CLERGY
The Rev. Alissa Anderson, Rector
The Rev. Alissa G. Anderson (Mother Alissa, Rev. Alissa, or simply “Alissa”) began serving as rector of St. Peter’s in March 2020. While this is an unusual time to be a priest, and a particularly unusual time to begin a new call, she has been delighted to call St. Peter’s home.
A native of West Michigan, Alissa earned her BA at Calvin College (now University), then moved to Indiana to study Rhetoric and Composition at Purdue University. While there, she joined the local Episcopal church, and quickly found herself in the choir, on the Vestry, and involved in multiple other facets of church life. Her call to the priesthood was an unexpected turn on what she thought was a journey to a career in academia, but the Spirit often leads us to our truer selves in unexpected ways.
Alissa also met her husband, Josh, while they were both living in Indiana—another unexpected turn on the journey. They were married just days before loading up a U-Haul truck and driving to New York City for Alissa to begin seminary studies. While living in New York, Josh began working at the Episcopal Church Foundation, an organization that works with faith communities to develop leadership and financial resources—in fact, Josh knew about St. Peter’s through his work with ECF before Alissa ever saw the parish profile!
After seminary, Alissa served for nearly three years as Curate and then Associate Rector at St. John’s Church in Larchmont, a suburb of NYC. She helped to shepherd the parish through a period of upheaval and transition, and was also very involved in guiding and reinvigorating children, youth, and family programming. One year into Alissa’s time in Larchmont, she and Josh welcomed their son, August (“Gus”), who is now a funny, friendly, and energetic toddler.
Being a priest is, in many ways, a 24/7 endeavor, but Alissa also enjoys spending time with her family, eating delicious food, reading or listening to books, watching TV and movies, writing, and crafting. She’s also a trained spiritual director and loves hearing stories of others’ journeys to their truest, most-alive selves.
The Rev. Barry Kubler, Retired Priest Associate
Known by his parishioners as ‘Father Barry,’ The Rev. Barry Kubler is what is often called a ‘second vocation priest’ - someone who is called to the ordained ministry in their middle age years.
Fr. Barry, and his wife Vonceal, raised their two daughters in Plant City, and were members of St. Peter’s from the early 1980’s. Before attending seminary in his 40’s, Fr. Barry enjoyed what he calls a rather ‘checkered career.’ He was an infantry officer in the United States Army, serving two tours in Vietnam. He has a sales, marketing and administrative background in the commercial battery, pest control, steel fabrication and automotive and truck industries. After his discharge from the Army in 1973, the Kubler’s moved to Tampa, where Vonceal began her career in public education as a teacher in Hillsborough County and Fr. Barry attended the University of South Florida, graduating in 1976.
Prior to attending seminary at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, he served as a Permanent Deacon at St. Peter’s, a graduate of the Diocese of Southwest Florida’s Diaconate program.
Upon graduation from seminary Fr. Barry served as rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Hudson, Florida, for seven years. He was then called to be rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Southport, North Carolina. He was their rector for ten years, retiring from full time ministry in 2014.
Upon retirement, Fr. Barry and Vonceal moved to Woodstock, Georgia, to be closer to their oldest daughter, Heidi, and her children. While there, Fr. Barry served as a part-time Priest Associate at St. David’s Episcopal Church, a large, 2,000 member, corporate sized church, in Roswell, Georgia. After four years in Georgia, the Kubler’s could no longer resist the persistent invitation of their youngest daughter, Jennifer, to return ‘home.’ They are now back, living in Plant City, and just a ‘hop, skip and a jump’ from St. Peter’s, since mid February of this year.
Fr. Barry and Vonceal are delighted to be home and happy to be a part of the St. Peter’s family once again.
The Rev. Denise Healy, Deacon
The Rev. Dr. John Santosuosso, Deacon Emeritus
STAFF
Helen Jones, Director of Music Ministries
Helen began piano lessons at age five and has been accompanying glee clubs or choirs since fifth grade. Her love for accompanying singers or choirs, and playing piano and organ in many different churches, enabled her to become comfortable receiving many last minute calls to substitute for another musician or play for weddings around town.
Helen is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina where she began piano at Moore Music Company, then moved to Greensboro College at age nine and continued there, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, piano applied. She studied piano with Dr. David Pinnix and organ with Dr. Harold Andrews. She accompanied four senior voice recitals and accompanied the men’s glee club while there.
She served as assistant organist/choir director at her home church in Greensboro until accepting a position at St. Puis X Catholic church, where she served as organist/choir master until she and her husband moved to Baltimore, Maryland. During the next six years, Helen enjoyed one of her favorite positions, serving as organist at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cockeysville. Their next move was to Roswell, Georgia, where she served as organist at another large catholic church, Church of St. Ann, in Marietta. In 1996 the Jones family moved once again, this time to Lakeland, Florida. Helen chose to not take a full time music position, but has played a service or mass at several churches each weekend. She still plays the Vigil Mass at Church of the Resurrection, and has been interim organist at St. Joseph’s and St. John Neumann parishes, as well as here at St. Peter’s.
Helen worked with the Federal Government for 35 years, the majority of which were with the Social Security Administration. Planning to retire from SSA in January 2014, she joined the staff at St. Peter’s in May 2013. She has brought a new dynamic to the Eucharistic services and LOVES her job, working with the choir, bell choir, and the parishioners here at St. Peter’s.
Helen and her husband, Steve, have been married 36 years and have three children, Matthew (Lakeland), AJ (Tampa), and Lisa (Greensboro).
%20(1%20of%201).jpg)
Sarah Dean, Parish Administrator
Sarah is a native of Plant City and resides on the property her grandfather homesteaded in the 1800s. She has two daughters and two fantastic, wonderful granddaughters.
She received her education at HB Plant High School in Tampa, and attended the University of Florida, El Camino College, and graduated from Western University in Portland, OR.
She is a past employee of Space Technology Laboratories, Guided Missile Research Division of the Ballistic Missile Command in Los Angeles, CA, where she worked on the development of Titan I and II, Atlas, Thor and Minuteman Missile Systems. She also worked as systems coordinator for the Clerk of the Circuit Court Data Processing, Hillsborough County, FL. More recently she was employed by Kirby Soar Insurance as comptroller. She is also a licensed insurance agent.
Sarah is delighted to have found a wonderful job as Parish Secretary for St Peter’s. It is a great experience for her.