Staff Bios
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"Huh? I am *not* a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi... " Steve Martin as Navin Johnson in The Jerk |
RYAN MCCULLAH
Sorry, it is hard for me to write something like this and not be taken back to this classic movie line. This may give you a little insight into who I am. My name is Ryan McCullah, and I am the Pastor of Valley Church. The fact that I can now call myself this is actually funnier and more ironic than this line from The Jerk. I am a mess. But Jesus is making me a beautiful mess in light of His Grace and Mercy.
I have worked in ministry since 1995. I was a youth minister and college pastor in six churches that spanned from Alabama (1), Oklahoma (4) and Virginia (1) in that time. Oh the life of a youth minister. However, God used each of those stops to help shape me into who I am today. If I had not gone through those places, I would not be here.
I am thrilled that I am here. I am doing what I was created to do. I was created to be the pastor of this church right now, and i could not be more thrilled.
However, being the pastor of Valley Church is not the most important pastor position I hold. The congregation that I am most honored to pastor is the one that is in my house every day: my bride and my three daughters. It is the most rewarding and challenging area of ministry. My bride, Christie Beavers McCullah, is a blessing in every sense of the word. She complements me, loves me, encourages me, ministers alongside me, blesses me and even allows herself to be rescued by me. I am honored to be her husband. My girls (Madeline, Mackenzie and Mikiah) are amazing. This web page cannot hold the descriptions and pride that I feel for them. God is truly shaping them to love Him, worship Him and serve Him. I am honored to be their Daddy.
There are other parts of me that are far less important, and I won't bore you with the details, so here is a quick glimpse:
- Love College Football (Boomer Sooner!)
- Love funny movies (No brainer right?)
- Love date nights with my wife (Good food and a walk in the Mall or Target make for a great evening)
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ALIE SCHONBEK
My name is Alie Schonbek, and I’m the ministry intern at Valley Church. For those of you who are wondering what that means, let me explain. There are a few givens: I get to love Jesus (of course), serve his people in all sorts of different ways (of course), and (of course!) go on coffee dates. :) To elaborate though, my job involves handling some of what goes on behind the scenes at VC – taking care of administrative and financial tasks, and supporting Ryan so that he can breathe a little bit easier and focus on actually being the pastor. And I also have the honor of serving our college women who go to Mount Holyoke. I get to disciple students, plan events for them, take them to Target, and more. Loving on the people that God’s put around me is definitely the best part.
I graduated from Mount Holyoke College in May 2011, and came on staff with VC right after that. At MHC, I studied agricultural policy in sub-Saharan Africa, and have lived in Ghana and in Uganda, in addition to western Massachusetts and upstate New York, where I grew up. And even though I’m not quite using my degree right now, I still love thinking about food, reading about food, and learning how to cook food (baking bread is my favorite so far). I also stay busy with babysitting, overseeing the house where I live in Amherst, and discovering (sometimes accidentally) new places in the Pioneer Valley.
Even though working with a church in western Massachusetts wasn’t anything close to what I saw myself doing after I finished with school, God continues to patiently teach me how to trust in His goodness and submit my heart to His plan. I’m amazed that He faithfully pursues me day in and day out, and I think that Paul must have said it best: “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:10). God continues to remind me that I’m here for such a time as this, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what He’s doing in this Valley.