FOUNDATION CREWS

Rick grew up in a small farming community around Bluffton IN. Rick married his sweetheart, Deb at the ripe old age of 19. Both of them have always had a passion for the Lord and reaching out to people with the Good News about Jesus. Rick and Deb have five children, and Deb has kept busy helping in ministry and schooling the kids.

In 2005, they sensed a call from the Lord to move to Saint Cloud Florida to start The Connection church. Today, Rick continues to serve as Lead Pastor at The Connection.

Rick has a B.S. in Pastoral Ministry, M.A in Ministerial Leadership, and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and is the author of Lasting Leadership, intended to help young pastors and church planters balance personal, family, and ministry leadership for lasting health and success.

He and Deb live in St. Cloud FL and love their church, community, and spending time with their kids and 9 grandkids.

Kerry and his family originated from the lakes and cornfields in northern Indiana, where he attended schools in Milford and Warsaw, Indiana. His wife Denise was from a nearby town of Nappanee and they attended the same church camp together as children. While in college and graduate school, they both met at camp again as support staff in the summer of 1980 and started dating. They were married a year later. All three of their children were born in that area as well while Kerry was serving as an Associate Pastor and then Senior Pastor at the Jefferson Brethren Church in Goshen, In., and Denise working as an elementary art teacher.

Sensing a call to serve the Lord in a different capacity, they moved after 12 years of ministry to Central Florida to take part in a church planting initiative sponsored by Florida churches within the Brethren church. While that particular mission opportunity did not materialize, they remained committed to serving in a church planting capacity and eventually met pastor Rick Fiechter and his family, who had recently moved into their neighborhood. They soon joined in helping launch The Connection Church.

Kerry has his B.A. and M.Div. from Ashland Theological Seminary, OH. For the past 11 years he has worked as a financial advisor for Edward Jones with an office in Saint Cloud while also serving as an Elder at the Connection.

Deric VanBuskirk was born and raised in Bremerton, WA. He was brought up in a middle class working family with two older brothers and a younger sister. They were a part of the local Lutheran church, where the seeds of Jesus Christ were planted in his heart.

While in high school, Deric began his first job which led into a career in the food and beverage industry for over 25 years.  Several years later, he found himself in Florida, where he developed his culinary career, working his way up to executive chef at the Walt Disney World Resort.

It was at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom where he met his wife Kerri, and they were married in 1999. They have three children; Julia, who recently graduated from UF, Jordan, who recently graduated High School, and Jenna, who is in the 8th grade. Deric is on staff with The Connection Church, manages real estate and drives a bus. He and Kerri, along with their kids, enjoy camping, traveling, and serving others.

Deric + Kerri have both served in many capacities at The Connection Church over the last 16 years. Deric is a Deacon, Youth Connect Director, leads the church’s mission trips and overseer’s care and membership.

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