Ministry Team
From left to right: Rev. Stephen Tickner, Senior Pastor; Rev. Chantilly Mers-Pickett, Minister of Music & Arts; Miozotis Galarza, Padres Unidos; Rev. Qujuana L. Ivory, Youth Minister; Kelly Blair, Women's Ministry.
Rev. Stephen Tickner - Senior Pastor
Stephen has been proudly serving as Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church since January 2016. After receiving his Master's of Divinity in 2013 from Union Theological Seminary in New York, he was ordained into the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) by Park Avenue Christian Church in 2015 under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Alvin O'Neal Jackson. In addition to his work as Pastor at Central, Stephen also serves as chaplain at Wooster School, an Independent K-12 school in Danbury.
Stephen is passionate about serving God through the radical love ethic of Christ. Being a strong believer in servant leadership, he strives to be one of God’s artists carefully sculpting a part of the beloved community. He is married to Bianca and has one daughter, Kayden Noelle (pictured above).
Pastor Stephen would love to meet with you. To contact him, please email him directly at rev.stephen@cccdanbury.org or call the church at 203.748.3020.
Stephen is passionate about serving God through the radical love ethic of Christ. Being a strong believer in servant leadership, he strives to be one of God’s artists carefully sculpting a part of the beloved community. He is married to Bianca and has one daughter, Kayden Noelle (pictured above).
Pastor Stephen would love to meet with you. To contact him, please email him directly at rev.stephen@cccdanbury.org or call the church at 203.748.3020.
Rev. Qujuana L. Ivory - Youth minister
Qujuana L. Ivory Jeffress affectionately called Rev. Q is a native New Yorker, by way of CT. She received her B.A. in History with a concentration in Africana Studies and a minor in Performance Arts (Dance) from the University at Albany in Albany, NY. Rev. Qujuana earned a Master’s of Divinity from Drew University Theological School in Madison, NJ. She began working in ministry as a very young child and at 23 answered the call to ministry as a licensed minister. At the age of 28, she was ordained an elder in the Lord’s church under the leadership of the honorable Bishop Haywood L. Parker of Rocky Mount, NC.
Rev. Qujuana is a mentor, business and ministry consultant, entrepreneur, and serves as a board member for various nonprofit organizations. She loves God’s people and enjoys serving the world through preaching, teaching, training and exercising her many gifts. Rev. Qujuana is a psalmist and trained dancer. For her, worshiping God comes easy because of her love for God. Most importantly, Rev. Qujuana strives for God to be glorified in all that she says and does. She strongly believes, if God is glorified, the world will be edified and lives will be changed!
To contact Rev. Qujuana email her at rev.qlij@cccdanbury.org.
Rev. Qujuana is a mentor, business and ministry consultant, entrepreneur, and serves as a board member for various nonprofit organizations. She loves God’s people and enjoys serving the world through preaching, teaching, training and exercising her many gifts. Rev. Qujuana is a psalmist and trained dancer. For her, worshiping God comes easy because of her love for God. Most importantly, Rev. Qujuana strives for God to be glorified in all that she says and does. She strongly believes, if God is glorified, the world will be edified and lives will be changed!
To contact Rev. Qujuana email her at rev.qlij@cccdanbury.org.
Rev. chantilly Mers-pickett - Minister of Music
Rev. Chantilly Mers-Pickett is a minister, educator, musician and activist. For almost 6 years, she has worked as a Faith and Justice Educator for the United Methodist Seminar Program, located at the Interchurch Center in New York City. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary (MDiv ’11) and ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), she hopes that her ecumenical work of facilitation, arts and education empowers everyday people of faith to join God in the “movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.” In her free time, Chantilly loves to explore small towns in the Hudson Valley with her husband, John Pickett and their daughters, Leila Simone and Lexi Grace.
Kelly Blair - Womens Ministry
Kelly Blair moved from southern Ohio to Norwalk CT in 2004 and relocated to the bright lights of Downtown Danbury in the summer 2018. Kelly has a passion for challenging women to dive deeper into their faith journey and encourages the women of CCC to live out the core values both at church and also in their homes and community. Before moving to Danbury Kelly served as the mission coordinator, leading numerous trips to Haiti. When she’s not working on a construction site or serving at church you will find her on the road logging miles training for a half or full marathon.
Danielle Baker - Nursery School Teacher
Danielle was born and raised in the Danbury area. Central Christian Church has been her home since she was born. She went through Danbury Public Schools, graduating from Danbury High in 2013. Danielle is studying Early Childhood Education and currently works at a preschool in Danbury. She is passionate about getting her nails done, helping others, and spending time with family and friends.
Musicians
Christian Mortera - Piano, Guitar & Vocals
Christian Mortera is a lifelong resident of Newtown and is currently a sophomore studying audio production and engineering at Western Connecticut State University. Christian is a talented musician who is able to sing and play a couple of different instruments such as piano, guitar, bass, and some drums and violin. He is happy to be a part of this church and to enhance the musical experience of worship.
David Segal - Drums
David joins Central as a talented and respected drummer having performed in prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall in New York. David currently teaches drumming privately as well as with Wooster School in Danbury, CT. He is also one of the founders of "Can Do Musos", a group of over 200 musicians in 25 different countries dedicated to supporting and empowering disabled musicians.
Bianca Tickner - Vocals
Bianca has spent a life in the arts. After receiving her M.F.A. at Marymount Manhattan College, she became a member of the Reflections Dance Company in Washington D.C. Eventually, she was led to musical theater where she toured the world performing in several Broadway touring companies. Bianca now works as a real estate agent in New York City and ist a loving wife to Stephen and mother to Kayden. She enjoys having the opportunity to offer her gifts to the church for worship.
Administrative & Property Team
Rachel Valluzzo, Administrative Assistant
Rachel Valluzzo was raised in Danbury and has been working at Central Christian Church as the Administrative Assistant since 2012. One of the best aspects of her job that she loves is having the opportunity to interact with members of the congregation as well as the community. Before coming to Central Christian Church, Rachel previously worked and volunteered at the Association of Religious Communities. She enjoys seeing movies, spending time with family and friends, and is an avid coin collector.
Mark Joyner, Sexton
Mark has been the church Sexton since 2013. He came to Central Christian through Family and Children’s Aid (FCA) where he has worked since 2000. In addition to being the church Sexton, Mark is also the lead treatment worker at the FCA Extended Day Program, which is housed in the basement of Central Christian Church. In addition to his work, Mark loves boxing and the NFL. He also is a lover of music with a collection that ranges from Johnny Cash and Parliament to Andraé Crouch and obscure contemporary Christian artists like the Seventy Sevens.
David Driensky - Groundskeeper
David has been a member of Central Christian Church since his youth. He has served the church in many capacities and has been taking care of the church grounds for many years. Currently serves as the church groundskeeper and makes sure the church is prepared to host the many different community groups that use our space.