Rev. Craig Cranston was affirmed and elected as the senior pastor of St John the Apostle, MCC in September, 2022. Prior to being called to our congregation, Rev. Craig was on the staff of MCC Tampa, having previously interned at the church as a clergy candidate in 2018-2019. Rev. Craig has also served as the pastor of Congregational Care at King of Peace, MCC. Graduating with honors from The Iliff School of Theology in Denver with his Master of Divinity degree, Rev. Craig comes to ordained ministry after several years as a consultant and business leader to several Fortune 200 companies. He is certified as a marriage and family facilitator through Prepare/Enrich, leads national workshops on a number of topics in both religious and secular spaces, and is a member of the Phi Alpha Theta National Honor Society. Rev. Craig is the co-leader of the Florida Network for MCC, serving to connect all Florida churches and clergy and serves on the national Board of Pensions for the clergy of the denomination.
Ron Lemke has been a church organist for more than sixty five years starting in his hometown of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Ron began playing in the seventh grade and later studied music theory and improvisation at VandeCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. Ron has been a master violinist for fourteen years and played in two symphony orchestras and played B flat clarinet in two marching bands. Ron has been blessed with opportunities to march in Rose Bowl Parades and Presidential Inaugurations. In addition to all of Ron’s years in music, Ron was a Registered Nurse in Illinois and worked in Diagnostic Radiology and in Hemodialysis for eighteen years. It is Ron’s pleasure to now be the Music Director at St. John the Apostle MCC and be part of the Music Ministry.
