Eric Papaya

Director of Faith Mission

Eric was born and raised in Pennsylvania, where he also attended Messiah University and received a bachelors in Christian Ministries in 2009 and a masters in higher education in 2019. From there he moved to East Tennessee where he attended Emmanual Christian Seminary and received a masters in divinity in 2013. After graduating, Eric lived and worked in Africa for ten years. For three years he worked with a Kenyan NGO’s microfinance department in Nairobi, Kenya. After that, Eric joined a Malawian mission as the director of education. In this role, Eric wrote and taught a three-year theological curriculum for lay leaders of the church, as well as oversaw church partnerships and growth in a network of churches throughout Malawi and Mozambique. Eric moved to Gainesville in November 2022.