Staff

Ministerial & Support Staff

The ministerial and support staff at First Presbyterian Church are dedicated to fulfilling the mission of the church.

Ministry Staff
Rev. Dr. John Fullerton

Rev. Dr. John Fullerton

Senior Pastor/Head of Staff

jfullerton@fpclakeland.org

Rev. Dr. John H. Fullerton, Jr.

Senior Pastor

Dr. Fullerton has served as our senior pastor since September 2019. Prior to Lakeland, he served churches in Scotland, Ohio, Tennessee, and, most recently, in Dunedin, Florida. While serving local churches, he has also taken leave to teach in theological seminaries in Madagascar and Russia. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Florida, he worked in business for nine years. God then had other plans for his life that led him to Princeton Theological Seminary for a Master of Divinity and then ordination as a pastor. In 2010, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. He grew up in a military home that took him all over the United States but considers Palatka, Florida, his hometown. He and his wife, Cile, have been married since 1983 and are proud parents of three daughters who have given them five grandchildren. His hobbies include reading, running, golf, and spending time with family.

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Rev. Zac McGowen

Rev. Dr. Zac McGowen

Outreach Pastor

zmcgowen@fpclakeland.org

Rev. Dr. Zac McGowen

Outreach Pastor

Rev. Dr. Zachary McGowen was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but moved all over the world during his formative years. For nearly 25 years, Zac has been preaching and teaching God’s Word, and he loves inspiring congregations to reach their friends and neighbors for Jesus Christ while utilizing technology to communicate the gospel message more effectively. During his years at Florida Southern College (FPC’s neighbor to the north) he led the largest entirely student-run ministry on campus called BEYOND. Since 2001, Zac has served the Lord in the PC(USA), beginning with the First Presbyterian Church, Haines City, Florida, before taking his current call in Lakeland. Zac came to FPC Lakeland in 2013, and he has served on the board of The Fellowship Community, the Presbytery of Tampa Bay’s Commission on Church Vitality, as well as being active with PEACE (the ecumenical county-wide justice ministry). He holds an M.Div from Reformed Theological Seminary and Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. Zac is married to his beautiful wife, Julie, and together they have two wonderful children, Caleb and Hannah. Zac likes to spend time with his family at one of the area theme parks (he is a major “Disnerd”), go for a run, stay current on tech-related news, and watch college football - especially his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide (ROLL TIDE!). 

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Richard Phillips Web Final 3

Rev. Richard Phillips

Care Ministry Coordinator

rphillips@fpclakeland.org

Rev. Richard Phillips

Care Ministry Coordinator

Rev. Richard Phillips is a native of North Carolina, and a graduate of Wake Forest University. Following college, he married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer Spears, and the couple moved to Louisville, KY. There he got his master’s degrees from Southern Seminary and the University of Louisville. During those years, their three daughters were born, and he pastored churches in Indiana and Kentucky. The Phillips family moved to Lakeland in 1974. Richard had several leadership positions in Children’s Home ministry, had his own consulting business for nonprofit organizations, and owned a retail business. More recently he has served as Interim Pastor for several churches in Florida. He enjoys his grandchildren, cooking for his large family on Friday nights, working in his yard, and walking their little dog, Jack.

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Rev. Dr. Paul Suich

Rev. Dr. Paul Suich

Parish Counselor

psuich@fpclakeland.org

Rev. Dr. Paul Suich

Parish Counselor

Dr. Suich has served as the head of the St. Andrew Ministry here at FPC Lakeland since June 2001. He came here from Augusta, Georgia, where he led the counseling ministry for ten years at FPC Augusta and had worked in community mental health prior to that. He attended the Psychological Studies Institute and Georgia State, earning a Master’s in Christian Counseling, the University of Georgia where he earned a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology, and Asbury Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity. He grew up in Aiken, South Carolina, and attended Davidson College, a Presbyterian affiliated school in North Carolina. He and his wife Cynthia (also a professional counselor) have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and one grandchild. His hobbies include photography, genealogy, gardening, and woodworking.

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Jo Ahearn

Jo Ahearn

Executive Assistant

jahearn@fpclakeland.org

Fine Arts Staff
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Samuel Carlton

Classic Worship Arts Director

scarlton@fpclakeland.org

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Dr. Jennifer Voigt

Modern Worship Arts Director

jvoigt@fpclakeland.org

Tom Ingui

Tom Ingui

Organist

tingui@fpclakeland.org

Emily Hammell

Emily Hammell

Children’s Choir Coordinator

kidschoir@fpclakeland.org

Program Staff

Little Shepherds Preschool

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Carrie Joyner

Director of Little Shepherds Preschool

cjoyner@fpclakeland.org

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Tami Trent

Assistant Director of Little Shepherds Preschool

ttrent@fpclakeland.org

Discipleship

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Josh Schweitzer

Director of Discipleship

jschweitzer@fpclakeland.org

Children’s Ministry

Anna Burns

Anna Butler

Director of Children’s Ministries

abutler@fpclakeland.org

Marion McDowell

Marion McDowell

Children’s Ministry Assistant

mmcdowell@fpclakeland.org

Brianna Bushong

Brianna Bushong

Nursery Worker
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Kaelynn Crowder

Nursery Worker
Isabell Hathaway

Isabelle Hathaway

Nursery Worker
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Frances acevedo

Nursery Worker
Kimberly Hillman

Kimberly Hillman

Nursery Worker
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Sadie Campbell

Nursery Worker
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Carla Spina

Nursery Worker

Student Life Ministry

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Seth Lail

Director of Student Life Ministries

slail@fpclakeland.org

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Elaina Brausch

Student Life Ministries Intern

youth@fpclakeland.org

College & Young Adult Ministry

Tim Timmes

Tim Timmes

Director of College & Young Adult Ministries

tim@fpclakeland.org

Special Needs Ministry

Libby_Chappell

Libby Chappell

Special Needs Ministry Coordinator

lchappell@fpclakeland.org

Older Adult Ministry

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Sandie McRory

Older Adult Ministry Coordinator

sandie@fpclakeland.org

Missions Ministry

Nancy Bertram

Nancy Bertram

Missions Ministries Coordinator

nbertram@fpclakeland.org

Support Staff

Finance, Administration, & Communications

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Andrea Merritt

Director of Finance & Administration

amerritt@fpclakeland.org

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Jackie Hansen

Administrative Coordinator

jhansen@fpclakeland.org

Susan Deloach

Susan DeLoach

Financial Assistant

sdeloach@fpclakeland.org

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Michele Trice

Communications Coordinator

mtrice@fpclakeland.org

Julie Ward

Julie Ward

Graphic Designer

jward@fpclakeland.org

Facility Support

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Lori Lewis

Head Custodian

llewis@fpclakeland.org

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Mark Blanchard

Full Time Custodian
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Shawn Clark

Part Time Maintenance Technician
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Karen Isacson

Part Time Custodian
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Brian McCant

Part Time Custodian
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Eric Hathaway

Part Time Custodian
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Hampton McKee

Part Time Custodian

Technical Support

David Bailey

David Bailey

Technical Director

dbailey@fpclakeland.org

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Jim Kunkle

Audio Visual Production Specialist
John Lowery

John Lowery

Audio Visual Production Specialist
Brian Primm

Brian Primm

Audio Visual Production Specialist

bprimm@fpclakeland.org

Who We Are

The mission of First Presbyterian Church is to make and mature disciples for Jesus Christ.

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