Church Staff

James Randall

Pastor

Pastor Jim was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from Woodward High School in Cincinnati, he joined the United States Army. Pastor Jim retired from the Army after serving twenty years. After retiring from the Army, Pastor Jim received a BA in religion from Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC; the Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary; and the Doctor of Ministry degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Pastor Jim’s areas of theological interest are evangelism and mission, small-church revitalization, as well as studies in the problem of evil and its relationship to salvation through Jesus. Pastor Jim’s church experience spans 30 years both in lay and ordained service.

Pastor Jim and his wife Myung Hee have been married for 34 years and have four children: Cristy, John, William (pictured), and Jada (pictured).

Allison Vuyovich

Director of Christian Education, Youth, & Family Ministries

Born in Andalusia, Alabama, Allison was nurtured in faith by her parents, Jimmy and Kelley Faulkner, and by the members of her home congregation at First Presbyterian Church of Andalusia. After graduating from Andalusia High School in 2008, Allison attended Huntingdon College where she received a BA in religion. In 2012 Allison moved to Durham, NC, and earned the Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School in 2015.

While studying at Duke Divinity, Allison’s theological focus on creation care and social justice were reflected by her summers field work in Phoenix, Arizona, and Vale, North Carolina. In both of these placements she gained hands-on experience in growing faith-based food cooperatives and community gardens. Allison’s present focus is Christian Education as it relates to Christian formation within the Body of Christ.

Robert Williams

Director of Music Ministry

Robert Weston Williams is a native of Newberry, South Carolina. He holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (Voice) from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (A College of the Presbyterian Church USA), the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the University of South Carolina. He has performed frequently in opera, oratorio, cantata, and concert in the United States and abroad. Dr. Williams has been on the music faculty at Fayetteville State University since 1994. Prior to his appointment at FSU, he served on the music faculties of Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, and Barber-Scotia College in Concord, North Carolina. He is a founding member of the faculty at the Snyder Music Academy. He holds membership in the American Association of University Professors, the American Choral Directors Association, Kiwanis International, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Williams is married to Dawn. They are the parents of Blake and Nairobi, and grandparents of Sa ’Bella and Brooklyn.

  
Rene Bahrenfuss

Church Secretary

Like so many in town, Rene settled in Fayetteville courtesy of the military, specifically the Air Force. Her family moved here just before 9-11 from an assignment in Tampa. Previous duty stations included Colorado Springs and Washington, D.C. Her husband, Brian, is now proudly retired from the military, and their son, Benjamin, graduated from ECU in May. Mischievous dogs Cookie and Kenda round out the Bahrenfuss family. Rene is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. in History and Journalism. She is one class shy of an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies at Western New Mexico University. Rene is active in her home church, Camp Ground United Methodist, leading their Council on Ministries, teaching Sunday School, and leading other Bible studies. Rene also has been a student and leader in Bible Study Fellowship for more than a decade. Rene has served the staff and members of MacPherson since June 2013.

Julie Bekkering

Organist

Julie was born in Fremont, Michigan, home of Gerber baby food, and raised in western Michigan. She has two awesome children. Her daughter Sue is married to Fred Ferreyra with a son Shawn and a daughter Heather. They live near Julie in Hope Mills, and both are police officers. Son Rick is married to Kerri with a son, Nick. They live in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Julie and her father moved to North Carolina in 2004 to be near Sue and Fred and establish meaningful relationships with Shawn and Heather. Her mother passed in 2002, so it was just her, her father, and their three dogs. They joined MacPherson that year and have been involved ever since. She has played piano for the early service and has been the church organist for the past two years, and she just joined the Music & Worship Team. She served on the Session for six years and was a member of the LRO team. She is a member of PW Circle 4 and served one year as PW Moderator. She also has cooked for Wednesday Fellowship Supper. Julie works full-time at Union Corrugating Company, a metal roofing wholesaler in Fayetteville. She hopes to retire in a few years and spend more time with her family as well as volunteer at church and FAPS (Fayetteville Animal Protection Society).

Amanda Schafer

Accompanist

Amanda York Schafer has been spreading the joy of music through teaching for seventeen years. She has been on the piano faculty at Campbell University since 2004. Amanda also teaches privately in Fayetteville. She is in demand as a master class clinician and as an adjudicator for competitions. She is a board member of the Fayetteville Piano Teachers Association. Amanda received her Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Ball State University in Indiana. She was awarded the W. Trent Ragland Fund for International Study in Travel in 1998 to study music at the Hochschule fur Musik, “Mozarteum,” in Salzburg, Austria.

In addition to her teaching curriculum, Amanda maintains a regular concert schedule. She is particularly interested in French piano music. She has a keen interest in two-piano repertoire and ensemble repertoire. Recent performances include the FPTA faculty recital, the Modern Composer’s Festival, and a several solo recitals. She is also the pianist at McPherson Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville.

Tim & Olive Tollefson

Church Custodians

For nearly 20 years, the MacPherson facilities have been diligently and lovingly maintained by Tim and Olive. Tim is a native of Hawaii who was brought to Fayetteville, like so many, by the Army. Olive was born in Maryland but has lived in North Carolina as long as she can remember. They met here in Fayetteville and recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. They have a big extended “family of the heart” including lots of brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Olive volunteers with many charities and has been recognized for her work with Special Olympics. Tim is something of a Mr. Fix-It and calls himself a “tinkerer.” Olive is a cat person while Tim is a dog person—though they both agree that Kentucky Fried Chicken is their favorite restaurant. It’s where Tim proposed!