Revd Linda Tarry-Chard (United Church of Christ) served as Associate Minister for Membership, Care and Parish Life at The Riverside Church of New York City for nearly 14 years.   The Founding President of the Project People Foundation (PPF), a nonprofit organization that funds education and social justice programs for adults and children in South Africa and the United States.   Since 2008 PPF has collaborated with Splash Fit Swim Club to provide free life-saving swimming skills and a healthy outlet for fitness and fun to students living in Harlem and the South Bronx.  Tarry-Chard provides clergy supply for churches in the tri-state area.   She holds an M.S. degree in education from Fordham University and an Masters of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary.  

Lay Leader: Jeff Cubeta, Reception Host: Gloria Schofner, Usher: Wayne Kammerer

Revd Joseph J. Nicholson (Non-denominational Protestant) spent the first 30 years of his career as an entrepreneur.  He founded a dozen companies, mostly related to software and the financial services industry.

Following the sale of his operating businesses and a brief retirement, he was called to seminary.  He received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2016 and a Masters degree of Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in 2020.  He was ordained in 2017 by the Non-Denominational Protestant American Fellowship Church.

From September 2014 to January 2021, he served as chaplain to the uniformed personnel of the EMS division of the New York City Fire Department.  Since April 2019, he has served as pastoral counselor at Chelsea Community Church.

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: Edie Diane Nichols, Usher: TBA

Guy Wasko (Association of Vineyard Churches) is a pastor, chaplain and non-profit executive. With more than 25 years of experience leading in the church, charity and community organizing fields he serves as the founder and executive director of For NYC - a collective impact city platform that strengthens leaders and unites churches for the flourishing of New York City. He lives in the East Village of Manhattan with his wife and three daughters.

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: Gloria Schofner

Mary Sheeran (Episcopalian/Chelsea Community Church) has been a member of Chelsea Community Church since 1987.  After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Humanistic Studies, and Theater at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, she taught at the Foxhollow School in Lenox, Massachusetts.  She performed leading roles in regional theater productions, off-Broadway plays, and in operas in New York City.   She also worked as a theater critic for the trade papers Show Business and Backstage.  Mary also has had a career as a medical editor, and she served on the board of Chelsea Community Church for several years.   As board Chair, she was invited to audit a class at Union Theological Seminary; and inspired,she enrolled at nondenominational New York Theological Seminary, earning her Master of Divinity degree.  She did field service at St. Peter's Chelsea, where she was active in their liturgy and education committees, on the vestry, and in the choir.  In 2006, her first novel, Who Have the Power, was published about the effects of silver mining in the west on the Native peoples.  She has since had five other novels published, two of which have won awards; and she is working on number six.

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: Gloria Schofner

Gary Ryan ThM (Episcopalian) Gary studied basic Clinical Pastoral Education while a chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and did his advanced psychotherapeutic training and supervision at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in NYC where he was the Chief Resident Chaplain during the height of the AIDS crisis.  More recently he also worked at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC as a chaplain during the height of the Covid crisis. 

Gary studied philosophy at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and theology at Harvard Divinity School.  He has written for the Associated Press, represented the Archbishop of Canterbury at the United Nations, and taught chess in NYC’s inner city, where the present World Rank No. 2 player was one of his early students. 

From Mississippi, Gary presently lives in Brooklyn, writes poetry and short stories.   He loves art, travel, and flyfishing; and he claims New Orleans as his second city.

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: Jennifer Lynch, Usher: TBA

Revd Nindyo Sasongko (Mennonite) is pursuing a Ph.D. in systematic theology at Fordham University. He is a teaching fellow at Fordham and a theologian in residence at Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship. He served as a pastor in his native Indonesia from 2005-2013, with time out as a youth minister in Ethiopia for nearly a year. After receiving an M.A. from Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry in 2015, he became the Elias Pohan visiting research fellow at Jakarta Theological Seminary in Indonesia. In 2019 he was selected to participate in a climate change task force sponsored by Mennonite World Conference.

Lay Leader: Jeff Cubeta, Reception Host: Edie Diane Nichols, Usher: TBA

Rabbi Jill Hausman has been the Rabbi and Cantor of the historic Actors’ Temple, Congregation Ezrath Israel, in Manhattan since 2006, and is the Assistant Dean of the Rabbinical Seminary International (RSI).  She previously served as Cantor/Assistant Rabbi at Boro Park Progressive Synagogue in Brooklyn, and has been an aquatic biologist, a singer, and actor.  Her commentaries on the weekly Torah portion have been published by The Jewish Week in New York City, now online at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, by Tikkun Magazine, and her poems and prayers can be found at www.ritualwell.org.

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: Gloria Schofner, Usher: Edie Diane Nichols

Revd Joseph J. Nicholson (Non-denominational Protestant) spent the first 30 years of his career as an entrepreneur.  He founded a dozen companies, mostly related to software and the financial services industry.

Following the sale of his operating businesses and a brief retirement, he was called to seminary.  He received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2016 and a Masters degree of Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in 2020.  He was ordained in 2017 by the Non-Denominational Protestant American Fellowship Church.

From September 2014 to January 2021, he served as chaplain to the uniformed personnel of the EMS division of the New York City Fire Department.  Since April 2019, he has served as pastoral counselor at Chelsea Community Church.

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: Gloria Schofner

Mel Lehman (Mennonite) grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  He received a Master of Arts in theology from Union Theological Seminary and an Master of Arts in literature from Columbia University.  He worked for the first 20 years of his career at the National Council of Churches as an editor in international humanitarian issues.
In 2009, he founded a non-profit organization called Common Humanity which works to build understanding, respect, and friendship between Americans and the Middle East and Arab world.  Common Humanity organizes exhibits of paintings by Middle East artists to help Americans better understand the humanity and rich culture of the people there.
He is a long-time deacon at his home congregation, Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship, and a lay preacher.
Mel recently returned from a friendship-building trip to Baghdad in December during which he took holiday cards from Americans to Iraqis and received cards in return.

Lay Leader: Edie Diane Nichols, Reception Host: Wayne Kammerer, Usher: Mary Sheeran

Revd Christine Lee (Episcopalian) came to St. Peter’s, Chelsea, in October 2019 with a team of 20 members from All Angels' Church and Church of the Heavenly Rest to join the existing St. Peter's congregation in an experiment in revitalization, part of the Diocese of New York’s larger vision for church renewal. She previously served as Vicar at All Angels' Church on the Upper West Side and Interim Minister at St. Mary's in Harlem. 

Rev. Christine has worked as professionally as a community organizer and a campus minister. She completed a year of Anglican Studies at the General Theological Seminary and is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Fuller Theological Seminary, focusing on leading congregational and organizational change.  She is married to Jimmy and is dog mom to Baxter, her adorable rescue.

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: Gloria Schofner

Rasheed Hart (Nondenominational) Following his release in 2017, Rasheed Hart graduated from both Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business and CUNY Urban School of Labor.  He held an internship in community organizing at The Black Institute, and in 2018 he established the renowned NYC Barbershop Museum, a center dedicated to preserving cultural heritage.  Rasheed has been deeply committed to addressing the pressing issue of gun violence, and he began working with the Center for Justice Innovation in 2020.   In 2021, he was recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department of Probation for his contributions to the Echoes Be Ready program, which addresses the ongoing challenges of employment and gun violence.  Rasheed has also served as a job developer, facilitating the placement of over 70 unemployed participants and providing hope and opportunities to those facing adversity.  He had a longtime friendship with the late CCC member Kathy Reid. Rasheed holds certifications in Ministry and Human Services from Rising Hope Inc.

Lay Leader: Joanne Downes, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: TBA

Rachel Rim (Episcopalian) is a board-certified chaplain at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital where she provides spiritual care to pediatric palliative care patients and their families.  She attends St. Peter's Chelsea.  She earned her BA in English literature at Wheaton College and her MDiv at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Lay Leader: Pam Palmieri, Reception Host: Wayne Kammerer, Usher: Edie Diane Nichols

Revd Joseph J. Nicholson (Non-denominational Protestant) spent the first 30 years of his career as an entrepreneur.  He founded a dozen companies, mostly related to software and the financial services industry.

Following the sale of his operating businesses and a brief retirement, he was called to seminary.  He received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2016 and a Masters degree of Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in 2020.  He was ordained in 2017 by the Non-Denominational Protestant American Fellowship Church.

From September 2014 to January 2021, he served as chaplain to the uniformed personnel of the EMS division of the New York City Fire Department.  Since April 2019, he has served as pastoral counselor at Chelsea Community Church.

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: Jennifer Lynch, Usher: Mary Sheeran

Revd John Magisano (Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches)  served as Chelsea Community Church's Pastoral Counselor for 11 years (2004 - 2015). He has served various churches and currently serves All Souls Bethlehem Church in Brooklyn as their interim pastoral counselor.  He earned his Master of Divinity Degree at New York Theological Seminary in 1999.  John recently retired from NYC Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI) as Senior Coordinator for Learning & Organizational Development.  He lives in Brooklyn with his husband Xris and their feline overlord, Wolverina.  

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: Joanne Downes

Nathalie E. Amazan is a Muslim, writer, and law student from New York. She was a Wednesday Night Slam Winner at the Nuyorican Poets Café, a nominee for the 2024 Pushcart Prize for her poem “Ayiti,” and released her first poetry collection, Still, with Finishing Line Press in 2023. Her writing is informed by her belief in the Oneness at the heart of all of creation and she prays that her words can move people to recognize that power within their souls to create empowering and loving ways of being. In 2022, she was a co-creator of the Al-Wasi’ Collective, a NYC based Muslim queer inclusive prayer community, and is currently a dervish of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order. You can connect with her @natamazan on all online platforms.

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: Edie Diane Nichols, Usher: Gloria Schofner

Mary Sheeran (Episcopalian/Chelsea Community Church) has been a member of Chelsea Community Church since 1987.  After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Humanistic Studies, and Theater at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, she taught at the Foxhollow School in Lenox, Massachusetts.  She performed leading roles in regional theater productions, off-Broadway plays, and in operas in New York City.   She also worked as a theater critic for the trade papers Show Business and Backstage.  Mary also has had a career as a medical editor, and she served on the board of Chelsea Community Church for several years.   As board Chair, she was invited to audit a class at Union Theological Seminary; and inspired,she enrolled at nondenominational New York Theological Seminary, earning her Master of Divinity degree.  She did field service at St. Peter's Chelsea, where she was active in their liturgy and education committees, on the vestry, and in the choir.  In 2006, her first novel, Who Have the Power, was published about the effects of silver mining in the west on the Native peoples.  She has since had five other novels published, two of which have won awards; and she is working on number six.

Lay Leader: Edie Diane Nichols, Reception Host: Gloria Schofner, Usher: Wayne Kammerer, Special Music: Lucille Carr-Kaffashan

Revd Gloria Jean Skeete (National Association of Congregational Christian Churches) is on the ministerial staff of the Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church in Brooklyn, where she has served since 2015.  She occasionally fills in as Pastor while Flatbush-Tompkins conducts their current pastor search.  She was previously a pastor at the New York Congregational Nursing Center in Brooklyn.  She graduated from New York Theological Seminary in 2012 with an Masters of Divinity degree.  Her seminary education included internships at Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Brooklyn and Jan Hus Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.  Before going to seminary she worked in the fashion industry.

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: Jennifer Lynch, Usher: TBA

Father Vince Corso is a member of CITI Ministries, an organization of married and resigned Roman Catholic priests serving the spiritual needs of those under-served, overlooked or rejected by the institutional church. Vince entered the Franciscan Order in 1971 and received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy in 1976. After earning a Master of Divinity in 1980 Vince was ordained in May of that year. He served as a parish priest, vocation director for the Friars and as spiritual director for the Covenant House Faith Community in NYC and North and Central America. Vince earned the Master of Social Work degree in 1996 from Syracuse University and worked in hospice and palliative care in NYC until 2016. Now retired, Vince ministers as a wedding officiant, helping prepare couples for marriage and celebrating their nuptials! Vince and Christine reside in Cedar Grove, NJ and celebrated 34 years of marriage this past September. They have 2 children, Peter who lives in NJ and Julia, who is married to Will Roper and who lives in Boston. 

Lay Leader: Joanne Downes, Reception Host: Wayne Kammerer, Usher: TBA, Special Music: Pam Palmieri

Revd Joseph J. Nicholson (Non-denominational Protestant) spent the first 30 years of his career as an entrepreneur.  He founded a dozen companies, mostly related to software and the financial services industry.

Following the sale of his operating businesses and a brief retirement, he was called to seminary.  He received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2016 and a Masters degree of Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in 2020.  He was ordained in 2017 by the Non-Denominational Protestant American Fellowship Church.

From September 2014 to January 2021, he served as chaplain to the uniformed personnel of the EMS division of the New York City Fire Department.  Since April 2019, he has served as pastoral counselor at Chelsea Community Church.

Lay Leader: Joanne Downes, Reception Host: Scott Barbarino, Usher: Gloria Schofner, Special Music: Otto Walberg

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: Jennifer Lynch, Usher: TBA, Special Music: Aaron Lee Battle

Revd Dr. Valerie H. Holly (American Baptist/United Church of Christ) has worked in various ministerial positions at Judson Memorial Church in the West Village. Previously she was Senior Pastor at Unity Fellowship Church of Christ New York City in Brooklyn.  Dr. Holly has also held managerial social work positions in substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and Employee Assistance Programs.

Dr. Holly received both a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctorate in Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary. She also holds a Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) from Columbia University.

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: Edie Diane Nichols, Usher: Joanne Downes

David Williams is a non-denominational Christian and technology investor who currently manages a fund investing in blockchain and digital assets. He began his career on Wall Street in the late 1980s, and for the past 30 years has been involved in starting and investing in software and internet companies. He and his wife Courtney have been married 35 years and have three sons. David and his family lived in Beijing, China, from 2002 through 2007. As founder of non-profit GoodWork International, David assisted faith based organizations seeking to alleviate poverty in China through entrepreneurship and community development. David has a B.S. in Economics from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He has also taken course work at General Theological Seminary here in Chelsea and The Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Lay Leader: Edie Diane Nichols, Reception Host: Jeff Cubeta, Usher: Mary Sheeran

Lay Leader: Edie Diane Nichols, Reception Host: Jeff Cubeta, Usher: Mary Sheeran

Abigail Hastings (Alliance of Baptists) is a writer, editor, occasional producer and occasional preacher and most of all, a “Tex Yorker” (from Dallas, 45 years in NYC). These days she writes mitigation reports for immigrants, helps lead retreats, and is working on a film about her activist mentor, Arlene Carmen. She loves her work as an archivist at Judson Church (Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist and UCC) and hanging out with rescue dog Henry.

Lay Leader: Jeff Cubeta, Reception Host: Wayne Kammerer, Usher: Edie Diane Nichols, Special Music: TBA

Pastor Michelle Odinma is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian minister and contemporary singer/songwriter. After completing her Master of Divinity Degree from the Andrews Theological Seminary in 2020, she began serving as the Pastor for Community Life at Church of the Advent Hope where she currently ministers.  Along with being a cat mom of two, she enjoys filling her life with good food, good people, and good music. 

Lay Leader: Wayne Kammerer, Reception Host: Edie Diane Nichols, Usher: Gloria Schofner, Special Music: Revd Michelle Odinma

Thomas Martin Conroy (Ecumenical Advocate ) graduated from the Master in Divinity program at Virginia Theological Seminary in May of 2024. Since then, he has been working with the intellectual and developmental disability population and soldier recovery unit at Fort Riley (Manhattan, Kansas) in the context of drama therapy. As an actor and musician, he has toured nationally with In The Mood, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Grease, Crazy For You, Cabaret, The Paris LIDO, and Pokemon LIVE! Favorite roles include Anthony Chapman in End of the Rainbow (Music Theatre of Connecticut and The Grandel in St. Louis), and Herbie in Precious Nonsense (The Kitchen Theatre, Ithaca); and back-up quartet for Bernadette Peters in Concert (Orpheum, San Francisco). Education: Rice University, Houston; St. John's College, Santa Fe; San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Royal National Theatre of London; European American Musical Alliance, Paris; Schreiber Studios in New York City. His storytelling podcast is available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-people-who-like-the-heels-of-bread/id1518850625  

Lay Leader: David Williams, Reception Host: Wayne Kammerer, Usher: Mary Sheeran

Revd Joseph J. Nicholson (Non-denominational Protestant) spent the first 30 years of his career as an entrepreneur.  He founded a dozen companies, mostly related to software and the financial services industry.

Following the sale of his operating businesses and a brief retirement, he was called to seminary.  He received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 2016 and a Masters degree of Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in 2020.  He was ordained in 2017 by the Non-Denominational Protestant American Fellowship Church.

From September 2014 to January 2021, he served as chaplain to the uniformed personnel of the EMS division of the New York City Fire Department.  Since April 2019, he has served as pastoral counselor at Chelsea Community Church.

Lay Leader: Mary Sheeran, Reception Host: TBA, Usher: TBA