First Presbyterian Church of Pittsford, Pastor/Head of Staff

May 2020 - present

​

• Led the church through a transformative, strategic planning process

• Successfully navigated the congregation through and out of the COVID-19 pandemic

• Supervised one Associate Pastor, one Parish Associate, one Director of Family and Youth Ministries, and ten other full- and part-time staff members and created a healthy ministry environment that ensured the success of daily and long-term operations

• Nurtured and encouraged the gifts and potential of lay leadership through coaching, supervision, and leadership development

• Created a culture conducive to collaboration and effective goal achievement among the staff and lay leadership

• Planned, organized, and collaborated with staff and lay leadership to lead heartfelt, stimulating, and Christ-centered worship, including regular Sunday services, seasonal and special services, weddings, and funerals

• Directed the overall discipleship program in the church

• Ensured that every member of the church is cared for well, including equipping individuals and groups to be spiritual care-givers

• Collaborated with ecumenical, interfaith, and community groups to nurture relationships between our groups and to serve our community together

• Led a program for receiving new members into the church, including confirmands and other prospective members

• Provided clear direction for and nurtured the spiritual growth of the congregation

​

Presbytery of Genesee Valley, Minister

​September 2016 - present

 

• Led the Presbytery as Moderator and Moderator-Elect

• Organized and led Presbytery meetings

• Served as a Commissioner to the 226th General Assembly

• Volunteered on the Presbytery’s Big Picture Team, Personnel Committee, Healthier Congregations Coordinating Council, and Grants Working Group

• Taught leadership development training workshops for the Presbytery’s ruling elders and deacons

​

Corfu United Presbyterian Church, Pastor

July 2016 - May 2020

 

• Planned, organized, and collaborated with lay leadership to lead heartfelt, stimulating, and Christ-centered worship, including regular Sunday services, seasonal and special services, weddings, and funerals

• Cared for the spiritual and emotional lives of people through coaching and discipleship, visiting homes and medical centers, counseling through grief and other life challenges, and resolving interpersonal conflicts within the church

• Supervised four staff members and created a healthy ministry environment that ensured the success of daily and long-term operations

• Introduced and developed a ministry to younger people by coordinating a middle and high school youth group, teaching confirmation, and developing relationships with students at local colleges

• Strengthened church relationships with the community and increased church visibility by developing relationships with local schools, collaborating with neighborhood churches and other community organizations, organizing a church softball team, and launching a weekend food program that became vital to area families

• Collaborated with ecumenical and interfaith groups to nurture relationships between our groups and to serve our community together

• Provided essential faith and leadership formation in the church through teaching Bible studies, leading prayer groups, and launching and facilitating a leadership development group

• Streamlined administrative practices and protocols

​

Princeton Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project, Editorial Specialist

​August 2013 - June 2016

​​

• Edited Hebrew transcriptions and English translations of a critical edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls

• Collaborated with a team of researchers to meet publication deadlines

• Researched the significance of the Qumran manuscripts to Jesus and early Christianity

• Excavated along the Mediterranean coast of Israel at Ashdod-Yam with an international team of archaeologists

​

Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, Ministry Intern

September 2014 - June 2016

​​

• Collaborated with a Senior Pastor and team of staff members to lead Sunday worship services

• Preached sermons on numerous occasions

• Offered spiritual care to church members

• Built connections with an interfaith network of religious communities near the church

• Partnered with staff members to lead a confirmation class for the church's youth

​

Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Chaplain Intern

May 2015-August 2015

​

• Offered spiritual care to medical patients

• Comforted family and friends of terminally ill or deceased patients

• Responded to emergencies with other rapid response personnel to provide a prayerful and helpful presence to hospital staff, patients, and visitors

• Shared patient care with an interdisciplinary team of palliative care physicians and chaplains​

​

Presbytery of Western New York, Pulpit Supply

January  2013-December 2015

​​

• Preached sermons at many different Presbyterian congregations throughout Western New York

• Collaborated with congregations' leadership committees to organize Sunday morning worship services

• Met the needs of church members on Sunday mornings in the absence of their full-time pastors