Fort King Presbyterian Church

A letter from the PNC
to Prospective Candidates

Dear Candidate,
As we seek to discern who God is calling to become Pastor of Fort King Presbyterian Church, we take this opportunity to explain why we call ourselves a small church with a big heart: a small but mighty church that makes an outsized difference. Yes, we want to grow, to continue to attract members while we maintain vitality, creativity and our own sense of call.

Ocala is beautiful, a great place to make your home. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation with access to beaches on either coast or to the attractions of major cities within two hours of driving. There are excellent schools, and several universities. Silver Springs State Park is unique and there are many other places to enjoy nature. Of course, if you love horses, this should be your home!

Meet the PNC

Suzy Heinbockel

Chairperson, grew up in eastern Kentucky, works in administration at UF College of Law. Mother, wife, sister, & friend.
Mark Appling

Owned an Asphalt paving company. active in Property and on the choir.
Cathy Beebe

Public high school science and math teacher for 34 years; now at Crossroads Academy, a private school for exceptional students; coached 30 years of high school softball, ruling Elder, active in the Mission ministry.
Judith Bullen

Originally from Jamaica, poet, gardener, mother, grandmother and artist, ruling Elder, active in Art4All and Mission.
Angela Wilkinson-Christie

Originally from Barbados, Psychotherapist, mother, grandmother, was active in Art4All and YAK but recently moved to Texas.
Nancy Copeland

Originally from Leesburg, serves as Clerk of Session, experienced church administrator for 35 years, church musician for 40 years, grandmother and great grandmother.
Steve Layendecker

Originally from New Jersey, retired restaurant manager, Chairperson of Finance Ministry and Treasurer; husband, father, and grandfather.
Rick Tomberlin

Board certified family Law attorney, resident in Ocala since 1979; coached little league baseball for 12 years, husband, dad, grandpa, active on Personnel committee and Youth and Kids Ministry.

Fort King Presbyterian Church has a proud history

Founded during the Civil Rights Movement, our church was built on a commitment to inclusion and hospitality, becoming the first Presbyterian church in Ocala to break down racial barriers in worship. Our genesis was guided by a vision of outreach without boundaries.

Our Ministers

We are proud of our Ministers who have served with love, dedication, passion and creativity.

Rev. Malcolm B Koehler

Installed in 1965 when FKPC was created and served until 1971, as the church grew in numbers and strength, burning the mortgage in 1970.
Rev. Dr. Frank Preston

Extremely tall, a veteran of the Navy, served us from 1972-1988. He visited every newcomer and the congregation grew. Three new churches were planted at Silver Springs Shores (1973) and Marion Oaks (1982) and Countryside (1987).
Rev. James R. Bullock Jr.

Jim and his wife Ervin served from 1989-2008. Many new programs were developed (High Tide for elementary children (1990) and the Shepherds program for church members (1991) Rev, Bullock had a heart for children having fostered and adopted several. He was very involved in building community through the Children’s Alliance, the Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service and Interfaith Emergency Services.
Rev. Andy Gans

Served from 2008-2017. Fort King became an Earth care Congregation.  The Faith Leaders Program ran for two years and transformed attitudes towards leadership and using your gifts. In 2016, led the Appalachian Service Project, a construction mission for teens and adults.
Rev. Jo Anne Dyson

Served from 2019-2024. As the pandemic raged new ways were found to Worship. The Prayer Shawl Ministry marked ten years of service with a total of 339 shawls distributed. FKPC supported the PRIDE event. In 2022 the HOPE house was restored and reopened with a renewed mission of community outreach.
Transitional Ministers

Our church has been blessed with wonderful transitional Ministers including the Rev. Chris Lieberman (2017-2019) the Rev. Marianne Niesen (2019) and currently, the Rev. Bob Scott (2024-present)

We Make a Difference

We are proud of the difference we have made in Ocala

1981 Christian Medical Clinic offers free medical services to over 400 elderly citizens in need. Closes when Marion County opened Care 1 in 1986.

1993 The Family Resource Center opens to provide quality childcare for preschool children at risk.

1994 Church Without Walls is organized to reach out to youth at risk in Marion County.

2014 John Dominic Crossan Event is held at Ocala college and at Adult Crossroads II class, organized by Fort King Presbyterian Church. He is noted as a New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity and prominent member of the Jesus Seminar.

We are a very generous congregation

The Mission ministry gives regular financial support to several organizations including Interfaith Emergency Services, Fair Trade and to the new Estella Byrd Whitman Clinic on the west side of Ocala. Regular drives are organized to respond to needs in the community and the response is always generous.

We are proud of Our Mission Statement

The mission of Fort King is to build a loving community of people living and growing in faith as we work for justice, love, mercy, and walk humbly with God in the world. Fort King Presbyterian Church welcomes all people of any age, gender, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, or disability into the full life and membership of this congregation.

We have outstanding leaders

Current Session members: Daniel Banks, Stephen Barrett, Cathy Beebe, Hal Brown, Judith Bullen, Joanne Cornell-Ohlman, Bernice Henry, Sally Layendecker, Mary Beth Neely, Debbie Pangrass, Sue Thomas, Nancy Copeland, Clerk, Rev. Bob Scott

We are proud of our Christian Education & Discipleship

In a culture pervaded by divisive political ideology and rising levels of discrimination, Fort King seeks transformation through education, fellowship and active outreach.

Books suggested for study in the upcoming year include:

The Future is Peace by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon
The Separation of Church and Hate: From Our Founding Fathers to Today
The Gospel of Thomas

During the 25-26 year, we had many engaging studies as we generated ideas about how to continue to reach out to the many faith communities in our area:

After Jesus Before Christianity - a two-week series on the beginnings of Christianity

Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus by Elaine Pagels - An eight week study on the historical Jesus

Trust Based Relational Intervention - the Pearl Project's Stephen Zedler www.thepearlproject.org/

Living Buddha Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh - four week study on the similarities in the teachings of Buddha & Christ

I Never Thought of It That Way, by Monica Guzman - a six week series on reconciling with neighbors

A Scientific Look at God's Creation - four week series

We are proud of the Stances we have taken

A Call for Justice and Compassion

Lamenting the Tragic Deaths in Minneapolis and Affirming the Dignity of Our Neighbors. We, the Session of Fort King Presbyterian Church in Ocala, Florida, hear this call in Scripture: *

‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)

“What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in….Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:35, 40)

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Our faith tradition arises from peoples who endured slavery, exile, conquest, and genocide. Scripture consistently calls us to recognize our shared humanity and to live lives shaped by justice, mercy, and humility.

The mission of Fort King Presbyterian Church reflects this call, as we seek to build a loving community that works for justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God. As a Matthew 25 congregation, we are committed to dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. We also affirm that we welcome all people, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, or ability.

With heavy hearts, we mourn the tragic deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Renee was an active member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a wife, a mother, and a neighbor whose life was cut short on the streets of Minneapolis. Alex was an ICU nurse who was peacefully filming ICE agents moments before he was shot multiple times after being taken to the ground. Our hearts also break for those in the immigrant community who are being terrorized and traumatized. As a community of faith, we cannot remain silent when violence shatters peace and the inherent dignity of any human being is disregarded.

We affirm that those who commit crimes, on all sides, must be held to account under the due process of law, and we support the need for a just and humane immigration system. Yet we join the chorus of Christian voices who are forcefully speaking out to condemn the mistreatment of our immigrant brothers and sisters.

We unequivocally condemn the culture of violence that has led to death, fear, and trauma among our communities. Regardless of legal complexities, the loss of life—particularly on neighborhood streets — signals a profound failure of the peace we are called to uphold.

We stand in solidarity with our nonviolent immigrant brothers and sisters. Scripture reminds us that every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and deserves dignity and respect. We are commanded to not mistreat the foreigner, but to love them as ourselves (Leviticus 19:33–34).

We call for accountability and peace. We affirm the constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, with the solemn reminder that acts of protest must never become acts of harm. We urge a full and transparent investigation into these shootings, and an end to policies and practices that dehumanize individuals or place vulnerable communities at risk.

As followers of Christ, we commit ourselves to being a people and place of hope and a voice for the voiceless. We will continue to pray for justice, for healing of our nation, and for a day when we and all our neighbors can live without fear.

Endorsed by the Session of Fort King Presbyterian Church on January 26, 2026.

2024: Zoughbi Zoughbi, peacemaker/speaker from Palestine speaks at Fort King. Members of the Islamic Center attend and share a potluck lunch.

2025: Justice for Palestine holds an event to raise funds for three families in Gaza during Lent and Ramadan.

We are proud of the role we have earned in our community

We have fostered a Jewish/ Islam youth group and hosted joint fellowship suppers attended by the Imam and several Rabbis. Recently we reached out to Zafer Sabawi, the Imam for the Islamic Center of Ocala (Letter to the Imam) and received a reply from him (letter from the Imam) that speaks to the long-term friendship our communities have shared over the years.

Over the years we have sought goodwill with our neighbors of other faiths, welcoming through TAMBO (That All May Be One) fellow Christians from historically African American congregations including Mt. Moriah, Greater Hopewell, and New Zion to exchange pulpits, participate in service projects, and share in fellowship meals.

St. Paul A.M.E In 2021 we joined them in providing a free weekly breakfast to hungry and homeless people in that community. Sister Gloria Powell of St. Paul cooked eggs, grits and sausages while over a dozen volunteers from Fort King took turns serving alongside members of St. Paul. Together for over a year we shared companionship, food for the body and spirit. We organized art activities and a very successful job fair. A change in leadership at St. Paul ended the program.

On Saturday May 16, 2026, an electrical fire that broke out in their sanctuary resulting in ther building being condemned as unsafe. Fort King will join in supporting our friends at St. Paul with a love offering and offering our sanctuary as a possible meeting place.

Open letter to the Islamic Center from FKPC

Zafer Sabawi,
Imam, Islamic Center of Ocala

Dear Imam Sabawi,

Peace be upon you.

In these times of war in many places, times of division and of fear, we reach out to you and your followers now in a spirit of empathy, realizing our shared humanity and the similarity of our faiths. We note that “Love God and love thy neighbor!” is the crux of being a follower of Islam and of Christianity. Moreover, we know that we both express our faith in prayer and worship, repentance, joy and contentment, and surrender to Almighty God.

The fellowship we have shared at your Mosque and at our church, on several occasions, has created a relationship that makes us weep for your people in Gaza. We are appalled at the suffering there. At the same time, we recognize that the intensity of your closer knowledge of what is happening and your personal involvement with relatives there must cause even greater sorrow.

Please know that we regard you as our beloved neighbor and that we pray for this seemingly unresolvable disaster to end. If ever there was a time for our faith in the omnipotence of God to be strong, it is now. We commit to join you in prayer for God’s will to be done.

Peace be upon you!

The Mission Ministry and Session, Fort King Presbyterian Church

RESPONSE Letter from the Imam

Islamic Association of Central Florida
1410 NE 14th St, Ocala, Florida 34470-4640

April 29, 2026

Fort King Presbyterian Church
13 NE 36th Ave, Ocala, FL 34470

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Fort King Presbyterian Church, Peace be upon you.

Thank you for your kind and heartfelt letter. Your words were received with sincere appreciation and touched us deeply. In difficult times such as these, messages of compassion, friendship and shared prayers mean more than words can express.

We often think with gratitude of the connection first made years ago through Reverend Jim Bullock and his dear wife, Ervin. What began with a simple gesture of goodwill grew into a lasting friendship between your church and our masjid communities. That relationship has always been a source of hope and a reminder that people of faith can come together in respect, kindness and love of neighbor.

Please know that we have always believed our duty is to care for one another and to serve the wider community with open hearts. We may come from different traditions, but we share many of the same values, love, mercy, humility, prayer and concern for those who are suffering. As it is written in your holy book, "Blessed are the peace makers" and our holy book, "And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say salaam (peace), (Qur1an 25:63)." In every age, the world needs those who seek reconciliation and healing.

Your words about Gaza and the pain in so many parts of the world were deeply meaningful to us. We grieve for every innocent life lost and every family carrying sorrow. We join you in praying that God brings comfort to those who suffer, wisdom to those in authority, and peace where there are violence and despair.

We are grateful for the many moments of fellowship we have shared over the years, both at your church and at our masjid. Those gatherings have shown that friendship between communities is not only possible, but powerful.

Please share our warm greetings and thanks with your congregation. You remain our beloved neighbors and dear friends, and the doors of the Islamic Center of Ocala are always open to you.

Peace be upon you all.

Sincerely,
Zafer Sabawi, Imam Islamic Center of Ocala