Leadership of the Alliance of Christian Musicians

Philadelphia Regional Director

Martha Alford
Martha Alford holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Houghton College and a Master of Flute Performance from the University of Idaho. She taught elementary, junior high, high school and college level music. She spent 7 years as handbell director at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, and developed a secondary school music theory and history curriculum using bells as practical application.

Currently, Martha directs four handbell ensembles and the instrumental ensemble at Proclamation Presbyterian Church. She also directs the orchestra program at The Baldwin School, and maintains a large private flute studio.

Martha is the Pennsylvania State Representative for the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. She directs the Main Line Ringers, an advanced level community handbell ensemble.

Pacific Northwest Regional Director

Ron Bechtel
Ron serves as the Regional Director of ACM's Pacific Northwest Chapter. Since 1993 Ron has participated in the music ministry of Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA), Tacoma, Washington, where he is currently Organist and Music Director. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, he began studying piano at age 11 and organ at 16. During his high school years, he was given many opportunities to grow as young church musician at Grandview Park Baptist Church. He went on to become a church music major and earned a BA degree in church music from Cedarville University (Ohio). Graduate studies for the Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary prepared him to serve in pastoral and music ministry roles.

Having a quest for fellowship with other church musicians, he came to associate with ACM in 2007. With the encouragement of Vince Treadway, then ACM's Executive Director, and Dr. Paul Jones, he organized the first Pacific Northwest Church Music Symposium in Tacoma in October 2007. In 2008 he established ACM's Pacific Northwest Chapter as a registered not-for-profit organization in Washington State. Now as Regional Director he works with a team of volunteers in hosting periodic events for church musicians. Ron is married to Ruth and they live just outside Gig Harbor, Washington. Ruth serves with him at Faith Presbyterian as church pianist and Adult Choir accompanist.

Kirk Bentson
Kirk has had a life-long interest in music, participating in church and community choirs in several different locations. After retiring from the Air Force and a second career with the State Department, he returned to Tacoma, WA. His interest in music, and especially the use of music in corporate worship, led him to become involved in ACM. In addition to his professional education and training, Kirk has a Master of Theological Studies degree from Chesapeake Theological Seminary.

Sarah Kanz
Sarah has been involved in church music her entire life. Both her parents were church musicians and some of her earliest memories include choir rehearsals and "helping" her father, Carl, play postludes on the organ.

Her mother, Ruth, was Sarah's first music teacher, providing instruction in voice, piano, and performance. Sarah also studied piano with the late Mrs. Dorothy Bade; voice with Mrs. Denise Diverso; handbells, voice, and performance under the direction of Mrs. Carol Foss; and hymnody with her older brothers. Sarah began improvising at the piano as a toddler and has arranged many folk songs and hymns for piano, as well as a cappella hymns for choir.

Since 1993, Sarah has managed a small graphic design and printing business from home. She is also a certified Internet marketer and an aspiring writer. She loves to volunteer, and ACM has provided a perfect outlet for many of the skills God has given her.

Sarah is passionate about presenting music that is faithful to the Bible and honors the Lord Jesus Christ at every level—words, melody, harmony, rhythm, tonal color, artistry, and staging.

Vince Treadway
Vince Treadway holds M.M.s in Church Music and Organ Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. In 2002, Vince founded the Alliance of Christian Musicians (ACM) to promote excellence and education for Christian musicians in church music and worship; he served as the Executive Director for eight years.

Throughout his life Vince Treadway has served as a Director of Music, most recently at Proclamation Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. During his 17-year tenure at Proclamation, Vince planned and led the musical portions of the worship service; he also built and directed a choral program comprising of three children’s choirs, which staged a musical each spring; a youth ensemble; and an adult choir. He oversaw a worship team, several instrumental ensembles, and three handbell choirs. Vince is currently the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Wales, Florida.

Vince composes and arranges, and teaches piano, organ, and voice privately. Vince performs in the United States and abroad, and has given concerts in Tokyo, Japan; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Paris and Aix-en-Provence, France.

He is married and has one child.