Pastoral Staff
Mark Mueller
Acting Head of Staff
Pastor Mark grew up in Elmore, Minnesota, a small town in southern Minnesota, population 400. He was born and baptized into a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church and became a Presbyterian five years after marrying his wife, Toby. His grandfather was a Lutheran pastor. He and his wife just recently moved to the Charlotte area and are building a home on Lake Wylie. He brings with him a wealth of experience and is currently serving as the Executive Director of The Outreach Foundation. Here at PPC, Pastor Mark provides organizational oversight with the church and staff, ensuring that the church functions as a unified body of believers bound in faith through Jesus Christ. Additionally, he mentors our Student Pastor, Pastor Rich. In his spare time he trains for Iron Man Races (a type of triathlon) and he enjoys reading. He and his wife, Rev. Dr. Toby Mueller, have two married daughters and five grandchildren.
Rich Lambert
Student Pastor
Pastor Rich grew up in Western Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan. His hometown is known for fruit farming (apples, blueberries, and black cherries) and salmon fishing. He moved to North Carolina from Texas in 2014. Pastor Rich grew up in a Swedish Baptist church, though his family is not Swedish. He became a Presbyterian and refomed after college. While the Baptist Church taught him how to believe the Bible, the Presbyterians weren't afraid of his questions about the Bible. Here at PPC Pastor Rich is serving as our Student Pastor as he awaits ordination. What that means is, he can do everything an ordained pastor can do except preside over weddings, administer the sacraments, and moderate the session. He is like an intern on steroids! In his spare time you just might find Pastor Rich in the kitchen dabbling with Moroccan cuisine, making paella, or trying his hand at an authentic Italian dish. He's currently trying to teach himself to speak Italian. He is quite adventerous, having hunted for anaconda in the Amazon - in a river!! - and has waterskiied in an alligator infested swamp in Louisiana. Pastor Rich and his wife, Jennifer have two daughters, Reilly and Madigan.
Shane Sledd
Minister of Youth and Families
Shane grew up in southwest Virginia in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains where he lived until 2015 when he and his wife Emily relocated to Charlotte to continue working in student ministry. Here at PPC Shane works to create safe and meaningful relationships with our youth and their families, while helping each student develop their own deep connection with Jesus Christ. Shane thrives when he spends time outside the church walls with families and students, getting to know them on a more personal level. Shane’s creativity and leadership skills have helped our basketball ministry grow into much more than basketball. Young men are mentored and challenged. He is a huge Washington Nationals baseball fan. Shane and Emily are on a mission to visit every national baseball park in the US. In his spare time, he enjoys watching sports, playing video games, and working out in the gym. Shane and Emily have two daughters, Rayna and Emery and a dog and a cat.
Administrative Staff
Tricia Hagy
OFFICE MANAGER
Tricia has lived most of her life in North Carolina. In May of 2022 Tricia married her college sweetheart Roger, reconnecting years after college. They have a blended family of 2 sons and a daughter. She is the front line for our day-to-day needs here at PPC. She collaborates with staff and volunteers regarding everything from building usage, scheduling, and communication, as well as working together with the pastors to keep things running smoothly. Her favorite part of her ministry at PPC is helping members of the church find solutions to their needs. Tricia loves to spend time with family and friends and weekend trips to the mountains. She also enjoys gardening and walking the family dogs, a Maltipoo and an Australian Shepherd, that keep them busy.
Jessica Hargis
BOOKKEEPER
Jessica is originally from Colorado and moved to North Carolina in 2000. She and her husband Keith have two sons, Nolan and Ryan. Here at PPC, Jessica maintains oversight of all financial and business transactions of the church and is committed to confidentiality regarding all account records, both of the church and staff, and the members. Jessica’s favorite vacation spot is anywhere where there is an ocean. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, swimming and running. Jessica and her son Ryan love to compete against each other at frisbee golf and dock diving, and she competes in competative dog sports, with her dog, Heist.
Music Ministry Staff
Leslie Anderson
ORGANIST
Leslie is a native of Mint Hill, North Carolina and has been the organist at PPC for over 20 years. He plays a pivotal role in the musical life of the church, providing organ and piano accompaniment for worship services and other activities in support of the worship and music ministry. He enjoys sharing his musical gifts with the congregation and community for the glory of God. Together with his wife Joan, they have two grown sons. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his four grandchildren.
Melinda Johnston
CHILDREN'S CHOIR DIRECTOR
Melinda is a proud native of Hickory, North Carolina and has lived in Charlotte ever since attending UNCC. Here at PPC Melinda fosters a spirit of joy with children preschool- 8th grade, guiding them to discover the power and the beauty and the holiness of music. One of the favorite parts of her ministry is having students ask to sing their favorite song just “one more time” for the twentieth time. Melinda enjoys running, reading, and writing. She and her husband Bill have three grown children, five grandchildren. They also have three dogs and an ancient leopard gecko.
Christian Education Ministry Staff & Volunteers
Dana Blakeslee
Preschool Director
Dana originates from Pittsburg, PA but she and her husband of 22 years and I have lived in NC since 2004. As our preschool director Dana is a passionate teacher who loves getting to be a part of the children’s lives. She believes strongly that teaching children of preschool age to love learning and to be apart of building their Christian foundation is a privilege. She says that this job gives her the best of both worlds: helping to lead and mold teachers while giving parents a safe and trusting environment that their children can thrive in a fun learning environment. Dana believes she was always destined to work with kids. After-all, her first job was at Chuck E. Cheese where she was none other than the big cheese himself, Chucky! She dressed up in costume as the mouse who danced and played with the children as they celebrated. Dana has 2 daughters and a son, and she can most often be found driving her children to their numerous activities, having fun on their 4 wheelers, or lounging by the pool or enjoying her vacation time at the beach.
Susan Griffin
VOLUNTEER KINGDOM KIDS COORDINATOR
Susan grew up in Stanly County near Oakboro and has been a Mint Hill resident for 32 years. Susan focuses on the children of PPC by creating our Kingdom Kids ministry and helping to organize exciting programs throughout the year. This includes our popular MDWK Kids program and VBS. Susan loves to see the excitement of the kids when they learn something new or when they realize they already knew that! Susan and her husband Scott are parents to two grown children. While Susan has many passions – at the top of the list is her grandchildren, Hayes, Reese, and Lilly. In her spare time Susan enjoys doing arts and crafts, songwriting, and volunteering in the community.
Maintenance Staff
Brenda Tucker
CUSTODIAN
Brenda is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. She moved to the Charlotte area in 2021. She plays a key role behind the scenes keeping the education and administration wings looking their best. Brenda ensures that we have the things we need and that everything is in good working order. Her favorite part of her ministry here at PPC is taking care of the preschool because she loves the kids area to be clean. During her time off she enjoys watching a good movie and travelling to Mississippi and Ohio to visit family. Brenda is the mother of four children, eleven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
Volunteer Audio Visual Ministry
Bill Johnston
VOLUNTEER A/V TECH
Bill is a Charlotte native and has lived in Mint Hill all his adult life. Bill provides technical expertise and team leadership for the church's sound, media, and video. He ensures that our online worship services are high quality. Bill has a gift for paying attention to the smallest details to create an amazing finished product. His work behind the scenes enables our online presence to look seamless. Bill enjoys problem solving – and there are always technological issues to resolve. He also likes to learn new things, he is an avid mountain biker and likes walks in the woods. Bill and his wife Melinda have three grown children, four grandchildren with another on the way.
Matt Hall
VOLUNTEER A/V TECH
Matt is originally from Duluth, Georgia. He and his wife Hilary have lived in the Mint Hill area for 8 years. Matt has a background in television production and brings that expertise to PPC by providing leadership for the church's sound, media, and video efforts. He ensures that our online worship services are high quality. Matt is a problem solver. His favorite part of the ministry at PPC is our outreach programs; from Bulb/Backpacks to Basketball to Scouting – those places where we are working to make an impact in our community. Matt is the Scouts Master for our church. He enjoys camping, hiking fishing, and all things sports – especially the Georgia Bulldogs. Matt and Hilary have two young sons.
Church Officers
ELDERS
CLASS OF 2024
Pam Jack
Kristin Leavell
Jeff Ziliani
Ellen Street
John Nofsinger
CLASS OF 2025
Connie Ensley
Allen Hardy
Dave Titus
Emily Davis
CLASS OF 2026
Ashle Basden
Bill Johnston
Andy Mock
Cathy Snelson
Jason Williams
ELDERS EMERITUS
Robert Long
Dick Lamb
Bob Wilcox
Mickey Ellington
Linda Jamison
BOARD OF DEACONS
CLASS OF 2024
Becky Brown
Tam Babulski
Becky Jamison
Lynn Belk
Jerry Mullis
Paul Leavell
Chuck & Bev Taylor
Lisa Newton
Vickie Moore
Becky Szymanski
Carl McCullough
CLASS OF 2025
Sarah Baumgardner
Jennifer Fauser
Rocky Hoffner
Patti Nofsinger
Marveen Perry
Nita Phillips
Ashley Ponscheck
Regina Ziliani
CLASS OF 2026
Brooke Allen
Pamela Baker
Mike Hastings
Marlene Jones
Melissa Langston
Leah Lough
Amy Stanley
Heather Williams