The title of John’s Doctoral Thesis is:
“Proclamation by Invitation: Inviting Postmodern Hearers to
Transformation.” An important part of his preaching ministry is
the “roundtable pulpit.” Each week John meets with a small
group of members from the congregation to engage the Word of God
and one another. He believes that when members of the
congregation participate in the formation of sermons it enables
a community to hear preaching in a new and effective way.
John’s family brings him great joy!
His wife Ellen enjoys being involved in a variety of ways in the
church. She is an advocate for the important role of
children in the church. She loves cooking, eating good
food, and believes there is something about sharing food which
enables us to share each other’s lives. Ellen has a
bachelor’s degree in science from Grove City College and has
found work in the technical sales field very rewarding.
Their oldest daughter, Erica, is attending College of Wooster in
Ohio. Grace, who is three years younger, loves volleyball,
soccer and playing her cello
Rev.
Nicole Richardson -
Associate Pastor
Nicole earned a BA in Performing Arts
from the University of Missouri and a Master of Divinity
degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She
spent five years working in the theater support business for a
stage lighting company in Minneapolis, MN before responding to
the call to seminary.
While in seminary Nicole served as pulpit
supply in central Texas and in Kansas City, and as CPE Resident
Chaplin at Kansas City Baptist Medical Center. She interned as
Associate Pastor at Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church before
completing Seminary.
Since ordination in July 2001, Nicole has
served as Pastor at Elm Street Presbyterian Church in Alton, IL.
While serving this congregation she says she has found that
“pastoral care is at the heart of my sermons.” She works with
Session, Deacons, and the Nominating Committee to build
leadership, and with the Youth leaders to develop a Youth
Ministry. She has developed a two-year confirmation class based
on the faith journey coupled with building relationships, and a
Wednesday evening Bible study.
Nicole is married to Tom. They have a son
Jesse and a daughter Sydney.
Roger Landis -
Office/Business Manager
Roger began a new
career as the Office/Business Manager for FPC in 2003 when Pat
Shatto and Erma Walsh retired. At the end of 2003, he
officially retired from a 33-year career as research
chemist/scientist for Armstrong. Roger was raised in the West
York area and was a life-long member of Calvary United
Presbyterian Church. He began singing with the FPC choir in
1992, and finally joined FPC upon the merger of the two
congregations in 1996. Roger has always felt a calling to
serve the Lord in some capacity but the “chemistry” was never
right. His involvement in church finance began in 1972 at
Calvary and with each new opportunity this grew to become one
of his gifts in service to Christ. While he is still learning
how best to merge two job functions into one manageable task,
he finds that the time has zipped by and that he is in the
most enjoyable work environment he has experienced in years.
Roger praises God for providing him with this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
In his spare time, Roger
is a sports enthusiast and particularly enjoys watching baseball
(the Orioles), football (Penn State), and NASCAR races (Bobby
Labonte), much to his wife wife’s chagrin! Roger and his son,
Chris, have been fortunate to attend races in Daytona,
Darlington, Dover, and Charlotte. He and his wife Judy consider Stone Harbor/Avalon as their favorite
get-away spot and they enjoy caring for their “grand-dog,”
Brady, a spirited black lab mix. While Roger has a strong
traditional worship background, he has really grown to
appreciate the contemporary worship style. His family has
always been musically inclined, and it is through music that
Roger finds a closeness to and an inner-peace from his Savior.
He also enjoys making a joyful noise in the choir (and
sometimes in harmony) with Judy, and on the Praise Team with his
daughter, Jennifer Ryan and son-in-law, Timothy Ryan. Roger and
Judy are also blessed to have both of their mothers (Ethel
Landis and Betty Hunsworth) with them as members of FPC.
John Adams –
Facility Manager
John Adams is a native of York. He was
baptized in, and attended First Presbyterian Church of York
since he was an infant. He joined the church in his young
teenage years and made a personal decision to dedicate his life
to Christ in his late teen years. John as a youth sang in the
youth choirs and rang in the bell choir. Even to this day his
love for good music and the pipe organ takes him to
Philadelphia, in his spare time, to work on and enjoy the
beautiful music of the Wanamaker Organ in the center city Macy's store. John is also very active the Abendmusic
Concert Series held at FPC. On a slightly different note, John
was a member of Cub Pack and Troop 1, Boy Scouts of America,
located at FPC.
John attended Pennsylvania State
University, and acquired training in engineering. He also
attended and graduated from other specialized training in his
design field including management and supervision. Prior to
being called to the church as the Physical Plant Administrator,
John worked in industry for many years doing electrical and
mechanical engineering. His last job included managing a small
business, including all phases of the operation.
In more recent years, John has served and
continues to serve on the Building and Grounds Committee of the
church and plays an active role in the sound and tape ministry.
He enjoys helping with the annual Thanksgiving dinner where the
church reaches out to the community and serves over 500 people
Jim Spark -
Director of Music Ministry
A lifelong Presbyterian, Jim joined the staff
of First Presbyterian in 1995 as Interim Director of Music.
Shortly thereafter, he was installed as Associate Director,
and in 2004 became the Director of Music Ministries. Born and
raised in Canada, he received his formal musical education,
majoring in piano, trumpet, and violin, with the Royal
Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto. He has been the
recipient of numerous scholarships and awards for performance
in national and international competition.
In addition to extensive church and
classical venues, Jim was the director and member of a touring
Canadian comedy show band during the mid 70’s. He has also
performed at the Oscar Peterson Canadian Open Jazz Festival in
Quebec, and numerous other events across Canada and the U.S.
Jim currently lives in Jacobus with his wife, Marlene
Ginny Melody
– Director, The Caring Company
Virginia “Ginny” Melody, born and raised
in the York community is the director of the Caring Company.
She took on this responsibility when Judy Gibbs retired in May
2007. Ginny resides near Windsor and is married to Joe. She
and her husband have three children, five grandchildren, and a
20 plus year old cat named Callie. They all bring great joy
to her life.
She loves spending her free time with the
grandchildren, going on adventures and creating wonderful
memories. She enjoys counted cross-stitching, working with
dried flowers, and is an amateur television producer. Ginny is
a spirit filled follower of Jesus Christ and attends Living Word
Community Church.
She brings more than 20 years experience in
social service work with her. Some of her numerous involvements
over those years have included service with The Salvation Army,
York United Against Drugs, Management Association of York
County, and others. She is currently the president of Bridge of
Hope of York County.
Wendy Smith –
Director of Christian Education
Wendy earned her B.S. in elementary
education from York College in 1976. After graduation she
taught in the West York School District for four years. She then
had the privilege of remaining home to raise three daughters.
From 1993-2003, she served as the Director of Christian
Education at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in York, PA. She is
a certified associate Director of Christian Education with the PCUSA.
Director of
Youth Ministries
(Vacant)
Kathy Sprenkle –
Administrative/Secretary
Kathy Sprenkle joined the staff of FPC in
2003. Kathy grew up in Pittsburgh and met her
husband, Jon, at Penn State. She worked as an engineer
prior to the birth of her children. She was the director
of her church preschool and then moved into church secretary
office work as the children got older. She and Jon have
been married since 1983 and live with their three children on a
dairy farm in West York.
Nancy McBain –
Program Secretary
Larry McGurl -
Head Custodian
Larry McGurl joined the staff of FPC in
1990 and became a member in 1995. He was instrumental in
starting the Thanksgiving dinner in 1993. Larry enjoys
working with all of the members of the church and being a part
of keeping God’s house in order. Larry is part of the
Decorating Committee and takes much personal pride in keeping
the church grounds looking nice.
Prior to starting employment with FPC, Larry cooked in many
restaurants in the York area and ran his own catering business
in Ashland, PA.
Larry is a native of Ashland, PA, which is located in Schuylkill
County, in the northern part of the state.
Deb Gotwalt - Custodian
Deb Gotwalt started her employment at FPC
in September of 2002 as part-time, and after a short period
moved into a full time custodian position. She has a son, Steven, and appreciates her mother’s help who care for
her son while she is working. She likes the job shift as it
gives her time in the morning with Steven before he goes to
school, and she can still tuck him into bed at the end of her
day. She and Steven enjoy reading, playing ball, and “hanging
out” on his new swing set.
Deb loves the people at First Presbyterian,
and is grateful that Larry McGurl and John Adams are so
helpful. She enjoys cleaning and moving around doing different
tasks. She takes pride in keeping FPC pristine and particularly
likes a job environment that is so serene and peaceful.
