Meet the Moderator

At its February 22nd Gathering the Presbytery of Los Ranchos will install our 2025 Moderator, Ruling Elder, Lori Ruff-Schmalenberger. Lori, a life-long Presbyterian, is the Director of Children’s Ministry at Tustin Presbyterian Church (TPC).

She sat down with us to share more about herself and her call to serve the presbytery. (Our far-ranging and lively conversation has been summarized for clarity and brevity.)

The Presbytery of Los Ranchos: Tell us a bit about your family.

RE Lori Ruff-Schmalenberger, 2025 Moderator: My husband Russ, a software engineer, and I recently celebrated our 40th anniversary. We met in fifth grade Sunday School at Tustin Presbyterian Church. For me it was love at first sight and “I chased him until he caught me.” We dated on and off in high school and college. We did finally get together—“three times is the charm.”

Lori and Russ

Our adult daughter, Ruth, who holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts, lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with her partner, where she works in customer service for a textbook publisher. My mother, Shirley, still active in her church at 92, lives at the Town and Country Senior Life Plan Community in Santa Ana. “I call her every day.“

Shirley, Lori, and Ruth

PLR: What do you do in your free time?

Lori: Paper crafting is my overarching hobby and accounts for the bulk of my free time, craft budget, and storage space! However, I seem to find another artistic medium at least annually, driven by my exploration of what new experiences I can provide for kids in Sunday School, at the craft workshop I host for kids attending the weekly food bank offered by Ministerio en Tustin NWC (MET), or in other church programming. For a few years, that medium was puppetry.

VBS Theater

That said, my crafting passion pre-dates my church work and has morphed over the years… Among my interests have been counted cross stitch, tole painting, scrap booking, rubber stamping, and needle felting. Recently, I have delved into Zentangle.

Needle-felted nativity

Zentangle

I also collect nativities; I estimate that I have about forty. In addition, I continue a family tradition of acquiring a new bell each year for our Christmas tree—purchased, received as a gift, or, as a last resort, hand-made.

Hand Made Bell

To help me connect and communicate with the children I work with through MET, I have been studying Spanish.

PLR: What prompted you to say yes to the invitation to serve as moderator?

Lori: I am a “judicatory junkie.” Years ago, when I was fresh out of seminary, the women of TPC sent me to a gathering of Presbyterian Women of the Synod. I adored being in the room with folks from other presbyteries. I learned new things, gained fresh perspectives, and fell in love with the connectional Church. When opportunities arose to serve on presbytery or synod committees or to serve as a commissioner to presbytery, I took them!

In 2002 I was privileged to be a commissioner to General Assembly. In much the same way that I dreamed of being a GA commissioner, I wondered if someday I might be honored to serve as the moderator of the Presbytery of Los Ranchos. It is truly an honor and a privilege. I am affirmed and consider this opportunity a “great gift.”

Adventurous Lori

PLR: What are your hopes for your year as moderator?

Lori: My work with PLR’s New Worshiping Communities has encouraged me to help our churches recognize and embrace that all ministries have a life cycle. Just as there are times for planting new faith communities, there are times to recognize the completion of ministries, with honor and respect for the faithful who answered God’s call to serve in that space and time.

I’d also like Ruling Elder Commissioners to truly understand that they are called to play an active role in the presbytery. I want to encourage and come along side them.

Our churches will benefit from hearing the stories of what is happening at the presbytery level and in each of our faith communities. We need to witness the vitality that is all around us.

PLR: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Lori: “I am totally not qualified for this….” I covet your prayers for me and for all who serve the church in the Presbytery of Los Ranchos.

Lori as a child with her family