Our Leadership
Father Jim Teets - Rector
The Rev. James Teets, or Father Jim as he is known to his parish, graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee in 2017. Shortly thereafter, he was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests at Trinity Cathedral in Miami, Fl. He, his wife Sharon and their chocolate lab, Shamus, moved to Dade City in 2019 and are excited to be able to minister in this new mission field. Jim and Sharon have two grown sons, Casey (Boaz, AL) and Crawford (Mooresville, NC).
Jim and Sharon feel a calling by God to spread the Good News and model a Christ-centered life to their new church and surrounding community. They were drawn to the open, loving, and enthusiastic community of faith at St. Mary’s and look forward to continuing to help their new faith community make new and enduring disciples for Christ through worship, education, and local missional outreach.
Cheryl A. Smith
Music Director
Tony Carbone
Sexton
Laura Weeks
Custodian
Vestry Officers
Nancy Alfonso - Chancellor
Nancy Alfonso has been engaged in the practice of law since 1990. She was certified by the Florida Supreme Court as an expert in the area of Education Law and represented the District School Board of Pasco County and the Hernando County School Board as general counsel handling real estate acquisitions, bid and contract review, exceptional student education matters and charter school approval and oversight. In addition to acting as general counsel to the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller, Nancy practices in the area of estate planning, probate, guardianship and adoptions and has litigation experience in State trial, administrative and appellate Courts as well as in Federal trial courts.
Nancy was appointed to membership on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners by the Florida Supreme Court in 2013. She served on the 2nd District Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commission from 1999 until 2007. She has been a member of the Florida School Board Attorneys Association since 1992, and served as its President in 2014. Nancy was elected as a City Commissioner for the City of Dade City in 1992 and served two terms through 1998.
A native of Dade City, Nancy continues to be active in the community. In addition to her activities with St. Mary’s, Nancy is a member of the AdventHealth Zephyrhills/Dade City Foundation and the Hollyhock Circle of the Dade City Garden Club.
Claudia Betten - Vestry Clerk
My name is Claudia Betten. My husband Mark and I have been married and residing in Zephyrhills since 2000. Our daughter Blaise is 20 and attends Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. Our youngest daughter Brooke is 18 and will be attending college in the Netherlands this fall. We are members of the YMCA and SVB and enjoy running and Padel.
I’ve earned a BA in Management from St. Leo University and hold licenses in both Real Estate and Community Association Management. I currently manage the community at the Highlands at Scotland Yards. I enjoy working in this lovely community that is full of active and friendly residents.
I especially love our church family at St. Mary’s. I’m blessed to serve in the Acolyte ministry and would be honored to serve as a Vestry member given the opportunity to do so.
John Harrison - Treasurer
Our Treasurer, John Harrison, earned a BS in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Personnel Management. John has served as the Bursar at Ithaca College and Comptroller at Lynchburg College. He has also served as the Assistant Treasurer at Genessee Community College, Treasurer at Worcester State College and Dean of Business at Pasco Hernando Community College.
Our Vestry
Mike Avadikian- Sr. Warden
Mike Avadikian was born and raised in an Episcopalian family. He is married to Teena Avadikian, and together they have two adult sons, Mike II and Marc. The couple has been devoted members of St. Mary’s since their marriage at the church in 1989. St. Mary’s is also where both of their sons were baptized. Mike currently serves as a Lay Reader and has previously served as a high school Sunday school teacher. St. Mary’s has played a significant role in their lives. Professionally, Mike leads an eight-person Wealth Management team with Merrill Lynch, based in Tampa, FL. In their personal time, Mike and Teena enjoy various outdoor activities such as skiing, running 5Ks, participating in triathlons, and taking walks together.
Greg Gude- Jr. Warden
Greg Gude is a long-time member of St. Mary’s and attends regularly with his wife Fanchone and grandchildren Kinlee Rose, Andy and Caden. He has served prior terms on the Vestry and is excited about returning to that leadership position. Greg is the President of Kumquat Growers and is very active in the Dade City community. He looks forward to offering his many skills to help continue the growth of St. Mary’s into the future.
Elizabeth “Liz” Mitchell- Christian Formation
I am a Christian. I am a wife, a mother and a teacher. I have been attending St. Mary’s since the early 1990s. I have raised my three adult children (Correen, Thomas, and Alexander) in this church and I have lived in Dade City with my husband Michael for over 37 years. Two years ago I retired from teaching after working for Pasco County Schools for 30 years most all of it right here in Dade City at Pasco Elementary school. I would be happy to use my experience and talents to help St. Mary’s children education continue to expand and grow!
Rick Jelesky- Church Growth
Beth and I were both confirmed into the Episcopal church, with Trinity Episcopal Church of Indianapolis, IN being our first Episcopal church. We both served as Sunday school teachers during our tenure there. We moved to Stone Mountain, GA (January of 1991), where we attended St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church, Stone Mountain, GA. In September of 1994, we moved to Naperville, IL, and attended St. John’s Episcopal Church. I was an active member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. While there, I created a cooking team that supported all church events requiring a meal, led the Lay Eucharist Ministry, and became a Verger. I served two terms on the Vestry, serving three years as the Junior Warden and two years as the senior Warden. We moved to Wesley Chapel in July of 2023 and became members of St.Mary’s Episcopal Church, Dade City that November. I have served as LEMon Sundays. Every Thursday, I attend the Men’s worship service and participate in the Men’s prayer/bible study group. I am looking forward to serving on the Vestry of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Dade City, FL, as the church Growth liaison.
Karen Zummo- InReach
My earliest church experience was teaching Sunday School at Reformation Lutheran Church in Eastlake, OH, and St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in San Antonio. I was a regular Acolyte at Reformation Lutheran and Atonement Lutheran in Wesley Chapel, FL. I was also part of the choir at these churches and at Victorious Life in Wesley Chapel. At Atonement, I worked at the Helping Hands Food Bank. I did many tasks, especially registering people. At St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Zephyrhills, I was part of the Altar Guild, where, in addition to our normal duties, we cleaned and polished the pews and took care of linens. As a prayer minister since 2015, I participate in an international prayer line where we do phone and text prayer requests. I have also served as a Eucharist minister in the church and given home communion while at Atonement. I plan to continue this ministry through the DOK chapter at St. Mary’s. In 2012, I was part of a small group of 5 women who reactivated the Daughters of the King chapter at St. Mary’s. I was also part of a prayer group called the Prayer Warriors while at Atonement Lutheran. While at atonement, I was instrumental in starting a drive-thru prayer ministry that was held on Fridays. In 2012, I was ordained as a Deacon at Atonement Lutheran Church. As part of my ministry, I introduced Stephen Ministries to the church council which resulted in their participation. As a returning member of St. Mary’s, I am active in DOK and our weekly Thursday Bible study. I am looking forward to continuing my ministry while on Vestry.
TBD- Communications
I am a Christian. I am a wife, a mother and a teacher. I have been attending St. Mary’s since the early 1990s. I have raised my three adult children (Correen, Thomas, and Alexander) in this church and I have lived in Dade City with my husband Michael for over 37 years. Two years ago I retired from teaching after working for Pasco County Schools for 30 years most all of it right here in Dade City at Pasco Elementary school. I would be happy to use my experience and talents to help St. Mary’s children education continue to expand and grow!
Norma Barendse - Church Life
My name is Norma Barendse. I was born, raised and educated in Holland, MI, a beautiful small town in south west Michigan. The Reformed Church of America was my home church where I was baptized , confirmed and married. We had four children we also brought up in the same church.
I worked in Production and Inventory Control for several automotive companies responsible for timely delivery of incoming product and the appropriate man power to produce the required parts for delivery to the customer.
When I retired to Florida, I attended a number of churches looking for a good fit. Did not find the right one for me and eventually stopped looking and did not attend church for a number of years.
Then Kenny White entered my life. I played golf on Sunday mornings and I asked him to join me. He said sure, but he would leave before the end of the round because he was going to church (at St. Rita Catholic). One Sunday he asked me to join him, and I said yes. Having no experience in the Catholic church I didn’t know I could not take communion unless I was a Catholic. In 2019 Nancy Meech suggested to Kenny that we try attending St. Mary Episcopal Church. We tried it and we both felt “Welcome you are Home” and are still attending.
I am a member of the Altar Guild and have been working with Kenny on the Church Life Committee for the past three years.
Doug Dunkelberger- Finance
Zachary Smith- Outreach
I was born and raised in the charismatic church, where faith and church life were a constant presence for my family and me. We were deeply involved—especially through music ministry and Taekwondo ministry—and the Church shaped much of my early spiritual foundation. As I grew older, however, I gradually drifted away.
At 22, I joined the Army National Guard. During basic training, I encountered an Episcopal chaplain whose ministry introduced me to the beauty, reverence, and grounding power of liturgical worship. That experience left a lasting impression on my faith. Shortly after returning home, I was notified of an upcoming deployment. During the mobilization process, I met my future wife, Gaby. When our mission abruptly changed from Poland to the Middle East, we chose to be married before deploying.
Our deployment took us to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and time in Kuwait and Qatar. Those experiences deeply shaped my understanding of faith, mortality, and trust in God. After returning home, we spent two years attending my parents’ church, but I found myself continually longing for the depth and rhythm of liturgical worship once again.
That longing led us to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. From our very first service, we both knew this was where God was calling us to be. St. Mary’s became not just a place of worship, but a spiritual home where our faith could grow and be rooted.
Today, I own and operate a Taekwondo school here in Dade City, where I have the privilege of mentoring and witnessing to the next generation through discipline, leadership, and service. I strive to live out Christ’s call daily: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
I am deeply humbled to be nominated to serve on the vestry. I feel a strong desire to serve Christ and His Church more fully, to support the mission of St. Mary’s, and to help spread the Gospel within our community. If we can reach even one soul, it will be worth the work—yet I know God is calling us to do much more. I am eager, willing, and prayerfully committed to the work ahead, trusting that “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2).