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.
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.
David Ward
From south Lancashire and concrete engineering to the Costa Blanca and restauranter. That’s the heart of David’s journey.
The move to the Costa Blanca saw him in a drawing office designing houses and apartments. When the company closed, he and his wife Jackie ran their own restaurant in Jàvea for over ten years. During that time they joined the local chaplaincy church, ending up as synod rep.
Moving back to the UK in 1995 they took a pub in the Warwickshire village of Claverdon and then a hotel in Wolverhampton. There they ran Alpha and the Marriage Course and volunteered at the annual Spring Harvest Christian festival every year from 2004 to 2019.
Several holidays in Alfaix saw them regularly visiting Turre Evangelical Church. They bought a house in Bédar while on holiday, becoming residents in 2022 and committed members of the church.
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.
