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Staff 
Left to right:
John Yonker,
Amy Kay Pavlovich
and Jimmy Spear
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John
J. Yonker, Senior Minister, a native of St. Louis,
received his Bachelor's degree from Austin Peay State
University, Clarksville, Tennessee, the Master of Divinity from
Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, Ft. Worth, Texas,
and the Doctor of Ministry from Lexington Theological Seminary in
Lexington, Kentucky. After serving congregations in Cameron, North
Kansas City and St. Charles, he began his ministry at First
Christian Church in September, 1992.
Amy
Kay Pavlovich, Associate Minister, received her Bachelor's
degrees in Psychology and Communications from Bethany College,
Lindsborg, Kansas, and her Master's degree in Rhetoric and
Communication from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. She
is from the United Church of Christ denomination and served as
Central UCC's youth director for two years in Jefferson City,
Missouri, before coming to First Christian in July, 2001. Amy
Kay and her husband Dane live in Columbia and have two sons,
Sebastian (4) and Atticus (1).
Jimmy
Spear, Associate Minister,
has served First Christian Church as Associate Minister since
November of 2007. Rev. Spear received his B.A. in
History/Political Science from Culver-Stockton College, Canton,
Missouri in 1996. He then went on to receive a Master of
Divinity degree from Lexington Theological Seminary, Lexington,
Kentucky in 2000. In that same year Jimmy was ordained by the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) into fulltime professional
ministry at his home church, First Christian Church, Festus,
MO. While having grown up in Kirkwood, MO he has in recent
years served the First Christian Church in three communities:
Louisiana, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
Rev.
Spear is active in the community and in denominational
affiliations. He is active in the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) in the area, regional, and national
levels. Jimmy yearly directs summer church camp, serves on
several regional task forces, and has served as a member of the
General Board of the Christian Church (DOC) in the USA.
While
theater, music and art are key interests they only hold a candle to
his unending fascination with automobiles, his 1968 Chevy Malibu
Coupe being his pride and joy. The rest of Jimmy’s free time
centers around boating on the Mississippi River at Louisiana,
MO. His family has spent summers in Louisiana and boated there
his entire life. Most summer days off you can find him at the
sandbar just north of town.
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