Pastor Tom Hicks has been our Lead Pastor since September of 2009.

I am a second generation Christian & Missionary Alliance pastor.  I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior when I was 10 years old.  It was several years later that I felt the call of God to go into some type of ministry.  I attended Toccoa Falls College and received my B.S. Degree in Bible and Theology with an emphasis in Pastoral Ministries.  My first ministry after graduation was serving as a Youth Pastor in Columbus, Ohio.  Since that time I have served as Pastor of C&MA churches in Pensacola, Florida and Lexington, North Carolina.  I began my ministry as Lead Pastor of First Alliance Church here in Lakeland in September 2009.

God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, Cindy. We have been together since we were 13 years old.  We were married in 1976.  God bless us with one son, Adam.

Over the years in my ministry God has also allowed me to travel to 7 different mission fields on 5 different continents to see and experience what He is doing around the world.

would like to invite you to join us here at First Alliance Church.  Please introduce yourself to me when you visit so that I may get to know you

After graduating from Mulberry High School, I attended the University of
Florida. It was there, during my freshman year, that I truly understood the good news of Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Savior. As I grew in my relationship with Christ, I felt Him calling me into ministry.

Immediately upon graduation, I went on staff with Campus Crusade for
Christ and began training with the music ministry in Los Angeles. I was placed in
Toronto, Ontario as a singer in the band "Forerunner." It was a great time of ministry, growth and travel. On the weekends that I was in Toronto
I led worship at a Christian & Missionary Alliance church plant in Brampton.
During that time I shared with the pastor that I felt God calling me to continue my education at seminary. He suggested Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, NY.

I began attending ATS in the fall of 1988. I met Janet at the cafeteria there. A year later we were engaged, and then married in the summer of 1990. Since that time we have served in 3 churches, here in Lakeland, in Nyack, NY and Cranford, NJ. I completed my Master of Divinity degree at ATS in 1996.

Over the years the Lord blessed us with 4 sweet daughters, Emily, Hannah, Molly and Grace. We praise God for His faithfulness and guidance through the years. Janet and I are blessed to serve Him and the body of Christ here in Lakeland. My life verse is Psalm 34:1, "I will extol the Lord at all times. His praise will always be on my lips."

John Ingrassia was born and raised in New York City, the only son of a N.Y.C. Police Officer. John began a law Enforcement Career with the Lakeland Police Department in 1975 and retired in 2002. During that time, he married a Florida Grown country girl and John and Leta had three daughters. They are all married now so John and his wife Leta have opportunities to pursue other ministries. John pursued his ordination and was appointed as an Assistant Pastor of First Alliance Church. John had been burdened for the lost police officers and now, as the senior chaplain of the Lakeland Police Department, he has opportunities to reach out to them. John and Leta also use their motorcycle as a way to reach the unsaved.

Dan is husband of Becky and father of Emily. He loves the outdoors, running, singing, and reading. He loves to laugh and is easily entertained (is that good or bad?). He is glad to be a child of God and is most impressed by God's power to heal. Dan longs for God to keep transforming him, and finds a deep pleasure when God uses him to help transform someone else.

Dan's past ministry experience includes North, Central, and South America, most recently being a missionary in Paraguay. Way back when, Dan met Becky in Mexico -- that's a good story to ask him about sometime. Dan studied at Canadian Bible College, receiving a "Bachelor of Religious Education with World Missions emphasis." He's taken some grad classes since then, but hasn't finished his graduate degree yet. You can pester him about that. Dan also thinks himself to be a good cook and loves to eat. You should give him a call and go for lunch sometime.

Check out our youth web site Connection.

Our administrator, Susan McGarvey, is third generation Alliance; her grandfather, father and brother were/are Alliance pastors. She was a critical care nurse, working until 1996 at Tampa General Hospital in ICU. Susan was educated at St Paul Bible College (now Crown College) and Swedish Hospital School of Nursing, both in Minnesota. As a pastor's daughter, she has lived in many different places but likes Florida best!

Among her ministries are Prayer Mobilization and chairing the Missions Committee. She has been a member of First Alliance since 1984.

Biography for Deronda Becton Church Administrative Assistant

I have been serving the Lord at First Alliance for many years teaching our kids and youth and through music. I have been the administrative assistant for 4 years. I love my job and all the people I come in contact with. My husband Ron and I have three boys. Ben and Brycen are in college and Brennan who is 12, and keeping us young. They are a blessing from the Lord. It is a joy to serve the Lord here at First Alliance.