Bruce — Pastor
Bruce is a former US Navy aviation electronics technician, a graduate of the New Orleans Seminary, and has a doctorate from UCF. He has worked in administration at a few universities and was a political science professor. Now, he pays the bills by teaching at one of Lakeland’s high schools, which gives him afternoons and evenings to serve University Church. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three kids, Charlotte (b. 2007), Mary (b. 2009), and Hudson (b. 2012). All three kids were named after missionaries, and if you bring it up to Bruce, he’ll tell you the stories.
Bruce is married to Jennifer, a graduate of the University of Miami, where she was president of her campus ministry, the BCM. But, when she left for college, she had no idea what God had planned for her life. She told her parents before college that she wanted nothing to do with church. But, on her first day at Miami she was bored and decided to attend a BCM event. The rest is history. She double-majored in Television Broadcast Communications and Religious Studies. She was also a drive-time DJ on the campus radio station, and she went by Hurricane Jenn. Today, she’s an Academic Advisor at Southeastern University and a grad student at Regent University.
Shay — Deacon
Shay is an M.E. grad from FLPoly grad who now works for a national engineering firm. And she stuck around University Church after graduation because she wanted to serve. She even bought a house in Lakeland, just to be close to UC, even though she works in the Tampa area. Also, Shay loves the Disney character Stitch, and she loves borrowing people’s phones and taking selfies, such as this one she took with Bruce’s phone:
Jon — Worship Leader
Jon is a FLPoly grad with a degree in Computer Science, and he has stuck around University Church to continue serving as our worship leader. He also preaches about once a month. He’s working as a programmer, while also attending seminary. He met his wife Stephanie through the ministry, and together they have a son, Thomas (b. 2022). Stephanie was a teacher but is now a stay-at-home mom to Thomas.
As a student organization at Florida Poly, we have elected student leaders. The student leaders for the 2022-2023 year are:
Craig — President
Major: Computer Science — Software Engineering
Graduation: May 2025
Micah — Treasurer
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Graduation: May 2026
Solomon — Chief of Staff
Major: Computer Science – Software Engineering
Graduation: May 2023
A.L. — Vice President
Major: Computer Science – Game Design
Graduation: May 2025
