Our Staff
Rev. Chris Vande Bunte
Senior Pastor
Rev. Chris Vande Bunte began his service at the Delmar Reformed Church in May of 2017. His passions for mission engagement inside and outside the doors of the church and sharing in ministry with all age groups reflect the values of the DRC family. His core understanding of ministry is expressed in interaction in community with others within the church family and outside of it. In these communal interactions he finds the Spirit at work, growing God’s kingdom and deepening our faith and practice of it.
Pastor Chris grew up in the town of Freehold, New Jersey. He graduated from Hope College, Holland, MI, with a B.A. in Political Science. Before attending and graduating from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in 2005, Pastor Chris worked as a Social Worker in a residential psychiatric facility on the south side of Chicago.
Pastor Chris was married to his wife Ellen in 2006; in 2013 they welcomed their son Luke. Chris and Ellen enjoy many hobbies including: travel, visiting the local library, playing games, and attending Minor League baseball games. Ellen is also an avid quilter. Both are passionate about serving and fellowship with the congregation and are glad to be a part of the DRC church family.
Prior to beginning his time at DRC, Pastor Chris served as a solo Pastor of the First Reformed Church of Hawthorne, NJ, and as the Associate Pastor of the Colts Neck Reformed Church in Colts Neck, NJ, with areas of responsibility including: Christian Education, Mission, and Youth Ministries. He has also served as a student in Hillsborough, NJ, and Kalamazoo, MI. His passion for ministry and mission have led to serving in different capacities with mission organizations and ministries focused on local, regional, and international outreach. In addition, he’s enjoyed leading many adult, multi–generational, and youth mission trips nationally and internationally.
Email Pastor Chris at cvandebunte@drchurch.org
Lisa Rakoczy
Family Ministry Coordinator
Our Family Ministries Coordinator, Lisa Rakoczy, feels she has the best job in the world. As a newcomer to the area, one of the first things Lisa noticed at DRC was the personal attention paid to children and the amount of engaging children's activities.
After teaching English and Reading in public schools for 15 years, Lisa joined the DRC staff in 2012. She now gets to spend her time coordinating and implementing programs for children, nursery age through middle school, and guiding them in developing an ongoing relationship with God. This includes the nursery, Sunday School and special family events. It is her hope to help families get connected with God and each other by providing fun and meaningful ministries for children.
After growing up in Syracuse, Lisa studied at the University at Albany, continuing with graduate work there and at Syracuse University. She now lives locally with her husband, Luke, and two children. Lisa volunteers regularly at her children's schools, and in her free time enjoys watching NY Giants football with her family, reading and classic films. Lisa would love for you to reach out to her - connect by emailing at lisa@drchurch.org.
Alaina McCreary was excited to take on the role of RPMs Leader in 2022. Alaina was an RPM alumni when in high school and has been an assistant to the group for the past 10 years. Alaina graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a BA in Psychology, holds her Certification in Volunteer Administration, and for her full time job is the Director of Membership with the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York. When she has free time she enjoys kayaking and dancing!
Brian Axford
Minister of Music
Brian Axford has served as organist and music director at DRC since February 2014. He leads the Vocal Choir, directs the Bell Choir, leads the Worship Band, and works with youth music ministry throughout the year. When not at DRC, Brian is the Music Director for Park Playhouse, and takes part in a variety of musical performances throughout the region. Brian is married to Lauren, and they have three wonderful children- Isis, James, and Eden.
Email Brian at baxford@drchurch.org
Mark Vissat
Sexton
Mark Vissat lives in Altamont and has worked at the DRC for 16 years. His wife, Patricia, is an elementary school teacher. Mark has two sons who live in California. They all share a strong work ethic and enjoy travel, reading, cooking and the seashore.
Kimberly Gallo
Church Administrator
Kim, who grew up in Delmar, has been a part of DRC since childhood. Kim went to school at SUNY Cortland, where she met her husband, Jason. They live in town and have 2 children in the Bethlehem School District. As a family they enjoy the outdoors with camping, sports and a good barbecue.
Email Kim at kgallo@drchurch.org
Rev. Jake Chipka
Associate Pastor
Jake came on staff at DRC in August of 2023 as the Associate Pastor of Outreach and Discipleship in what was his first full-time call to pastoral ministry. Prior to his transition to Delmar, Jake worked as a sports journalist at a small university in rural Indiana, where his wife, Sarah, completed a Master of Arts in Higher Education.
While sports journalism was a fun stop along the way, Jake has long felt drawn to pastoral ministry. This sense of call came to life throughout three years of service as a college chaplain of athletics and outreach ministry, prior to two more years as a pastoral fellow within a community particularly attentive to the stories of people with disabilities.
His foundation for ministry is captured well by the Heidelberg Catechism, which boldly states that “I belong, in life and in death, to Jesus Christ.” Jake’s deepest hope for the local church is that it might be a place of meaningful belonging in this way.
Pastor Jake was born and raised near Toledo, OH, where he and his three older brothers were consistently found duking it out on one athletic field or another, while his parents, Jim and Sandy, each worked in the local public school district. In 2012, Jake made the move away from Toledo to Holland, MI, where he was a two-time team captain of the Hope College baseball program while majoring in Kinesiology.
After his imagination for a career in healthcare fizzled away, Jake unexpectedly settled into a college chaplaincy role at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, where he also happened to meet his future spouse, Sarah, who is a native of Seattle. Jake and Sarah were married out west in June of 2021 shortly after Jake completed his Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary back in Holland.
In recent years, Jake has become an avid runner, having completed six marathons with hopes of qualifying for and racing the Boston Marathon soon. Beyond running, Pastor Jake is simply an admirer of the outdoors, whether it be a towering Ponderosa Pine or the winding Normans Kill, or any creature that finds its home somewhere between.
Jake also cherishes a good cup of coffee, and he would be eager to share some time with you in that way!
Feel free to email Pastor Jake at jchipka@drchurch.org