The Interim Pastor Search Team is excited to announce that session has approved Rev. Tina Salvaneschi to be our Interim Pastor with her first day in the office Monday, August 5, 2024.  Rev. Diane Christopher will continue to act as our “gap” interim pastor in the meantime. Diane was the associate pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Green Valley for many years. We are honored and excited to have Diane join us for this time.

Tina Salvaneschi has over twenty-five years experience in both business and ministry. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, holds a real estate license, and serves her community as a pastor and local missionary. She holds a Masters in Christian Studies and a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. Reverend Salvaneschi is a specialist in Change Agentry, and Conflict Management, and has a minor in Counseling.

Reverend Salvaneschi is completing her call as Head of Staff at The Holy Way in Tucson where the objective was to assess, organize then help revitalize this church. Moving from a pastor led church, to a Session led church was a wonderful and challenging experience as she helped lead, train and equip leaders into the ministry, service and ownership of their church. Under Pastor Tina’s leadership the church experienced the organization of committees, full functioning ministries, robust and transparent communication, over 150% growth in membership, 21% decrease in expenditures and over 20% increase in annual revenue. In addition, a youth ministry was formed and is continuing to grow which has not been in existence for over seven years.

Prior to this call, Reverend Salvaneschi was the Pastor and head of staff at the Kirk of the Valley Presbyterian Church along with its pre-school and Elementary school. While at the Kirk, Pastor Tina built and fostered a new and collaborative environment between the church Session and school staff. Here, Pastor Tina supervised a staff of 50 people, with a school of over 600 students, while overseeing a budget of more than 2.5 million dollars. While at The Kirk, Pastor Tina increased revenue by 25%, and under her leadership, new families began attending church, and the youth became involved in church services on a regular basis.

Pastor Tina is also the Founder of The Artists Outlet Church (TAO), a PCUSA 1001 Worshipping Community, which is a mobile community where creatives, fine artists, and families love one another and experience faith in Jesus Christ and the arts together. Trained as a dancer, classical clarinetist and saxophonist, Pastor Tina’s love for the arts began as a child, where she found a deep spiritual connection between faith and the arts. This love of the arts continues to form who she is today. She is also the former Associate Director of Outreach at Fuller Seminary’s Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts.

Prior to her full time commitment in ministry, Pastor Tina founded and owned a mortgage and real estate company in California, where she served the community as a banker, financial advisor, and real estate agent. Tina and her husband Stephen Levine enjoy concerts, dancing, wine tasting, travel, country music, art shows, magic, hiking, bike riding, being out in nature, and laughing together.