Rev. Bruce Bradshaw, Pastor

     Bruce has dedicated most of his adult life to Christian Service. He and his wife, Mary, served as missionaries in Somalia, where Bruce taught Economics at the Technical Teacher's College in Mogadishu and Mary served as a health educator. They also supported the Christian Fellowship in that country through ministries of hospitality, teaching, and discipleship. The Bradshaw family left Somalia in 1988 at the beginning of the civil war in that country. After returning to the U.S., Bruce worked in the research and development division of World Vision International, Monrovia, California, for 12 years. His primary responsibilities included educating and training international staff in leadership and management. He also served as an adjunct professor of international ministries at Fuller Theological Seminary. From this work, Bruce wrote two books: Bridging the Gap: Evangelism, Development and Shalom and Change Across Cultures: A Narrative Approach to Social Transformation.

     Bruce and Mary came to New Hampshire from Kansas, where Bruce to teach Economics at Bethel and Hesston Colleges, and served as the Pastor of Zion Mennonite Church, Elbing Kansas, while Mary continued her career as a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL.)

     Bruce and Mary have been married for more than half of their lives; they have three children who are in various stages of young adulthood.  A characteristic of the Bradshaw family is that they travel with purpose. Bruce often refers to himself as a "been to," a person who has been to many places, including about 60 countries throughout the world. Mary has earned scholarships and fellowships to China, Mongolia, Paraguay, Guatemala and Mexico. In 2009, Mary was selected to be one of eight Kansas Teachers of the Year. Their children have studied and served the church in Russia, Germany, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay and Panama.

     Bruce and Mary have many interests and hobbies. Bruce rides a bicycle two miles for every year of his life on each birthday, and Mary enjoys a Sunday afternoon ride on the Nashua River Rail Trail.

     Bruce and Mary were raised in Massachusetts, where Bruce graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and they are thankful for the calling to serve Christ by serving Arlington Street United Methodist Church.

Tony Schaffer, Music Director

     Tony began his musical career by learning to play the trumpet while in the 3rd grade and continued playing through his senior year at Mars High School in Pennsylvania.  At age 12, Tony began studying the piano. During high school Tony enjoyed varsity marching band and played trumpet all four years of high school. While a junior, Tony was the assistant drum major and during his senior year, he was a Student Director, a District Band representative, and first began singing in the High School Chorus as a bass and was also a piano accompanist. Tony also performed in the musicals "The Music Man" and "Babes in Toyland", where he met a girl who would later become his wife. During Tony's junior and senior years in high school, he attended advanced music classes in theory and piano at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

     While it was Tony's intent then to become a professional musician, he had a change of heart when he began college at the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 and decided to major in Computer Science and Business. It was during that time, that Tony first became a paid church musician.

     In February 1983 Tony was hired as Choir Director at Glade Run United Presbyterian Church and worked there throughout his college years, and had to leave when he got my first job and moved to New Hampshire in 1986. Later that year, Tony became Organist/Choir Director at the Second Congregational Church in Wilton NH, where he worked until April of 1992. A year and half later, Tony found his way to Arlington Street, where he became only the third organist to hold the position here, with his predecessors having terms of 30+ years each. Tony has been here ever since, Tony states "It's hard to believe that I have been doing this for over half my life, but it is a very rewarding and fulfilling position and I hope to continue for as long as the Lord calls me."