Director where he leads our Chancel Choir.

Organist/Pianist

Helena Veranian has been the devoted Organist and Accompanist of Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church since 1995. “I enjoy and appreciate the emotional support of the big church family I have here”, says Helena. She received her MA in Piano Performance and Choir Conducting from Erevan Conservatory (Armenia). Prior to Crawford, Helena was the organist at St. James Apostolic Church in Los Angeles. She has participated in more than 500 concerts throughout Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, and the United States. Helena is married to Maestro Arthur Veranian. They have two daughters, Veronica and Cristina.

Administrator

Stacey Hilliard has been a member of Crawford Memorial UMC since 2001. Early on, Stacey served on the nursery school committee. Later, she worked as an office assistant to the UMNS Nursery School director. When the UMNS closed in 2020, Stacey took on the role of Communications Manager for the church, which ultimately led to her becoming our full time Church Administrator. Stacey and her husband Bryan live in Medford with their two sons (Duncan and Owen), cat (Tucker) and dog (Marla).

Technical Production Manager

Madeleine Derveloy joined our team in July of 2024, as the new leader of our technical team, responsible for guiding our Sunday morning live-stream efforts and helping to expand/improve our AV and hybrid opportunities throughout all aspects of church life. Madeleine has experience in the film and live event industry. She earned her Master of Fine Arts, Film and Media Arts, from Emerson in 2022. In her spare time, you can find her taking photos, spending time with her fiance and two cats, Lynx & Calvin, and trying new recipes.