Rev. David C. Fisher, Senior Minister

Reverend David Fisher has been a parish pastor for thirty-eight years. After graduating from seminary, he learned the pastoral craft in a decade of ministry in rural America. He has also served suburban and urban congregations in Minneapolis and Boston. In 2004, Plymouth Church called him to serve as its 10th “Settled Minister.” 

A graduate of Bryan College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Reverend Fisher earned his Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has also done additional graduate studies at Hebrew Union College and Indiana University. His academic specialty is the Jewish background of early Christianity. He has served as Instructor of New Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and as Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Nearly forty years in pastoral ministry has honed a deep interest the theology and practice of the Christian ministry. He is a frequent speaker at clergy and denominational gatherings and has written numerous articles and a monograph, The Twenty-First Century Pastor: A Vision Based on the Apostle Paul (Zondervan, 1996).

He also has a life-long interest in preaching and the craft of preaching. In 2001 he served as a Fellow of College of Preachers at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where he did research and writing on the New Homiletic.

The son of a pastor, David and his wife, Gloria, have three grown children and six grandchildren. His hobbies are motorcycling and gardening. 

Rev. Al Bunis, Assistant Minister

Al Bunis, ordained as a Minister in the United Church of Christ, is the Assistant Minister at Plymouth Church.

Al (along with his family—wife Lynn, son Gregory and daughter Alison) has been part of the Plymouth community for years as a member, and since September 2010, as Assistant Minister. His ordination and new career in Ministry are the culmination of a long journey of transition from a business career on Wall Street.
 
Al is a graduate of Harvard University, with a degree in Economics. He attended New York Theological Seminary and received his Master of Divinity in May 2011 and was ordained on June 12, 2011.
 
Al’s multiple responsibilities at Plymouth involve oversight of the Youth Group, Assimilation, Small Groups, and Adult Christian Education programs, among other things, and include regularly leading worship along with Senior Minister, David Fisher.
 
About his Plymouth experience, Al says the following: “Plymouth has been such a blessing for me and my family. It was at Plymouth that I began to in earnest explore and head down a path of rediscovery of my faith. It has been a path that ultimately led me to where I am today. I am so thankful to the people of Plymouth for giving me the room to grow and to find my calling in life.”  

Bruce Oelschlager, Minister of Music

Bruce Oelschlager has an extensive background in choral conducting, which he studied with Kenneth Jennings at St. Olaf College. In Austria he studied with Frederick Gillespie, director of the Vienna Boys Choir. He has conducted choirs of all ages throughout his career and has directed youth musicals in several of the churches he has served. His work with youth choirs provides choristers with a solid foundation for choral singing when they reach adulthood. His adult choirs regularly perform oratorios and choral masterpieces.

Besides his expertise in choral conducting, Mr. Oelschlager is an accomplished concert organist who has performed throughout the U.S.

Julia Rassmann, Director of Ministry to Families and Children

After over a decade in the corporate world, Julia decided to return to  her first love: teaching children. Her introduction to Plymouth Church came as a Vacation Bible Camp parent, and she worked as a substitute teacher at Plymouth Church School. Julia then spent three years teaching kindergarten at Little Red School House in Manhattan.

Born in Germany, Julia grew up in Brooklyn Heights and Manhattan, and returned to Brooklyn Heights about ten years ago to raise her daughter, Emily. She has a B.A. in English from Tufts University and an M.A. in Education from New York University.