Daren Pitcher

District Superintendent

Anita Graef

District Administrator

Julie Cheney

District Secretary

Chelsea Peugh

District Discipleship Director (NDI)

Mike Smee

District Youth Director (NYI)

Martha Lundquist

District Missions Director (NMI)

Carl Wren

District Children's Ministry Director

Joe Figueroa

District Hispanic Ministries Director

Debie Songer

District Ministerial Studies Director

Daniel Deida

Hispanic Ministerial Studies Coordinator

Nick Gebhart

District Financial Administrator

Natasha Gebhart

District Administrative Assistant

Daren Pitcher

District Superintendent

Daren Pitcher has served in multiple roles on the Central Cal District; initially as a youth pastor, then as a pastor, and on April 19, 2024, Daren was elected Central Cal District Superintendent. He and his wife, Amy grew up in the Pismo Beach area. Daren preached his first sermon and felt his initial call to ministry on a mission trip to Mexico as a teenager and ministries in Hispanic contexts have remained close to his heart. Daren also taught middle school in Boyle Heights.

After graduating from Point Loma Nazarene University, Daren served as a youth pastor in Southern California, the Central Coast, and the Central Valley. Daren’s first pastorate was the planting of a new church in Rancho San Diego followed by fruitful pastorates in Bakersfield and Los Osos (near Morro Bay).

Amy graduated from Azusa Pacific with a degree in Biblical Studies, served on staff in children and youth ministries, and has enjoyed a number of years as a teacher and administrator in Christian Education. She currently teaches Bible at Bakersfield Christian High School.Daren and Amy have two sons, Dawson (a graduate of PLNU) and Noah (a graduate of Cal Poly, SLO). Daren loves to surf and has many years of experience coaching volleyball and golf.

Mike Smee

District Youth Director (NYI)

Rev. Mike Smee serves as our CCD NYI President. He has a passion for student ministry and seeing young people embrace a life in Christ through discipleship. Mike is currently the Youth pastor at Porterville Church of the Nazarene and has served on staff there since 2007. He is a graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University with a religion degree in Philosophy/Theology. He finished his Course of Study through Northwest Nazarene University and was ordained in 2011.

Mike has been married since 2007 to his wife, Michelle and they have two amazing kids, Kipton (2011) and Kailea (2015). Their family enjoys travelling, playing games, eating pizza, and watching movies together. All members of their family are committed and invested in youth ministry together. Mike's ministry and family are woven together through the lives of the students in their community.

Mike enjoys all sports...his favorite place when he's not at work or home is the golf course. He is currently coaching varsity basketball at a local high school and is the reigning champ in his fantasy football league.

Martha Lundquist

District Missions Director (NMI)

Martha has served as the District NMI President for 21 years. It is her passion and her heart’s desire that everyone would understand and know the difference they can make in being involved and supporting the work of Nazarene Missions around the world. Before serving as president, she served in several positions on the district council and also served as a local NMI president for 17 years. She also served as a Sunday School teacher for Kindergarten, Junior High, Senior High and College. She attends Connecting Point Church of the Nazarene in Denair where she is a third-generation member and is pleased to serve alongside her family now the 4th and 5th generations.


Martha has been married to Dale since 1974 and they have two children and five grandchildren. They enjoy watching their grandchildren participating on the worship team, playing football and baseball. They work on the almond and walnut farm together, travel together and enjoy being neighbors.

Debie Songer

District Ministerial Studies Director

Debie Songer has always loved Kingdom work, growing up in the church, as was evidenced through her teaching God’s word in Sunday School as a High School Student, when her grandmother sent her a card with Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” She continued on, spending most of her life teaching God’s word to every age group through many different traditional as well as creative means.

She earned a BA in Communicative Arts from Point Loma Nazarene University and her teaching credential and an M.A. from Cal State Bakersfield. Debie then taught in private and public schools for 20 years, while serving with her husband, all the while she couldn’t get away a sense of calling and the desire to serve Christ and His church.

After accepting the fact that she was called to ministry, realizing it was alright for a pastor’s spouse to respond to the call, she came to love and appreciate our church more deeply during her studies toward ordination. Through her theology courses, she became more deeply aware that Wesleyan Holiness Theology brought the entire Word of God into alignment as the truth which points humanity toward life with Jesus Christ and truly impassioned the desire she had since high school for others to enter the kingdom of God.

Debie still has a deep desire that “none be lost” and to assist our ministers in becoming well prepared to serve effectively in the work of the Kingdom of God.

Daniel Deida

Hispanic Ministerial Studies Coordinator

Dr. Daniel Deida has served on the district board of Ministerial Studies, the Credentials board, and as Hispanic District Education Coordinator. He desires to motivate, inspire, and advise in the decision making that may impact the district’s future. He is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University with a master’s in ministry and of Nazarene Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity. He has also obtained a Doctor’s in Theology.

Daniel has devoted his life to God in serving as pastor/teacher in the Church of the Nazarene for over 40 years. Currently mentoring and coaching new pastors in the CCD for awareness in holiness and to bring edification. His early pastorates included churches in Texas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Daniel, also served for 3 years at South Central Ohio as District Hispanic director for Course of Studies. In the present time Dr. Deida pastors the church in Sanger.

Daniel and his wife, Maria, have five adult children and thirteen grandchildren. He enjoys creating Comic Bible Stories and playing board games.