Annual Meeting: Sunday, January 26, 2025
The Nominating Committee is putting forth a full slate of Vestry candidates who will be up for election at the Annual Meeting. Candidates will be running for one-year and three-year terms. See the list of candidates below. Among the candidates being elected during the Annual Meeting will be our new Accounting Warden. Use the button below to download the Annual Report.
Beth Carlin
Three- Year Term
I was introduced to St. Peter’s by the Teleha family, specifically Liz. I am one of the godparents of Liz’s daughter, Charlotte (Charlie). So far at St. Peter’s, I have not participated in any committees. I have mostly just stayed a short while for fellowship. I have donated clothing for the garage sale, as well as contributed financial donations to purchase soups, baked goods, and fellowship snacks. Most recently, I contributed to the Angel Piano gifts. I briefly attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Ambler. From 1st to 8th grade, I attended Catholic School at Roman Catholic Church, St. John of the Cross, in Roslyn. At Catholic school, I regularly assisted my mother in running the Box Tops for Education / Campbell’s Soup Label collection and tracking. There, I also participated in choir and continued to attend mass after St. John of the Cross was combined with Queen of Peace Church in Glenside. At some point, I stopped attending. I currently work remotely as an Enterprise Account Manager for Procare Solutions, a daycare management software company. Prior to my current position, I was the Enterprise Support Manager. This has provided me with experience in hearing and voicing concerns or appreciation from groups of individuals and knowing the appropriate audience to bring those thoughts to. I have successfully prioritized when to push toward a resolution or when to explain why a change cannot be made at this time. For hobbies, I crochet, knit, and dabble in music. I also enjoy playing video games. For a few years, I ran registration and points for a charity gaming event called RGB LAN, where we brought people together to play games and raise money for three local charities. I still participate in RGB LAN, but now as an attendee. I also previously participated in the Extra Life Guild of Philadelphia, which plays games to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Coming to St. Peter’s has been what I miss getting out of church. While I only have close relations with a select few people, St. Peter’s is clearly a community of people who care for each other and its surrounding community. Each mass, Reverend Barb makes it clear that all are welcome, which I have not heard as a part of a mass for a long time. All of the baking, food making, and overall activity options St. Peter’s provides truly show that the members of the church see themselves as a force for good, and I am honored to be a part of such a caring community. My immediate family is just myself, my husband Chris, and our dog Maggie. My husband, Chris, and I both work remote jobs while living in Ambler. I work as an Enterprise Account Manager for daycare management software, and my husband works as a Development Services Manager for Independence Mission Schools. Our dog Maggie is a 50+ pound Irish Terrier mix who enjoys walks, especially along the Wissahickon trail.
John Olson
One -Year Term
Known to many as JohnO, I have been a member of St. Peter’s since Fall 1992, soon after moving from the Boston area to Glenside. I guess this means I am in the “old-timer” group here, strangely somewhat a surprise to me. Ever since arriving, my wife Melissa, two sons AJ and Greg, and I all have felt at home at St. Peter’s. We were immediately welcomed and quickly became involved in the parish community in a variety of ways. We have benefitted mightily from so many aspects of life here – from faith formation for both youth and adults to campaigns for a variety of social concerns to the enriching friendships we have formed. I have served in several capacities at St. Peter’s, including a three-year term on vestry during the Rev. Ruth years, on the Parish Profile and Search committees that eventually led to calling Rev. Emily, as a member of the Adult Education Committee (and helped lead some sessions), and as an usher. I have served on the current Vestry as a one-year replacement this past year, and I look forward to the prospect of continuing for another year as I step in to finish the last year for another member who is stepping off early. On a personal level, I am a professor in the Department of Biology at Villanova University. My academic specialty is physiology, and my courses include Human Anatomy and Physiology and Biology and Politics. I served as Assistant Chair for the department from 2001 to 2015 and then as Chair from 2015 to 2021. I thus have experience in administration as well as academics. As Chair, I faced several challenges including two of “biblical” significance – recovering from a large flood that destroyed several teaching labs and faculty offices and navigating the many challenges of running a science department during a pandemic. I enjoy problem-solving, and I value the compassionate and effective approach our community here evidenced during the merger of St. Peter’s and St. Philip-in-the-Fields, changes in personnel, and addressing and then making improvements to the property and facilities.
Ernie Dixon
Accounting Warden
Three- Year Term
My wife, Robin, and I joined St. Peter’s in early fall 2024. Prior to that, we were members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Ambler, PA for approximately 23 years. As a member of Trinity vestry, I served for one term as Accounting Warden and fulfilled a remaining term as Property Committee Chair. I also participated in several ministries including Discernment Committee for candidates for Ordained Ministry, search committees for new priest and new assistant priest, committee lead for developing the parish profile, usher, chalice bearer, and various church plays. From approximately 1994 to 2000, my wife and I were members of Trinity Church, Lansdale. During our membership there, I served on vestry and completed one term as Accounting Warden. I also sang in the choir. In June 2023, I joined the DIOPA Anti-Racism Commission (ARC). I’m currently serving as Treasurer of the ARC. I recently retired as an engineering project manager. As a project manager, I was responsible for understanding all financial aspects of project execution. More importantly, the role of project manager requires an understanding of the value that a diverse team brings to the project. I will bring these understandings to St Peter’s vestry so that I can make a positive contribution to our church. My hobbies include cycling, woodworking, travel, and piano. I learned about St. Peter’s through my work on the ARC. I was impressed with the leadership that Rev. Barb brought to ARC and I believe in and share the values of ARC. Although I have been a member of St Peter’s for a relatively short time, my experience and interface with other members shows that we share similar values; peace, justice and loving relationships. I grew up in West Chester, PA with my 5 sisters and brother. My parents emphasized and demonstrated the value of education. My mother was a primary school teacher and my father was an aerospace engineer. My wife and I live in Montgomeryville, PA. We have been married for 41 years and have one daughter, Meredith. Meredith and her husband, Aaron, live in Phoenixville and are members of St Peter’s episcopal church in Phoenixville.
Terita Reeve
Three -Year Term
I am a proud member of St. Peter’s Folk Group. My husband, Mike, and I have performed at the annual Talent Show in 2023 and 2024. My former bluegrass band performed at the Night of Bluegrass fund raiser in September of 2023. I was honored to be a member of the Search Committee for our wonderful Director of Music, Carol Cei. I was previously a member of the choir at Resurrection Episcopal Church in Mayfair, Philadelphia, and the choir at Emmanuel Resurrection in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia. When we first joined the Episcopal Church in 2005, the Rector at the time appointed Mike and me to kitchen duties, which I very much enjoyed. I’m happy to help at St. Peter’s for fellowship and kitchen duties for other events. I am currently retired. I worked as a Legal Assistant for 46 years in law firms in Center City Philadelphia as well as Bucks County. I bring with me the ability to be organized and to listen to people’s concerns and try to find ways to resolve issues. I also like to volunteer time helping people. I enjoy volunteering at OHAAT Beds for Kids with other members of the congregation. In the past, I volunteered helping animal organizations. I also really like to work in my home garden. In addition, I’ve always had an interest in playing music--playing the piano (not so much anymore) and guitar. I like to tinker with other instruments as well–ukelele, banjo, dulcimer–and I want to learn how to play the harmonica. I play guitar and sing at the Holmesburg Bluegrass Jam (now in Jenkintown) every Thursday night, which I have for the last 17 years. After the pandemic, Mike and I were missing the sense of community in being a part of a church congregation, and we needed to get back in touch with our spirituality. When we walked into St. Peter’s in June of 2022, we were immediately greeted by numerous parishioners and felt an immediate sense of belonging. We are proud of the fact that we belong to such a strong group of happy, kind, caring, loving and welcoming people. In speaking with Reverend Barb, listening to her sermons and talking to other congregants, we were able to get back in touch with our spirituality. I value the music program at St. Peter’s under the direction of both the Flahertys and Carol Cei, which has been incredibly beautiful and inspirational. I am the youngest of 5 children. I have a very large extended family scattered across the country. I was raised Roman Catholic. I attended St. Martin of Tours grade school in Philadelphia and St. Basil Academy high school in Jenkintown. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 28 years! Our family has always consisted of the 4-legged kind! We currently have 2 dogs and 2 cats.
Sam Hogg
Three- Year Term
My wife Joanna and I were drawn to St. Peter’s for its opportunities to study and learn more about ultimate questions. We participated in study groups throughout our time here, many of which were led by Rick Pearce. In addition to leading some workshops on relationships as a family (relational) therapist I helped lead an anti-racism program entitled Sacred Ground, meeting every other week for five months. I served for several years on the Community Partnership Committee as well as at Rummage Sale. While teaching mathematics in inner-city Philadelphia for 23 years, I earned two master’s degrees and then changed careers to become a family (relational) therapist. As a family (relational) therapist, I found where my deep joy and the world’s deep hunger meet (in Frederick Buechner’s words). In that capacity, I worked in outpatient clinics, behavioral health hospitals, and a long-term facility for youths. I have been called a “heart-lifter” in that I can bring fun to individuals and groups. I believe I can contribute that to the vestry. I welcome the opportunity to wade more deeply into becoming a better person. What has been equally precious to me about St. Peter’s are its inclusiveness and mutual caring which are the sine qua non of God (Love). Social justice has been extremely important to me. I have been active in same since my late teens and am immersed in finding ways to achieve more of it in this country and worldwide. I am grateful that St. Peter’s has been serious about social justice and that Rev. Barb is helping to create myriad opportunities for us now. Joanna, my wife, and our two children, Rachel and David started attending St. Pete’s in 1975 when they were six and three, respectively. Rachel participated in the youth group until she went off to college. She subsequently married and has one child, Jasmine, 25, our only granddaughter whose partner is a Maryland State Trooper. David is single. Rachel has a PhD. in English from Temple and teaches and has established a writing center at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, DE. David is a paraprofessional in the Radnor School District working with students having learning and emotional problems. Joanna succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease in 2017. Her ashes were interred in our courtyard after a heartfelt, deeply personal memorial service led by our dear Emily Richards.
Chris Teleha
Three -Year Term
I am in the St. Peter’s choir and Bell choir. I contribute my time supporting Fellowship clean-up after services. And I have supported special singing opportunities since 2023. I regularly attend services with my wife Suzanne and have supported the capital [financial] initiatives of St. Peter’s (to the best of my ability). In my 30 year career in R&D at big pharma companies, I had management experience where I dealt with a wide range of personalities, complicated personnel situations and often times, conflicting goals. My personality allowed me to navigate these complicated waters and find common ground to move the organization forward. I believe the skills I learned throughout my career can be useful in my participation in vestry. I came to St. Peter’s in 2022, following my wife’s lead to join the congregation. I am a strong believer of ‘contributing time, talent and treasure,’ as gifts that we offer to God and my fellow worshipers. My desire to join the vestry is another step in ‘upping the ante’ to what I give. My wife Suzanne and I brought two wonderful children into this world. Our son Peter was called to God in 2012. In a special way, it seems right for us to honor ‘the rock of God’s’ memory by worship at his house in Glenside. While our lives were split in two by this tragedy, I, with Suzanne, am blessed that our daughter Liz and her husband Joe, live close to us and bring their children Charlotte and Teddy to church regularly. I am a beekeeper and like to golf whenever I get the chance.
Thank you for your Service
As we usher in new candidates, some Vestry members will be transitioning out. Jeanné Hannum, Karen Sayer, and Amy Michener-Wall have completed their three-year terms.
Jeanné Hannum
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I have worshiped at St. Peter's since 2016 when St. Philip-in-the-Fields closed. I've been a member of the choir since we started worshiping at St. Peter's. I was also a member of the choir at St. Philip's and St. Aidan's, our two previous parishes, and I've sung with the choir at Nativity Rockledge on special occasions. I joined St. Peter's Women's Group and have attended the Christmas party annually. I've attended the Lunch Club and now the Lunch Club to Go since it started. I was the Parish Administrator at St. Philip-in-the-Fields and assisted with the change-over when we joined with St. Peter's. I was an acolyte, a Eucharistic Minister and a Licensed Lay Reader at St. Aidan's, and I am a Eucharistic Minister at St. Peter's. I'm a former Navy nurse and also worked as a civilian nurse for 20 years, give or take, including two years as Director of Nursing for NurseFinders. I am the 1st Junior Commander of my DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Chapter and am on the Jeanes Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council. I have experience chairing committees and giving reports. My hobbies are baking, reading (voraciously!) and singing. St. Peter's has become a beloved church home to me after losing not one, but two previous church homes. I have felt so welcome and comfortable here. St. Peter's embraced many of the things I loved at St. Philip's and made them a seamless part of the church life here. I value the loving spirit in this congregation. I was reared in a Roman Catholic family, the eldest of four children. I'm married to Charlie Hannum, whom I met when we were both in the Navy and stationed in Memphis, TN. We have four children and three grandchildren. I was accepted in the Episcopal Church about 1986 (Charlie's a cradle Episcopalian) and we brought the children up in the church. They were acolytes at St. Aidan's, and very involved in Youth Council and Camp Elmo, and have life-long friends from all.
Karen Sayer
I have worshiped at St. Peter's since 1981. Over the years, I have been involved with many aspects of this parish, including Vestry, Parish Life (Chair), Social Concerns, Property, Finance, Youth Group Leader, Children’s Education Teacher, Rector Search Committee, and the Building Accessibility Committee. I have also been a member of the Altar Guild for the past 20 years and currently serve as Co-chair for that group. My 30+ years at St. Peter’s gives me some insight into how the parish works. Also, I think that my organization skills and attention to detail are beneficial in any situation. I spent 20+ years working at a disaster recovery support company, and flexibility and reprioritizing at a moment’s notice were key elements needed to help support our clients successfully. That flexibility is helpful here as well. St. Peter’s means Family to me. My first experience at St. Peter’s was on my wedding day in 1980! I was a practicing Catholic but my parish didn’t approve of a “mixed” marriage – Catholic and Episcopalian – and I wasn’t permitted to be married in my home church. But we were welcomed at St. Peter's for that day and we began to attend on a regular basis when we moved back to the area in 1981. The Episcopal service was similar enough to the Catholic mass that I felt comfortable but it was also different in ways that I found appealing and more in tune with my way of thinking and believing. I felt at home here in this parish and was formally received into the Episcopal Church in 1987. When my marriage ended after 25 years, my parish family enfolded me with love and support and wouldn't let me drift away which would have been so easy to do without their caring hearts. The thing I love the most about St. Peter's is how absolutely welcoming and inclusive we are with everyone. I love the spirit of togetherness here and know without a doubt that all are welcome and always will be!
Amy Michener-Wall
I first visited St. Peter’s in 2001 after seeing a service announcement that the rector had placed in the Philadelphia Gay News. I quickly became a regular worshipper, and was received by the bishop shortly thereafter. I was part of team behind the LGBTQ-inclusive language in our welcome statement, am an EfM graduate, Listening Circle participant, lector and Eucharistic minister, a veteran of countless women’s dinners and retreats, and an intermittent member of the choir. I previously served on vestry about 10 years ago. I believe strongly that we are all here to take care of each other and our world. St. Peter’s is the place where we have come together to make that happen. I’m a librarian by profession and have developed many skills in that capacity, including writing, editing, customer service, research, and reference work. I’ve had experience planning events, serving on hiring committees, writing statistical reports, and software/hardware/network troubleshooting. I’m originally from Southern California by way of New Hampshire. I came to Philadelphia in 1985 and have lived in Wyndmoor with my wife, Beth and our child, Wes since 2001. I love to cook, read, pull weeds, doodle, play with my cats, and spend time with my family.
Continuing Vestry Members
Debbie DeKalb
I have sung in the choir (everything except bass), sung and played flute with the Folk Group, and following the merger with St. Philip's, joined the Bell Choir. I have also been maintaining the function and security of the various PCs in use for the office and Vestry. I was honored to co-chair the search committee which (after a 1-year search) located and signed Carol Cei to take the musical reins of the choir. I have also participated in the Mary Pat's Cookie's tradition for most of my years here. It has been my great pleasure to share my own Jewish traditions with my St. Peter's family at our semi-annual Seder Dinners since 2010. I have an abiding love of music, and in it I feel most connected with G*d. I am not afraid of speaking in front of a crowd (no surprise there) and enjoy the opportunity to read from the Old Testament during our services. I sew, make jewelry, and am a joyous participant in a local not-for-profit theater group. I also sing in the choir at my synagogue and play flute in the Klezmer Band there. I truly feel that I have a connection to my St. Peter's family that transcends religion and ritual. I have the utmost respect for traditions and will always do my best to honor yours. When I first came to St. Peter's, it was because I felt completely disconnected from my synagogue and was searching for a community of faith. Little did I know that I would find it here. I am honored to participate in the service each Sunday, and I delight in the warmth and acceptance I feel from everyone. My in-laws (Richard and Doris DeKalb of blessed memory) were members here since before my husband was born. I've been married to Rick DeKalb for over 34 years. When we first began our journey together, we weren't sure how the blending of our two faiths would work. I was raising a daughter, and she was (and is) Jewish, as am I. But Rick and I soon discovered that even though our rituals and practices differed, the basic tenets of our beliefs were the same. Respect your fellow man. Honor your father and mother. Don’t be an evil doer. Love thy neighbor. And so many more. Early in our marriage, I began to attend with him during the Christmas and Easter services so that I could share in the most meaningful holidays of his faith and be part of his family. But when I was asked to join the Choir, I found that I, too, had a place here at St. Peter's. I know that the common ground of both of our faiths is truly the same. As a member of the Vestry of St. Peter's, I will do my best to help St. Peter's in any way I can. This is MY family, MY home. I wouldn't have it any other way. Note: Because Debbie maintains her Jewish identity, the Vestry received the bishop’s permission for her to run for Vestry, and with that permission also voted to suspend in this instance the St. Peter’s bylaw requiring candidates to be baptized members, so that she could be a nominee to Vestry.
Mark Evans
Throughout most of the last twenty years, I have been an active parishioner and leader at Trinity Episcopal Church in Buckingham, Bucks County, where I served on the property committee and then served on the Vestry. During this time, I helped lead a capital campaign to renovate the church, designed renovations for underutilized areas of the church, and supported our new Rector to grow our church membership. During these years, I volunteered with a number of outreach ministries to support those who are homeless and experiencing food insecurity, including a project called Code Blue to provide temporary shelter during winter cold spells. Throughout my years at Trinity, I volunteered to support many parish life events and taught Sunday school. In 2011, Donna and I were married at Trinity Episcopal Church and we brought together our families and four children. In 2017, we moved from Doylestown to Glenside. During the process of searching for a new church, we attended St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and we were deeply moved by Rev. Barb's preaching, her musicality and connection to youth ministry. In 2022, when we learned Barb was called to St. Peter's, we began worshiping here and quickly discovered this extraordinary church community. Donna and I are both so grateful to have discovered this warm, welcoming, and spiritually enriching community. I have been looking for ways to share my talents to help our parish community to grow and thrive, care for our buildings, and make a positive impact in our broader community. In 2023, I joined the Welcome Committee, and I am currently working on a plan to enhance the signage, lighting and visibility of our church from Easton Road. In my work life, I am an architect and town planner. I work throughout Pennsylvania on the revitalization of downtown business districts. I am frequently facilitating large community meetings and helping communities see their local assets and creating plans for how to expand business districts. I believe many of these skills that I use to help a downtown area thrive are similar to the things our church needs to grow, renovate our building, and enhance our grounds. I would welcome the opportunity to share my talents and collaborate with various church leaders at St. Peter’s to enhance our buildings to best support our mission and ministries.
Audrey Kipphut
People's Warden
I have worshipped at St. Peter’s since 1995 when we moved to Abington. David and I have been married for forty-five years. We have three married children and four granddaughters. I retired as a certified dental assistant after thirty years. In my leisure time, I like to travel, walk, read, do paper quilling and my favorite, be with my family. My service to St. Peter’s began shortly after I arrived. I was asked to co-teach the younger elementary class twenty-eight years ago. My involvement and service has grown and now includes: EfM graduate; Vestry; discernment committee, when called by the Rev. Emily Richards; worship committee; usher; Eucharistic Minister; profile committee for Rev. Barb; bell choir, listening circle, and LIFT member. I am chair of the Welcome Team, manage the food cupboard and volunteer for Beds for Kids. It would be my sincere pleasure to serve the members of St. Peter’s Church as a member of your Vestry.
Dave Mosteller
Rector's Warden
I've been involved in various aspects of church life at St. Peter's since my family joined in 1987. Before that, Laurel and I were active at the Church of the Redeemer (Bryn Mawr) and St. Asaph's Church (Bala Cynwyd) and sang in their choirs. Our children Don and Amy grew up as part of St. Peter's and were active in the Rite 13 and Journey to Adulthood (J2A) programs, culminating in their pilgrimages to Ireland (Don) and France (Amy). I'm in the choir and Bell Choir and served on the search team for our new Choir Director/Organist. My most challenging experiences were being a J2A leader, with pilgrimages to England and Italy. I am an Education for Ministry (EfM) graduate. Over the years, I've served on rector and music minister search teams; assisted as interim choir director a number of times; oversaw the installation of the sanctuary sound system; played piano at Taizé services; sang and played occasionally with the Folk Group; served as a lay reader; and emceed the talent show fundraiser. I retired in September 2022 as a hospital software analyst with Jefferson Health.
Amy Neske
My husband and I moved from New Jersey to Glenside in 2000, and we joined St. Peters in 2005. My three children and I were all baptized at St. Peters. I was on the vestry between 2016 and 2018. I also served on the Property Committee for a year. I’ve volunteered for church events such as the Rummage Sale, the Talent Show/Shrove Tuesday, and the Christmas Pageant. I have been an usher for about three years. Most recently, I joined the Gardening Committee, and I can’t wait for spring to come, so I can start gardening again. I was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom (thanks to the hard work of my dedicated husband) until my first-born was 17 years old. I enjoyed every minute I spent with my children, nurturing them into kind, creative, and intelligent young adults. Five years ago, I had the opportunity to use my bilingual skills and aid the under-served Chinese community, so I became a Chinese interpreter and a medical insurance counselor for one of the busiest health centers under the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Bridging the communication gap between people with Limited English Proficiency and their healthcare providers and helping patients receive free or affordable health insurance so that they have access to quality medical services is very fulfilling. In my third year at this job, I was promoted to the role of supervisor, overseeing four health centers and many interpreters and benefits counselors. I think my listening, collaboration and problem solving skills that I have developed through my work will help me perform my duties as a vestry member more effectively. I served on the vestry between 2016 and 2018, during the final stage of St. Peters' merger with St. Phillips in-the-Fields. I was so glad to be part of the team that, under the guidance of Rev. Emily, handled such a challenging process with compassion and poise, making the union a successful one. I learned a lot about collaborating with other churches and working within the vestry as a team from that experience, and I think it will help me take on any challenges that lay ahead. Regarding my hobbies: I love gardening. Every season I put together different planting arrangements for my window boxes and have gotten some positive feedback from my neighbors and Facebook friends. I enjoy volunteering for my kids’ schools and their soccer teams. When my kids were in elementary school, I used to organize multicultural events with other parents to bring some fun activities and teach them about diversity at the same time. Now that my daughters are in college, I mainly act as the “supporting crew” for my husband, who is the head coach for my son’s soccer team. My other passion is tutoring Chinese to middle school and high school students. I spend a lot of time learning the intricacy of the Chinese language, the etymology, and literature, and incorporating some of that knowledge into the lessons to make them more interesting. It is very rewarding to help a struggling student over the hump and keep him/her interested in learning a complex language such as Chinese. St. Peter’s has consistently striven to be an open, friendly and safe place for all young parishioners. My perspective as a mother of three children who grew up here and benefited from this environment, and my experience from working with children and young adults will help guide me in the mission of supporting our youths. St. Peter's Church means a lot to me. The church has been an integral part of my life because my children grew up here, and St. Peters helped created so many fond memories through their intentional efforts to make children feel valued and cherished. Whether it was Oak telling jokes at the Talent Show when he was six or my daughters playing the piano and violin on Mother’s Day, we’ve always felt right at home. Though the church and its people went through a lot of changes throughout the years, I value that St. Peters has remained inclusive, compassionate, and full of grace through it all. My husband, Don, and I have three children: Willow is 22 and a senior at Temple U., Valerie is 19 and a sophomore at Princeton U., and Oak, who is 13, is an 8th grader at Abington Middle School. Willow and Valerie were acolytes at St. Peters until they graduated from high school. Oak currently serves as an usher for the church.
Douglas Pneuma
I started attending St. Peter’s in the fall of 2019 with my now spouse Bryan Pneuma. Prior to St. Peter’s, I was a committed UU at the nearby BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Warrington, being a regular member of their worship band, participating in the UU Christian Fellowship where I deconstructed and reconstructed my Christian faith, taking part in small group ministry, and serving in my capacity as an SEO marketing specialist and writer for the launch of the interfaith organization POWER Metro, the suburban wing of POWER Philadelphia. Bryan and I both loved the open spiritual atmosphere of UUism, but sought to deepen our personal experience of faith, and had had great experiences at a variety of Episcopal churches prior to that, including at St. Philip’s in New Hope, whose rector Michael Ruk married us at St. Peter’s on May 14 2022 along with Laura Palmer. I work professionally in a digital agency producing websites, videos, eLearning platforms, mobile apps, and more, am experienced in numerous social media platforms, and know how to plan and execute comprehensive search engine optimization content development strategies that can help organizations compete more effectively for key search terms. I also lead new business development and project management for new clients in my professional work. In my faith work, I seek to mitigate and resolve conflicts to promote the balance of productivity and interpersonal ministry that is necessary for a safe, healthy, and functional faith community, while also bringing my own unique perspectives to the table to explore opportunities for continuous evolution for the common welfare of all. I am currently in my first year of Education for Ministry and am loving it. I was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended the nearby St. Catherine’s of Sienna for many years. I am knowledgeable and deeply influenced by numerous faith traditions—especially their mystical traditions—which all have worked to support and enhance my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thus highly committed to interfaith work. As a bisexual/pansexual man married to my awesome transmasculine non-binary spouse Bryan, I am also deeply committed to queer and broader gender liberation for all, especially within the context of fully authentic and committed Christian discipleship, where “ There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NRSV)
Matt Torpey
For those that don’t know me, I’m Matt Torpey. Stef, Grayson, and I moved to Willow Grove from NJ in 2021. I was raised Roman Catholic and began attending the Episcopal Church prior to getting married. I was received into the Episcopal Church around 2015 at St. John the Evangelist in NJ. At our previous parish, I served 2 years on the Vestry and then as Junior and Senior Warden (In NJ the Junior Warden is elected directly by the congregation and serves a 2-year term first as Jr. and then as Sr. Warden). Soon after my time on Vestry, I served on the Search committee for a new parish rector. However, my most frequent contributions could be found in the kitchen, heading fellowship and leading the kitchen for the parish celebrations. These included the regular things like Shrove Tuesdays, Welcome Back Picnic, Annual Parish Dinner, and Breakfast with Santa and special occasions like a celebratory dinner when a previous priest was made Pastor Emeritus. Other areas I was active in include, Lector, 225th Anniversary Committee, re-created the parish website/webmaster, created the parish Christmas Cards, Organist search committee, and Diocesan Convention Representative. We began attending St. Peter’s regularly in 2022. Since joining St. Peters, I have helped with Shrove Tuesday, the Blue Grass Concert, Rev. Barbara’s Installation Celebration, and Outreach Day. I am also a member of the Folk Group. Grayson and I performed together during the Shrove Tuesday Talent Show. I really like the St. Peter’s family and I hope to be able to help by bringing outside ideas while respecting the traditions that have worked for so long.