Church Staff
Pastor Joe Glymph
Pastor | pastorjoe@poplargo.org
Pastor Joe came to Prince of Peace in July, 1999 from Charleston, SC, where he served St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church for 5 years. Prior to that time he was a student at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC from 1990 to 1994. Being a part of a wave of 2nd career clergy, Pastor Joe worked as an attorney for a construction/engineering firm before entering seminary. “I considered parish ministry as a possibility at different times when I was younger, but I always thought `if that’s what God wants me to do, then God will work that out.’ Well, God did.”
Pastor Adam Buff
Pastor | pastoradam@poplargo.org
Pastor Adam joined the staff in 2016 after graduating from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA. He is originally from Raleigh, NC and attended the University of North Carolina where he received degrees in economics and teaching. Following a couple of years as a youth director in Chapel Hill, Pastor Adam headed off to seminary. Among other roles, Pastor Adam works with the education, children, and youth ministries here at Prince of Peace. Pastor Adam is happy to share both his life and his vocation with his wife Jennifer Potter Buff who is a chaplain at Tampa General Hospital.
Pastor Ann Schmidt
Visitation Pastor | pastorann
Pastor Ann serves as a part time visitation pastor. She works primarily on Wednesdays and is an active part of the congregation. She brings a wealth of experience from years serving as both a parish pastor and a hospital chaplain.
Dr. Shawn Thomas
Parish Musician | shawn@poplargo.org
Shawn oversees a music ministry comprised of the parish adult, children’s, and handbell choirs, and is the Artistic Director for the Art For Faith’s Sake concert series. He currently serves as Dean of the Clearwater Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Shawn holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas. Graduate and undergraduate work was completed at The University of Florida (Gainesville) and The University of West Florida (Pensacola), respectively. His past teachers include Michael Bauer, Laura Ellis, James Higdon, Lynne Lauderdale, and Kevin Vogt. Shawn has performed in masterclasses with renowned French organists Michel Bouvard, Vincent Dubois, Daniel Roth, and Olivier Latry, and American organists Marie Rubis Bauer, Marilyn Keiser, and Tom Trenney. Shawn is married to Michelle, the Cathedral Administrator & Associate for Christian Formation at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter (Episcopal) in St. Petersburg, FL.
Kristen
Coordinator of Discipleship and Congregational Care | Kristen@poplargo.org
Kristen accepted her role and joined the beloved staff at PoP in the fall of 2020. She has served in the ELCA for nearly a decade. She grew up in Las Vegas, NV and attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas. At her previous congregation in Las Vegas, she worked with children, youth, and families and had an emphasis in outreach ministry. She has also partnered with communities and helped to coordinate and lead mission trips in the states and internationally. She has spoken at many conferences for WELCA about Sex Trafficking and Serving our Neighbors and at the ELCA Extravaganza about redefining outreach and creating ministry around serving. She has also conducted skill set workshops-like Parent, Adult Child. Recently, she and her former youth group spoke at a conference with Father Gregory Boyle with whom they have worked and who has the largest gang outreach ministry in the world. Kristen hears clearly the call in Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Diana Schultz
Preschool Director | Diana@poplargo.org
Diana began her classroom work with 2-year olds and moved from there to VPK. For a time, she was both VPK instructor and Assistant Director and then served as a fulltime Assistant Director with additional duties such as ensuring teacher readiness, handling Early Learning Coalition documentation, and leading her school through an accreditation process. What thrills her most, however, is her time with children and “feeding off their energy,” as she is in and out of classrooms each day. For Diana encouraging the growth of our children in a creative environment and focusing along the way on literacy are key to the preschool experience. She envisions this learning experience taking place on a foundation of faith.
Diana and her husband have 4 children of their own, so she indeed sees life through the eyes of a mom and a teacher.
Melinda Bryan
Ruth’s Promise Director | ruthspromiseadp@gmail.com
Melinda comes to Ruth’s Promise with extensive professional and personal life experiences. Her main career focus has been in Health Care administration. In the last four years, she has been in the management of Assisted Living facilities serving as an Activities Director. Her supervisory skills come from running the front of a multi-physician office. She feels that Ruth’s Promise is her personal call to service, as she has been a caregiver for over five years. Her walk in faith guides her in providing the best possible care for our seniors.
Linda Greilick
Parish Bookkeeper | linda@poplargo.org
As our Parish Bookkeeper since 2017, Linda works on Mondays and Thursdays. Her previous experience includes working over 35 years in finance departments for several companies in supervisory and managerial positions. Linda is a graduate of the University of South Florida and majored in Business Management. She has been an active member of Prince of Peace since 1994 serving as a Worship Assistant, Adult Sunday School facilitator, Bells Angel member, offering counter, on the Altar Guild team, as part of the Adult Education Planning team, as a leader in Women of the ELCA both at PoP and synod wide, on church council and as a former Treasurer. Leisure activities include LWR quilting, sewing, reading, walking, family times, and Ray’s season tickets to cheer with her husband Tom.