First Baptist Church of Arlington
Staff & Leaders

  • Paul Chudigian

    Paul Chudigian
    Building Manager

    A virtual lifelong resident of Arlington, Paul has become somewhat of a fixture at First Baptist. From his earliest days at the age of one to today, there isn’t an inch of the building that he hasn’t seen. Paul is a member of the John a Bishop Elementary School Class of 1978, Henry Ottoson Junior High Class of 1980, Lexington Christian Academy Class of 1984 and Wentworth Institute of Technology Class of 1987 (Associates Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology) and 1989 (Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering Technology). Communications has been an interest of Paul and he parlayed it into a 23-year career having worked as a Central Office technician for IXC/CLECs such as Allnet Communication Services, Frontier Communications, Global Crossing and Level (3) Communications. After being laid off in 2013, Paul became a caregiver to his mother, serving in that capacity until her passing in 2018. Since then, he has served as the Building Manager of the First Baptist Church, meeting with vendors and taking care of various minor tasks. He sits on the church’s Property & Finance Committee. When he’s not fixing things or taking care of the church’s telephone or computer systems, you can find Paul sitting in the Sanctuary balcony behind the Mackie 24x8x2 mixer or playing the Frazee pipe organ during an occasional Sunday morning worship service.

  • Patrick McCorkle
    Minister

    Rev. Patrick studied Human Services with a focus in families and children at Ottawa University. The prompting of Rev. John Blythe, led him to Andover Newton Theological School where he earned his M.Div. He found the love of his life, Renee, while working at South Shore Support Services, a nonprofit in Weymouth that supports individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. They married in 2004. Rev. Patrick has been in ordained ministry for nearly 20 years. He was ordained in the United Church of Christ and has served three UCC churches since his ordination. However, his formative years were in the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region, aka Kansas. So, coming to First Baptist is like a homecoming. Rev. Patrick’s hope for First Baptist is to help us engage the scriptures as a Living Word, one that continues to develop as we develop our lives of faith and finding deeper ways of “sharing Christ’s love with our world” through ministries of compassion and mercy. Patrick, his wife Renee, their children - Bobby and Hannah, along with their dog, Max, live in Woburn. Patrick and Renee are also grandparents. Their oldest daughter, Laura, her husband Tim, and their children live in Franklin. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys spending time with his family, reading mystery fiction, and attempting new vegetarian recipes, especially Indian cuisine. His biggest aspiration is to write a book of parables based on his life experiences.

  • Mrs. Norma Brunner

    Mrs. Norma Brunner
    Music Director

    Norma Brunner retired from the music faculty of Gordon College in Wenham, MA in 2013 where she had been employed for over twenty years. During that time, she taught Music Theory classes, Piano Lab and Applied Piano. She also served as a staff accompanist. At the same time, she maintained a vigorous private piano studio. For over twenty years, she taught pre-school children as a trained Kindermusik instructor. Norma received a Bachelor of Sacred Music degree from Grace University, Omaha, NE and a Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE in Piano Performance. Throughout her career, Norma has been actively involved in church music - as organist, pianist, choir director of adult and children’s choirs and as a member of the choir. For many years she served as accompanist for the senior choir at Park Street Church in Boston, MA. Currently, Norma is Organist and Choir Director. She continues to teach piano at Brookwood School in Manchester by the Sea, MA as well as in her own private studio. She and her husband, Dr. Roy Brunner live in Beverly, MA with their Boston terrier, Beauty.

  • Maria Klatecki
    Secretary

    Born in Italy, Maria spent her childhood in Switzerland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 10. Her family lived in the North End of Boston, where she went to college and met her husband. They married and moved out of the city where God has blessed them with three children. When the youngest started first grade Maria decided to start working again. She responded to an ad in the paper “Church Secretary wanted.” The ad did not mention the name of the church nor the location, only that she had to call and find out more. For Maria, it felt like the place where God wanted her to be. She considers FBC like a family made up of her sisters and brothers in Christ. Along with the office duties she also leads a Women's Bible Study.