the vcc staff . . .
Click on a team member to learn more about them.

julie spier
director of students & children

Julie has always had a passion for students and began serving in youth ministry as a volunteer leader in 2001. She began working at Pantano Christian Church as the Middle School Director in 2004 while she finished classes at the University of Arizona. She graduated in May of 2005 with a degree in Psychology and Sociology. She completed her Master's Degree in Ministry with an emphasis in leadership at Hope International University in May of 2009 and was married in December of that year.

Julie feels called to live life with students, allowing God to work through her to impact young people. She excitedly pursues relationships to encourage, mentor and empower others towards fulfilling the gifts and passions God has placed on their hearts.

In her free time you'll catch Julie playing just about any sport. She has mad soccer skills and is pretty amazing on the pogo-stick as well. She also loves to travel and has lived all over the world.

meghan james
children & administration

Meghan loves kids!  She has been working with children for ten years in various capacities and is very enthusiastic about the opportunity to help shape children’s lives at Vail Christian Church.  Meghan believes that the greatest gift that we can give our children is the opportunity to have a meaningful relationship with God.  She is passionate about making learning about Jesus fun! 

In 2006, Meghan graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Spanish and Classical History.  She completed her Masters Degree in Christian Leadership from Hope International University in May of 2010. She loves languages and speaks Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese and can read and write Latin.  Meghan dreamed of one day becoming Indiana Jones and so she studied archeology at the UofA. She even did a dig in Italy excavating an Etruscan village! Now, Meghan puts all of her experience to work here at Vail Christian Church. 

ben pitney
lead pastor

Ben has served in many capacities, but his passion is living the dream with people. Ben was born in Prescott, Arizona and enjoyed growing up there through high school. He continued his education in California and then eventually came back to Arizona to work for a church in the Phoenix area. After living in the area for three years, he met his wife Linda and soon moved to San Jose, California to serve in the bay area for fifteen years before coming back to Arizona to live in Tucson.

Ben and his wife Linda have two children... Kami and Mitchell. They have come to love Tucson and are excited about the realization of their dream to establish Vail Christian Church.

chris mclaughlin
lead worshiper

Chris is a Christ-follower, husband, father and artist. He went to school for character animation before going into full-time ministry. Chris graduated from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA in 2003 with a double-major in Christian Ministry and Biblical Studies and has worked with youth in various capacities for 11 years before joining the Vail Christian Church team in 2007. He is excited to be able to be in a position where his gifts and talents are used so exclusively.

Chris is passionate about seeing Vail, AZ become a community of worshippers who are dedicated to the revolution of the Kingdom of God. In his free time, he hangs out with his wife Erica, and his daughters Taylor and Sierra, records music, and likes to veg-out in front of the TV.

• Favorite Items to Avoid: Its a toss-up between needles and cats. Both of them have been known to bring out tantrums!
• Favorite Books Right Now: The Search for Significance by Robert McGee, The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, Under the Unpredictable Plant by Eugene Peterson.
• Favorite Hobbies: Chilling with family and friends, playing sports, reading, playing piano or guitar, watching movies, sleeping, etc.
• Favorite Drink: Coke! I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to water. =)
• Favorite Random Fact: "40,000 Americans are injured by toilets every year." WHAT? How is that possible?
• Favorite Feeling: When you wake up, look at the alarm clock and realize you still have hours to sleep. =)
• Favorite Meal I Know How to Make: Chicken McNuggets.. Who am I kidding? That's the ONLY meal I know how to make.
• Favorite Item of Clothing: sweat pants and pajamas.. I've been known to go to school and work in them. =)
• Favorite Memory: I wish I had one - I officially have the worst memory in the world!
• Favorite Music: Country! That's right! I said it - I'm a country fan! But I also really dig rock music and worship music.

• Coolest place I've lived: Orvieto, Italy... hands down the most beautiful place I've seen.
• Favorite foreign language: Italian...it's a very descriptive language... but you sound sort of stupid if you're the only one speaking it.
• Least favorite language to speak: Portuguese... if you think Italian sounds stupid, try this one...
• Favorite type of pizza: ham and pineapple.
• Favorite dessert: definitely ice cream... ice cream is, in fact, the only dessert that I really care for at all.
• Favorite sport to play: volleyball... I'm not coordinated enough to play anything that involves hitting a ball with my feet. :)
• Favorite sport to watch: basketball, especially college.
• Favorite color: green
• Least favorite animal: lizards... I don't like the way they move.
• Favorite vacation spot: the beach... I love the ocean!
• Favorite candy: any sort of sour gummy thing.
• Something random: I am one of those freakish people who actually enjoys diagramming sentences.
  
  

• Favorite music: classic rock (Boston, Eagles, Santana, Bad Company)
• Mac or PC?: Are you kidding? Seriously? I want my computer to work. I use a mac.
• Favorite movie(s): The original Indiana Jones trilogy
• Favorite sport to watch live: baseball
• Favorite sport to watch on TV: football
• Favorite sport to play: golf
• Favorite things to collect: Wheaties boxes, shotguns
• Favorite team: Diamondbacks
• Favorite Ice Cream: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia
• Favorite book of the Bible: Colossians
• Least favorite thing to do: wait in line
• Favorite food: meat
• Favorite dessert: my sister's banana pudding
• Favorite hobby: quail hunting
• Random favorite stuff: I like to build stuff, drive a Truck and yell at the referees at my kid's games.

• Favorite movies/tv shows: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, Psych, Lost
• Favorite music: Dave Matthews, Marcus Eaton, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
• Favorite feeling: Taking off or landing in an airplane. (I could do that all day!)
• Favorite dessert: Moose Tracks Ice Cream… oh yeah!
• Favorite place to go: It’s a toss up… Disneyland or home to take a nap.
• Favorite meal: Pesto Penne, garlic bread and a tall lemonade. Simple and oh so good.
• Favorite pizza topping: Meat.
• Favorite sport to play: Water Polo (…or just swimming. It’s hard to find people to play polo.)
• Favorite sound: The sound of drums and bass working together.
• Least favorite sound: The sound of one of my daughters crying at night.
• Random facts: I’m pigeon toed, I rarely drink soda, and I’ve never had a cavity.