About Our Pastor:

Dr. Thomas J. Biery began his ministry here August 1986 and was officially installed October 19, 1986. Tom was born in Ohio and grew up in Orlando, Florida and churched at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. His wife, Bryan, born in Washington, D.C., was reared in Cocoa Beach, Florida. They have two children: Bryanna and Jeffery.

In 1972, Tom graduated from Florida Southern College with a B.A. in Social Science. After graduation Tom worked as a youth counselor and lastly as an administrator with the Florida Division of Youth Services. In 1981, Tom graduated from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where he earned a doctorate degree in ministry. On September 20, 1981, he was ordained at The First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach, Florida, where he served until coming to Mount Dora. Tom is an active participant in Mount Dora and area community activities. His ministry includes services to Central Florida Presbytery where he has been a member of the Committee on Ministry, Mission & Evangelism Committee, Global Mission Committee, Presbytery Council, Executive Presbyter Search Committee and served as a delegate to the General Assembly.

Tom also is an avid sports fan, especially baseball, basketball and football. He enjoys hiking, biking, racquetball, canoeing, skiing and is an amateur photographer and drummer.

About Our Assistant Pastor:

Cynthia Howland deVos is a native of New England.  She and husband Peter moved to Florida for the first time in 1973.  Cynthia felt the call to the ministry in her youth, but as a young adult she put her aspirations on hold to raise her family.  This also included many moves with husband and twin sons, as he pursued the opportunities in his career in non-profit management.  With her sons fully grown, Cynthia returned to school at the Washington Business College and embarked on a career of her own.  In 1997, Cynthia gave up her career as customer service representative at the national office of the National Captioning Institute and she and Peter moved to Mount Dora. 

Cynthia is currently serving as Vice President of the Mount Dora Ministerial Association. She is a member of the Permanent Judicial Committee of Central Florida Presbytery. She was commissioned by Central Florida Presbytery to serve as a Commissioner to General Assembly to be held June 15 - 22, 2006 in Birmingham, AL.

With the support and encouragement of her husband, she entered the Central Florida Presbyterian Lay Pastor Academy in 1998 for three years of intense studies.  Cynthia was commissioned as a pastor in 2001 to serve First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora and other churches in the Presbytery as a guest pastor.  On February 1, 2005, she left the business sector and was called to the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora as Assistant Pastor. 

Other Staff