Rob Tucker

Location: Melbourne, FL
Your Ministry: Associate Pastor at Suntree United Methodist Church
One word that describes how you work: Hopeful
Current mobile device: iPhone 8 Plus
Current computer/laptop: Work- iMac. On the go: MacBook Air
Connect with Rob:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

Describe a recent work day:

Make coffee. (1 hot, 1 iced americano. My wife has a fear of hot drinks.)
Respond to emails I’ve put off from the weekend.
Attend Creative Worship Planning. (Discuss important things like music, scripture, videos, sermon series, and of course Sunday morning announcements.)
Eat Lunch.
Head to local coffee shop to read + research for the next sermon.
Spend time talking to baristas, wandering church members, and strangers. (Possibly trash talk someone wearing anything UNC in my midst.) [editor’s note: Rob went to Duke]
Attend Traditional Worship Planning Meeting.
Attend nightly meeting. (Staff Parish, Trustees, Finance, etc.)
Eat Dinner with Molly.
Walk Cliffe. (Our dog named after David Cutcliffe the coach of the Duke University Football Team.)
Watch Netflix.
Sleep for a few hours.

Gadgets/apps/tools that you cannot live without:
Insight Timer (meditation), Podcasts, Spotify, Outlook, Reminders, Common Prayer app, Planning Center Online, Canva.

What’s your workspace set up like?
I work mostly from my church office but spend at least two afternoons working in local coffeeshops. As I look around my office today, I see: piles of papers I can’t figure out where/how to file, a Duke Basketball Hoop, approx. 6 dirty coffee mugs and a dirty french press, iMac + MacBook Air on my desk, a couple pictures of my beautiful wife, couple half-completed notepads, prayer books, and sticky notes all over iMac screen. (The old-school paper kind, not the app.)

I tend to get the most accomplished outside of my office. It’s at the local coffee shops (shout out to Bold Cup Coffee + Anaya Coffee) where I receive my most creative ideas- whether it’s at a table by myself or talking with colleagues/friends/coworkers/church members/random strangers.

Best short-cut; life hack you use:
Breathing. No, seriously. I don’t think we spend enough time just breathing. We spend a lot of time looking around what’s going on around us, yet rarely pause to reflect on what’s going on within us. Silent contemplation has been such a life-giving practice in this fast-paced world.

How do you keep track of what you have to do:
Reminders App on iPhone + Common Notebook + Shared Calendars.
Sometimes I need an annoying alarm to ring to remind me of when to head to my next meeting.

Sometimes I need a simple notebook to carry around to doodle in and make fun check marks.
Sometimes I need a shared calendar to find out what what’s coming up and spy on what my coworkers are up to. (Jk, kind of.) Most of the time I need all three.

What’s one of the least favorite aspects of what you have to do:
Tedious work. Filling out and approving Purchase Orders. Turning in numbers for reports. I know, it sounds petty. But, any work that is just tedious and I have to work on it alone – yuck.

Passion/Side project of yours?
I’m currently hosting an event called “Pints & Parables,” where folks meet at Pizza Gallery and Grill (part pizza place, part art gallery) twice a month. People are encouraged to buy a pint of whatever beverage they enjoy, a parable (story) is read from a varied faith tradition, and discussion happens around that parable. It’s a lot of fun.

I also enjoy kayaking + fishing. I know – so Florida – but there’s nothing like a calm day out on the intracoastal, paddling and casting.

What gives you joy about your work:
Helping people discover their passion + developing great friendships with some weird, creative people.

Currently reading/or anything you’d recommend one to read:
I’m currently reading: Divergent Church by Tim Shapiro/Kara Faris + Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.