Meet The Team

The Venice Presbyterian Church is pleased to announce the arrival of a new pastor. The Rev. Owen Derrick, (i.e., Pastor Owen) is originally from Scotland, where he spent the first 39 years of his life before moving to the United States in 1999. Owen then spent four years back in his native Scotland, returning “home” to the USA in September 2019. At that time, he became pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Tekamah, Nebraska. 
 

Prior to entering seminary in 2003, he spent 20 years as an IT professional, eventually working as a consultant to major banks in the UK and specializing in health care IT in the U.S.  When God brought to life again the sense of calling that had always been a part of his faith but which he had never followed through on, Owen left his IT career to become a pastor. He graduated with a Masters in Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2007 and served in several churches. 
 

Owen is married to Dianne and between them, they have a total of five children. Two, in the US and two in Scotland, are all adults, and a daughter who is a junior in high school.  They have seven grandchildren.  They also have a dog, three rabbits, and a horse.
 

Pastor Owen is seen as an enthusiastic and engaging preacher who offers keen Biblical insight, and he is a pastor who encourages Christians to actively engage with the world around them. The Venice Church congregation invites members of the community to come and be inspired by Pastor Owen.

Ben Tweedt is a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator based in Cincinnati, OH. As a high-demand freelance musician, Ben plays many different genres of music around the region including jazz, gospel, classical, pop, R&B, and Brazilian music. Through this work, he has had the opportunity to work with and share the stage with some of the most successful figures in jazz and commercial music today including Dan Wilson, Walfredo Reyes Jr., and Jamey Haddad. In addition to his pursuits as a performer, Ben is a passionate educator and has taught at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Central State University.

Beth Ziepfel has lived in Ross most of her life, earning her degree at nearby Miami University and she lives with her husband and family of six in Millville. She has been a middle school Language Arts teacher for over 25 years, and most of those have been at her second home: Talawanda Middle School. Beth is a woman of varied talents but her ability to remember song lyrics from the 80s far exceeds her ability to remember why she walked into the kitchen. She enjoys reading a good book on the porch and hanging out with family and friends. Beth believes in the power of children’s and youth ministry and she likes to live and serve heart first. 

Owen Ziepfel grew up here at Venice Presbyterian Church, attending Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and even Venice Presbyterian Preschool. He is now the Live Streaming and Tech Coordinator for Sunday mornings. Owen was active in music in the Ross schools for years, in both vocal and instrumental music. He plays the baritone horn and trombone. In addition to his music pursuits, Owen has competed with FCCLA for three years, beginning in the 8th grade, earning gold medals at State and National levels. Owen works in the Church and in the office on all sorts of technology issues, and continues to serve every year at Vacation Bible School.

Larry Hayes is a lifelong resident of the Ross area.  He is a widower with one son and a granddaughter.  Larry worked for the Borden Co. (i.e. Elsie the Cow) for several years

before joining the Ross School District where he worked for 25 years as a custodian. He loves working at Venice, especially the people who have been very kind to him.