Alan Bishop
Following National Service in the Pay Corps, Alan switched from working in insurance in the City of London to a career in accountancy – qualifying as a management accountant.
He would tell you, ‘After giving my life to the Lord at a Billy Graham meeting in the 50’s, life got in the way. But God called me back at the funeral of a friend in the 80’s.
Taking early retirement, he and his wife Gloria moved to Spain in 2000. Soon after Alan became a founder member of Turre Evangelical Church and its President.
To relax Alan plays golf badly, reads and walks in the cooler weather. But mostly enjoys time with his Christian friends.
Joan Badby
Joan’s colourful past ranges from Sunday School Teacher to stock car racing. And takes in being a foster mum, a Girl Guide Lieutenant and Captain and play group leader and member of her Church Council on the way.
Married at 20 in Kidlington, Oxford, Joan eventually moved to Lancashire and was widowed in 1995. Twelve years later she moved to Spain with her daughter and family. Turre became her home about 10 years ago.
Joan is an avid follower of Emmerdale and a contributor to the Ladies Sewing and Craft Circle that meets at the church.
Margaret Freeman
Born in the Midlands, marriage to her late husband Brian took them to Dorset, where God dramatically ‘pitchforked’ them into the Kingdom. And they experienced the miracle of the birth of their daughter– ‘a medical impossibility’.
A move to Wiltshire, saw them join a church plant linked to the Pioneer network. There Margaret did an Open University degree, worked with Age Concern and became a magistrate.
In 2007 they joined their daughter and family in Turre. Delighted to find a group of English-speaking Christians, after a while they joined the church’s leadership.
Following Brian’s death in 2015, Margaret studied at Charis Bible College, Colorado. Then returned to Turre to re-join the church leadership.
She’s often in her garden with her three and a half legged cat Claudia and her adopted feline friend Clarence. She enjoys visitors and debates around the table – sharing food and fellowship.
Diego Lopez
Born in Colombia, Diego met Christ as a high school student and went on to complete theological and youth ministries studies in Switzerland and the UK.
For over 10 years he worked with young people suffering from social deprivation in Manchester’s inner-city. And then with mainly Muslim primary school children and social services in the north west of England.
For the past seven years, Diego has led the Church of the Nazarene’s youth ministry across Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. He lives now in Lubrin, Almeria, with his wife Palmira with whom he enjoys long walks. He has a black belt in Taekwondo.
Carol Pazdzierski
Born in Putney, Carol lived in Germany up to the age of 11 where her father was an RAF Policeman. They then moved to Coventry where she became a Christian in her teens and fully involved with her local evangelical church.
Carol worked within the NHS for 40 years – as a nurse, a dental nurse and finally as a Clinical Manager until retiring in 2017.
With her husband John, Carol moved in 2017 to Los Gallardos, Almeria, searched for a church and found Turre Evangelical Church. Stepping into the building she felt God’s presence, her faith renewed and knew she was called to serve God here.
Carol now leads the pastoral care at the church. And enjoys reading, cooking, swimming and learning to play golf.
Vera Walsh
Vera retired to Spain from the north of England in 2009 following a range of jobs, the best being a 3 year stint as an Army driver. She was also a civilian Instructor for the ATC.
In the UK she spent time in a Pentecostal church, including helping with Children’s Sunshine Corner, before ‘a difficult season in life’. In 2012 Vera passed the Turre church and was prompted to go the following Sunday. Her life has never been the same since.
Organising the foodbank takes up most of Vera’s time. But when there’s a quiet moment she sews items for the church’s annual support of the Shoe Box appeal.
Revd Jackie Sears
The Leadership Team are supported by Jackie as the church’s Spiritual Overseer. With her husband, Brian, she’s been spending about 4 months a year in short bursts in Spain for the past 14 years or so.
Jackie’s varied career includes nursing in several roles – as a nurse; a tutor, a Macmillan clinical specialist, and opening a new Hospice as commissioning manager.
Ordination 25 years ago led first to Hospital Chaplaincy and then to parish ministry including leading a church plant in a community hall.
Jackie is a founder member and active participant of two charities – the international AIDS charity ACET and Talitha Koum supporting vulnerable women in the UK. She enjoys her grandchildren, preaching, healing ministry and is an enthusiastic golfer.
