Parish Staff
The Reverend Thomas Thoeni, Rector
The Reverend Thomas Andrew Thoeni has the call to become the Rector of St. Peter's Parish in June, 2003. Father Thoeni was born in Ocala, Florida and grew up on Jacksonville. He earned a Bachelor of Design as a Graphic Design major in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Florida.
Father Thoeni began discerning his call to the ministry during his senior year of college. At this time he was licensed as the Diocese of Florida's first Licensed Lay Preacher. After completing two years of work experience required of all seminarians by his bishop, Father Thoeni attended Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He was elected class president during his Middler and Senior years.
He first served as the Associate Rector at St. Paul's in Albany, Georgia. He then served as the Assistant to the Rector at Christ Church in Pensacola, Florida before coming to St. Peter's.
He has written for the Living Church and Forward Day by Day and serves as Chairman of the Bruton Memorial Library in Plant City and has performed in numerous productions staged by Plant City Entertainment. Each year his appearance in the Friend of the Library’s Mystery Dinner Theater is anticipated by many.
Father Thoeni has been married over twenty years and is the proud father of two children.
The Reverend Doctor Robert Martin, Assistant to the Rector
Father Martin entered the Virginia Military Institute in 1956 and studied Civil Engineering. In his last year at VMI, he met his future wife, Priscilla Payne, a BSN nursing student at the University of Virginia. They have been married over 40 years and have 5 children and many grandchildren.
Upon graduation from seminary and ordination in the Presbyterian Church, Robert requested to return to active duty with the U.S. Army, but the church required all chaplains to first serve a civilian pastorate, so Robert was called as pastor to a two-church field, outside of Charlottesville, VA.
As the Vietnam War heated up in 1968, the Pentagon requested Robert to return to Active Duty as a Chaplain with the rank of captain. He served for 8 months as a chaplain with a Military Police unit at Ft. Bragg, then orders came for him to report to Vietnam, where he was assigned as a chaplain with the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles). Upon return to stateside, Robert served the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, and was pastor of a troop and family chapel and made a total of 64 parachute jumps with his unit. He and his family were moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Robert attended the Army Chaplain Career Course. It was during this period that he continued to feel the leading of God from his original denomination, the Presbyterian Church, to another branch of Christ's "holy catholic and apostolic church."
The Martins left active duty, and were called as minister to a small Presbyterian Church in Gibbstown, New Jersey. During those 3 years, Robert completed a second Masters Degree at Princeton Theological Seminary.
The return to active duty for 8 more years followed, and Robert served the 1st Regiment of the 75th Ranger Battalion, the famous "Merrill's Marauders," of WWII fame, and also the 24th Infantry Division as a Brigade Chaplain with the rank of major. After much heart searching and prayer, he and the family left active duty, and shortly thereafter, left the Presbyterian Church to pursue the new path that God had set before them.
They moved to Tampa and joined St. John's Episcopal Church, and Robert began the process of preparing for holy orders as a priest in the Episcopal Church. Robert is still an active priest. He and family live in Riverview, Florida just outside Tampa, where he commutes to St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Plant City.
Eleanor Taylor, Director of Music Ministries
Prior to her appointment as Director of Music Ministries here at St Peter's, Ellie served as Organist/Choir Master at St. John's Episcopal Church in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Tampa, for over 20 years. In that capacity she was responsible for the music of the Parish as well as that of the Parish Day School and its daily chapel services. She directed the Choir of Men and Boys and the Choir of Junior and Senior Girls. Both choirs sang weekly for the Sunday Eucharists, as well as for special programs such as Evensong and Concerts in St. John's Music Series. During her tenure there, both choirs toured England, Scotland and France several times, singing in many of their major Cathedrals and Parish Churches. The choirs also toured several US cities, including Philadelphia and Detroit.
A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, Ellie received her professional training at Boston University School of Music, where she studied Organ and Church Music with the late George Faxon. Her studies in Liturgical Music and Chant were with Dr. Theodore Marier, founding Director of the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School. Previous to her work at St. John's, she served as Associate Organist, Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, Connecticut, working with Dr. Raymond F. Glover who was later to become General Editor of The Hymnal 1982. In addition to directing the choirs at St. John's, Mrs. Taylor has been guest conductor for the Royal School of Church Music courses for girls in Buffalo, NY and Columbia, SC. In the summer of 1990 she assisted Barry Rose at the Valley Forge Course for Advanced Girls, held at the Valley Forge Military Academy. She previously served as Chairperson for the Southeast Region of the Royal School of Church Music in America. In 2007 she was been invited to be a visiting guest director for both the Boy and Girl Choirs of the Cathedral of St. Paul, Detroit, MI.
Ellie is the mother of two children, Karen Taylor, who resides in Switzerland with her daughter Katerina, and Douglas Taylor, residing in Chapel Hill, NC.
Greg and Bambi Guy, Directors of Youth Ministry
Bambi and Greg have been part-time youth directors at St. Peter's since August 2009. They are both high school teachers and love spending time with middle schoolers and high schoolers. SPY (St Peter’s Youth) participants can expect Greg to be funny, philosophical, and into Wii. They can expect Bambi to make sure there is food, a lesson about loving God and others, and to beg them to go surfing. They are happy to have found a church home at St. Peter's.
Sarah Dean, Parish Secretary
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.
Vestry
John Kenney, Senior Warden
Sam Ruis, Junior Warden
Patti Booher, Secretary
Chris Black, Treasurer
Felix Haynes
Chuck Waterhouse
Nancy Ham
Diana Weeks
Bruce Nichols