Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse
Interim Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse is a life-long Presbyterian. Growing up in Great Falls, MT, Carl served as a YAD to General Assembly in 1978. In college he began filling the pulpit for churches in south central Illinois. While at Pittsburgh Seminary, Carl was a youth pastor for one year, then a stated supply for a year and a half. After ordination, he served churches in Montana, Minnesota, and most recently Western New York. Fountain City is the 14th congregation he’s served since leaving Great Falls. His D. Min. degree from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul is in Marriage and Family Studies, and he is currently finishing Transitional Ministry training through The School for Global Citizenry.
From 2006 to 2022, Carl also worked at a data company in Minnesota, first as an account manager then as a product analyst. He still remembers some SQL syntax, and is not horrible with Excel. Carl and his wife Denise enjoy the outdoors, music, tennis, good food and good friends, whom they’ve been blessed with at every stop along the journey. They have two daughters, one in Sacramento and one in Minneapolis.
Jack Thomas
Co-Youth Director
Jack completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is currently pursuing his M. Ed. in Special Education at Carson-Newman University, which will be completed in summer 2023. Jack has lived in the Fountain City community in Knoxville, for 26 years. He first came to Fountain City Presbyterian Church through the Davis Center for Child Development, beginning at 6 weeks old, and his family joined the church in 2000. During middle and high school, he was an active member of the Youth Group and joined the Belize Mission Team in 2013. He graduated from Central High School in 2014.
He began attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the fall of 2014, majoring in Political Science. During his time at UTK, Jack stayed connected to FCPC by attending regularly with his family, chaperoning Youth Group trips, and by serving on the Belize Leadership Team. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2018.
Jack began working as a Government Contracting Specialist at Worldwide Equipment, Inc. in 2018. He served FCPC as a Youth Intern from February-August of 2019 before becoming a part-time Youth Director in September 2019. In September 2020, after a layoff resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, Jack began working as a Special Education teaching assistant at Brickey-McCloud Elementary in Knox County. He served there until May 2021 and decided to make this a career change, at which point he was accepted into a job-embedded education program at Carson-Newman University, pursuing a Master of Education degree in K-12 Special Education. In May 2021, he accepted a position as Special Education teacher at Adrian Burnett Elementary in Knox County, where he currently serves.
In his spare time, Jack is pursuing his private pilot license and enjoys snowboarding, golf, traveling, mission projects, and spending time with his partner of 3 years, Mackenzie, and their dog.
Carolyn Gahan
Co-Youth Director
Carolyn graduated from the University of Tennessee in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She is currently a graduate teaching assistant at UTK working on a Master’s in choral conducting. Carolyn grew up in Knoxville and has been a part of the PC(USA) church since birth. She grew up at Erin Presbyterian in West Knoxville and sang at Second Presbyterian for the past two years before joining the Fountain City Youth Group. In high school, Carolyn was involved in the PET Youth Council, where she helped plan events such as Middle School Retreat and Youth Summit. In college, she was an active member of Ukirk UTK. She served as the worship intern from Fall 2020 to Spring 2022. Additionally, Carolyn has spent three summers working at Montreat Conference Center, where she has been a clubs counselor for the Kindes and Peanut Butter Groups.
Ashton Hicks
Office Administrator
Ashton started as the Office Administrator in March of 2024. He comes from a rich church background and hold a bachelors degree in Business Administration from King University in Bristol, Tennessee. Prior to joining the staff at FCPC, Ashton recruited administrative talent in the staffing industry, managed retail sales, and served as church secretary. Ashton is a member of St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church and plays clarinet in the Oak Ridge Community Band. He is married to his husband, The Rev. William Simerly, an Episcopal Priest. They live in West Knoxville with their two cats, Ms. Kitty and Charlie.
Bob Eubanks
Choir Director
Adult Choir Director, Bob Eubanks, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He has been at Fountain City Presbyterian Church since 2003! Bob previously served at eight other local churches, both as director and interim director, on the Knoxville Board of Education, and on the board of S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A., Inc (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Singing in America Incorporated.) Bob has worked in the past as a vocal coach and music consultant at dinner theaters and is currently IT Director at two hotels and a convention center in Pigeon Forge. Bob’s wife of many years, Pam, is also a member of the church choir.
George Hill
Organist
George Hill is a Knoxville native (and Carter High School grad) and has played the organ since he was 14 years old. While we see George playing beautiful music that lifts our worship each week, George actually has a background in computer science (Bachelors from ETSU and Masters from UT) and worked for 30 years at ORNL.
George plays at memorial services and special services and spends many hours practicing playing the organ for our church.
