Staff
“What you see is what you get!” That’s how a lot of folks describe me. The what you see is what you get” part is probably because I was raised in a small south Georgia farm town (Camilla). I have a graduate degree in French and taught elementary and high school French for 6 years and before choosing to stay home with our 2 sons until they were school age. At that point, my 3rd career began when I was called to Princeton Seminary to become a pastor. As Palma Sola’s 4th senior pastor in its 60 years of ministry, I have had the rare privilege of serving this church in 2 different capacities-first, as its associate pastor (2000-2007), and now as its senior pastor (2014-present).
As a pastor, I love being with people, encouraging them in their lives and faith, helping seekers discover God’s love in Jesus and their place in the church and world, leading worship, preaching and teaching the Scriptures, and connecting our church with needs and opportunities in the community and larger world.
For fun and relaxation, I love to read, walk, swim, watch good movies/TV, meet people from around the world, and speak French whenever I have the opportunity (and did I mention, eat?)! My husband Ron, a chemical/environmental engineer, and I love to travel and find great joy in working with international students (both having studied abroad ourselves). In our 40 years of marriage, we’ve lived in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Carolina and Bradenton. Everywhere we’ve lived, the church has been our “home,” our brothers and sisters in Christ our family. We long for people to experience the joy of being deeply connected to a local Christian congregation and of discovering God’s calling on their lives.
Kelly joined our staff in May 2015. She has lived in Bradenton since 1996 and has been married to the love of her life, Randy, since 1988. They enjoy spending time with their children. Their oldest son, Paul, is in the Air Force and is stationed, with his wife, in Hawaii. Their son, Eric, is in the Navy Reserves and their daughter Elizabeth is attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde park, NY. They both are very proud of the individuals that they are becoming. Kelly adds professionalism to our staff and loves being with other Christ-followers each day. She appreciates the value of great friends!
Van was born in Syracuse NY in 1943 and came to Florida in 1974. Worked as a carpenter, painter and a telephone contractor (1976-2006). Married Janey in 2000. Has been a member of PSPC since 1998. He has 2 daughters (Deena & Lisa) in California and 1 stepson (Michael) and 1 stepdaughter (Jennifer) in Florida and 8 grandchildren.
I was born in North Providence, RI and moved to Bradenton, FL at the age of 12. In my high school years I spent my summers leading worship at various Christian summer camps. Soon thereafter, I started a band and spent several years traveling the United States performing original songs. I first came to PSPC in 2010 as an Audio Technician. In 2012, I became the leader of the Dawning Service Praise Band.
John was born in New York and moved to Bradenton in 1987. After high school he attended Florida State University in Tallahassee. He started playing in the PSPC Praise Band shortly after graduating college in 2012. He says "Playing drums has always been a big part of my life and since starting with the PSPC Praise Band I've met so many great people as well as my best friend Kasey who works in the preschool. It's been a great blessing." He has a career teaching 3rd grade at a local private school. In his free time he enjoys visiting Disney.
Tony is originally from New Hampshire. He moved to Manatee County in 2013 and was brought to PSPC by his brother Joe Bucci. He has a background in Computer Sciences and Networking and a career as a dispatcher for a nationwide furniture repair company. When he isn't working he enjoys building things, electronics, and spending time with his brother and niece.