OUR STAFF & LEADERSHIP
-
Walt Unterberger
Lead Pastor
It’s been a strange and wonderful ride for Pastor Walt so far. For one thing, he received Christ 16 years after his bar mitzvah. It came as a huge surprise to him and to all who knew him. He spent much of his adult life working as a professional musician in all sorts of venues…bars, nightclubs, casino showrooms, Broadway theater productions, Carnegie Hall, recordings, TV shows, etc. Along with playing music, he operated a one-person sales and marketing consultancy. But he has always loved pastoring far more than any of these other occupations. He received his MDiv at Asbury Theological Seminary.
Pastor Walt is married to a wonderful woman, Karen, who has demonstrated tremendous gifting in the unique ministry of being a pastor’s spouse. They have great joy in doing ministry together.
He is convinced to his core that we serve a God who can and does do miracles even today. He’s seen too many miracles to ever be convinced otherwise.
-
Rhiannon Appelgrijn
Director of Life Ministry
Rhiannon joined our staff in 2023 but has been part of the First Church family since 2019 when she moved to Lancaster with her husband, Coenraad, and their three kids. She has been volunteering on the worship team since their arrival and is very excited to be able to branch out into other areas of ministry in her staff role. She holds a BA in English from the University of South Florida and has extensive teaching, writing, and ministry experience that she prays will serve our community well. Her hobbies include having tea parties with family and friends, baking, writing songs, and creating crafts of all kinds.
-
Carol Denlinger
Office Manager
Carol has been with First Church since December of 2004 as the office manager. In her spare time, Carol enjoys walking, reading and spending time with her family. Carol is married to Beanie and is the mother of three daughters, Lindsey, Lauren and Lia, and the grandmother of Chase, Brooke and Olivia.
-
Coenraad Appelgrijn
Worship Leader
Coenraad, a native South African, began leading worship at churches in the Tampa Bay area over 20 years ago. In 2019, he moved to Lancaster with his wife, Rhiannon, and their three children, James, Emmalise, and Colin. Coenraad loves woodworking, surfing, and of course, making music!
-
Don Kinnier
Don Kinnier is our organist for the 8:30 a.m. traditional service. He shares his wonderful talents with us, leading us into worship and bringing much glory to God. Outside of church Don is gifted and accomplished as an accompanist of silent films. He is considered one of the premier silent film accompanists in the Northeast. Click on "organist" above to read his story in this 2009 newspaper article.
