ELDERS
Elders are the primary spiritual leaders and bible teachers of the church.
Brandon O’Sullivan
Lead Pastor, Elder
Brandon is the lead pastor at Gospel Community Church. He oversees the teaching and vision of GCC and is passionate about developing young people into leaders in the church who will reach people who are far from God and start new churches and ministries in Santa Cruz County. He has been in full-time ministry since 2010.
Brandon met his wife, Laura, in Santa Cruz while working as summer youth interns at a local church. They have been doing ministry together ever since! They have three children - a beautiful daughter, and two wonderful boys.
Brandon has his B.A. from the Master’s College and his M.A. from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is currently working on a doctorate in leadership from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Cody Bryan
Elder
Cody leads Christian Challenge UCSC, our college ministry partner. He started this ministry from scratch, and, since it’s beginning, the Challenge team has shared the gospel with hundreds of UCSC students! Cody knows the Bible well and teaches faithfully. He and his wife, Brittany, have three wonderful children.
Michael Cutler
Elder
Michael is passionate about discipling young men. He faithfully studies and teaches the Word of God. Michael and his wife, Rachel, have also served as community group leaders for several years. Together, they have three beautiful daughters.
Ben Hartel
Elder
Ben has served in ministry for many years, first as a youth pastor and kids ministry director at Calvary Chapel before planting and pastoring Westside Community Church in Santa Cruz. As an elder, he is passionate about teaching God’s Word and seeing people come to faith, be baptized, and grow in Christ. He is grateful to use his gifts to serve the local church and be part of a church committed to Scripture.
Ben and his wife, Kelly, lead a community group. He studied biblical studies at Calvary Chapel Bible College and church planting at Calvary Chapel University. Outside of his full-time consulting job and service to the church, he enjoys baseball, golf, and spending time with his family.
STAFF
STAFF LEAD DIFFERENT AREAS OF MINISTRY WITHIN THE CHURCH.
Meghan Ammon
Connections director
Meghan oversees our connections team and leads our women’s ministry.
Full bio coming soon.
Mikey Johnson
Discipleship director
Mikey oversees discipleship, membership, and community groups. He was raised up as a leader through our residency program, working with students, before formally joining our staff.
He loves seeing God at work in peoples’ lives when they believe the Gospel and trust Jesus, and he enjoys being part of a fun community where he can see these heart changes unfold!
Mikey has his B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Boyce College and is currently pursuing an M Div. in Christian Ministry at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was recently married to his beautiful wife, Jade.
Laura O’SullivaN
Children’s Ministry Director
Laura has an incredible heart to care for children as they learn about God, faith, and the Bible. She has worked with children since her college years, from being a camp counselor at Mount Hermon, to a credentialed teacher with a decade of classroom experience, to now starting and leading this special ministry at GCC. Kids Ministry is so much more than childcare - she sees an eagerness for God's Word in the kids she works with and just how much they thrive surrounded with community and prayer. Laura is a Santa Cruz local and loves attending GCC with her incredible family. She is married to Pastor Brandon and they have three precious children together.
Jonathan Puscizna
High School Director
Jonathan leads our high school ministry and outreach ministries.
He first became involved in ministry during college through leading Bible studies and participating in his campus fellowship. After becoming a member at GCC he started exploring how to meet the needs of people in Santa Cruz county which led to him starting a Nursing Home Ministry and leading church services at several nursing homes around the county. Most recently he has stepped into the role of leading our high school ministry.
Jonathan wants to go into full time pastoral ministry and is planning to attend Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and pursue an MDiv in Pastoral Studies. He was recently married to his beautiful bride, Allison.
Amber Spence
communications Director
Amber oversees communication and administration at GCC. She loves that she gets to use two different sides of her gifting - keeping things organized and running smoothly, and connecting with people and discovering where God has gifted them to serve. Amber and her husband, Nico, both grew up in Santa Cruz and met serving in worship ministry at a local church. They continue to serve together on the GCC worship team. They have three sweet boys together, including identical twins!
DEACONS
Deacons are servant leaders responsible for meeting tangible needs in our congregation.
Bob Sanders
Bob joyfully serves the church in many capacities, including deacon and treasurer. He cares deeply for the members of our church and expanding the kingdom of God. He loves supporting our church community through his various roles and his experience as an attorney. Bob and his wife, Liz, serve on the deacon team together.
Liz Sanders
Liz plays many different roles at GCC, from serving as a teacher in Kids Ministry, to helping on our care team, to serving as a deaconess. She has even helped out with our high school camps! Her passion is serving her church family. She finds deep joy in caring for anyone who crosses her path and reaching out to those far from Christ. Liz has lived in Santa Cruz for over 50 years - she was raised here and raised her kids here! She and her husband, Bob, serve on the deacon team together.