Staff at First Presbyterian
The Reverend Bill Perman
Bill came to First Presbyterian as Pastor in August 2010, but his association with the church actually began many years ago. His wife, Deborah Krause, was a student pastor here at First Pres in the 1980s. Bill and Deb were married at First Pres, and their adult daughters, Isabel & Rebekah, remain members.
A native of Washington State, Bill spent most of his time growing up in and around the Seattle area. Baptized in the Roman Catholic faith, his upbringing was an ecumenical faith journey through the Episcopal tradition to the Swedish Covenant Church. Bill graduated from Seattle Pacific University, a Free Methodist school, with a degree in Religion/Greek. Feeling the call to ministry, he began his theological education at Eden Seminary in Webster Groves, at which time he joined and became a candidate in the PCUSA. Bill graduated from Columbia Seminary (of the PCUSA) in Decatur, Georgia with a Master of Divinity with academic distinction.
In 1992, Bill and Deb (also a PCUSA minister) moved from Decatur to Webster Groves to start their respective ministries – Bill as a Solo Pastor and Deb as an Assistant Professor of New Testament at Eden Seminary.
The Krause-Permans live in Webster Groves on the campus of Eden Seminary, where Deb is now the President. Bill is a potter, bakes sourdough bread and pizza regularly, enjoys cooking, Crossfit, and sailing.
Stephanie Polster
Office Administrator
Stephanie has been employed with First Presbyterian since 2017, but she has had a lifelong connection with the church. As a baby, she was baptized at First Pres. All of her grandparents, both parents, her aunt, and her uncle attended this church for many years. Stephanie has always been passionate about social justice and equity, so she is very happy to work in an environment that honors these principles. She also loves helping refugees and immigrants. She received her M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language at Southeast Missouri State, and she spent several years teaching English as a Second Language at various institutions both in the St. Louis area and abroad. She continues to teach as an adjunct instructor at St. Charles Community College, and she works with refugee children and families through local religious organizations and Welcome Neighbor St. Louis. Her husband, Paul, is a Political Science professor at St. Charles Community College. Her daughter, Lydia, recently graduated at Washington University with BA in Religious Studies and is currently teaching English to primary school students in southern Spain. Her son, Alex, is a high school student at Fort Zumwalt South. He plays cello and sings. Stephanie loves to sing in choir, play piano and Celtic harp, read, study Spanish and German, and travel abroad. She hopes one day to revive her hobby of making stained glass creations once she gets the motivation to clean her basement! Stephanie is very blessed to work with such intelligent, humorous, and dedicated coworkers, and she is grateful for this compassionate and receptive congregation.
