Prior to his appointment, Bob
was senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Palatka, Florida,
from 1998 to 2006. “Although I was pastor of a growing church,”
Bob writes, “I felt the longing to be involved in full-time
Presbyterian mission again. I know that calling well, since my
grandparents, parents, and I have all been missionaries with the
Presbyterian Church at one stage in our lives.”
While in Palatka, Bob helped rekindle a mutual mission exchange
between Palatka, Florida, and Palatka, Russia. This, in turn,
rekindled Bob’s call to mission. Bob recalls an incident
when he was leading a group from Florida to Russia. “A member
of our church asked the teen-aged son of one of our hosts if he
had ever considered moving to a place with greater economic opportunity.
The boy said, ‘We don’t need what you Americans think
we need. We can live on that which God provides for us, and it
is sufficient.’ He was quoting Matthew 6 without even realizing
it. God was at work in that room, teaching me what it means to
rely completely on God.”
Bob and Stacy both have M.Divs. from Princeton Theological Seminary
in Princeton, New Jersey. Bob’s B.A. is in political science
from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and Stacy’s
is in psychology from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.
Bob and Stacy are both ordained Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
ministers of Word and Sacrament and are minister members of the
Presbytery of St. Augustine.
The Bronkemas are accompanied in Russia by their three daughters,
Rachel, Naomi, and Bethany.
Birthdays:
Bob – June 28
Stacy – September 6
Rachel - June 8, 1996
Naomi - May 16, 1998
Bethany - July 16, 2000 |
