Leadership at Saint Peter’s

Jared R. Stahler

Pastor

Pastor Jared Stahler is interested in the interface of religion and society, and pays particular attention to the voices or viewpoints of persons placed by the powerful on the margins of church and society.

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He works with leaders to continue to expand Saint Peter's programming and garner support for its action in the community. In his role as Senior Pastor, in addition to religious duties, he is responsible for the church's staff, administrative & building oversight, and relationships with partner organizations.

Pastor Stahler is an alumnus of Yale University and Oberlin College. At Yale he studied jointly at the Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music, receiving, in addition to a Master of Divinity degree, a Diploma in Lutheran Studies and a Certificate in Liturgical Studies. Pastor Stahler holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College where he studied with James David Christie and Haskell Thomson.

Pastor Stahler is a leader in numerous church-related organizations, and has served on the boards of and has been a consultant for a number of secular not-for-profit organizations. He serves as co-chair of A Partnership of Faith in NYC, a network of senior religious leaders of the City’s Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities.

Fabian Arias

Pastor

A native of Argentina, Pastor Arias moved to the United States in the 1990s. The people of Saint Peter’s Church accompanied Pastor Arias throughout the immigration process. He completed seminary training and was ordained in 2003.

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Pastor Arias led Iglesia de Sion since 2003. When the economic downturn of 2008 sullied plans to build a mixed condo-religious-community space on Sion’s original home in Spanish Harlem, Pastor Arias led the community into diaspora, and then ultimately to a new home at Saint Peter’s Church. Iglesia de Sion merged with Saint Peter's Church in January 2020.

He is skilled in traditional folk dance, and is an avid drinker of máte.

David Larson-Martínez

Faith Formation Pastor-in-Residence

David is a consecrated deacon of the Lutheran Diaconal Association and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Valparaiso University and a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary.

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David works with the members of Saint Peter's by preparing individuals and families for the sacraments of confirmation and first communion by leading weekly online sessions. He also visits in-person for liturgies, including sacraments, feast days, and summer camp.

David lives in Minneapolis and works full-time at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church as their Community Engagement and Education Coordinator. Originally from Cuernavaca, Mexico he finds beauty and fulfillment in accompanying communities (especially Spanish-speaking immigrant ones) as they navigate their faith journeys in the U.S.

Sarah Moga

Director of Administration and Development

Sarah Moga has been a part of the Saint Peter’s Church staff since 2018, first as the Director of Member Engagement, and now as the Director of Administration and Development.

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Sarah seeks to ensure the administrative, physical, and financial health of the Church by interfacing with professional staff, overseeing the finance office, and cultivating a dynamic, vibrant community at Saint Peter’s. She is committed to working with a team of passionate people who seek to support the community of Saint Peter’s Church.

Before joining the Saint Peter’s staff, Sarah worked for four years in the performing arts and in nonprofit fundraising.

Sarah holds a B.A. in History and German Language and Literature from The George Washington University and an M.A. in History of Women and Gender from New York University. She is an active member of the New York performing arts scene.

Jacqueline Lewis

Director of Marketing and Communications

Jacqueline Lewis is the Director of Marketing and Communications. In this role, she manages all church communication, including the website, social media platforms, video production, print materials, and newsletters. She also oversees the development and maintenance of the church’s A/V needs and A/V staff.

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Jacqueline received her bachelor’s in English Literature and Art History from Seattle University, where she gained professional experience as a museum intern and arts and entertainment reporter, covering exhibitions, concerts, and local news in Seattle. She also has experience developing and leading educational programming in both museum and church settings, and she is committed to engaging the members of Saint Peter’s through thoughtful, consistent, and clear communication.

Prior to Saint Peter’s, Jacqueline worked in museum marketing. A Southern California native, Jacqueline has studied in Paris, France; London, England; and Rome, Italy, focusing on site-specific art and literature.

James Beaudreau

Director of Programming

James Beaudreau is Director of Programming for Saint Peter's Church. James previously served as Director of Media and Communications from 2014-2022.

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James directs and coordinates arts programming and some key non-arts programming. He is responsible for developing cultural programming with an emphasis on jazz, visual arts, education, and community building. Key to this effort is relationship building with artists, musicians, cultural organizations, and other professional partners.

Before joining Saint Peter’s, James worked as a marketing director in the music industry. Prior to that, he worked as a marketer in the staffing industry.

In addition to his work at Saint Peter's, James is a musician who has recorded multiple albums as a leader and sideperson in the rock, jazz-rock, art song, and experimental music categories.

James holds a B.A. in English from Binghamton University, SUNY.

Bálint Karosi

Director of Music, Classical

Bálint Karosi is an active composer, concert organist, conductor and harpsichordist. An avid interpreter of Bach, he has recorded three CDs of Bach’s music, most recently the Art of Fugue and the Clavier-übung III, released by Hungaroton.

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Bálint oversees an ambitious musical program at Saint Peter's, with frequent performances of choral and orchestral works including a yearly performance of one of J. S. Bach’s Passions on Good Friday.

Previously, Bálint served as Minister of Music at the First Lutheran Church of Boston, where he established a Bach Cantata Vespers series and co-founded the annual Boston Bach Birthday.

Balint's compositions have been performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, UMZE, the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, the Yale Philharmonia Orchestra, the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra, Musiciens Libres, Animae Musica Chamber Orchestra, Boston Choral Ensemble, Antico Moderno and the Norfolk Festival Choir and Orchestra.

Recent commissions include an Overture for the Hungarian State Opera, a Reformation Symphony to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation for the Symphonic Band of Concordia University of Chicago (River Forest), a second organ concerto for János Pálúr, a bassoon sonata, and Exoplanets for Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra.

He is the recipient of the 2014 Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Junior Prima Prize in his native Hungary, and the prizewinner of the 2008 International J. S. Bach Competition in Leipzig.

He also holds a Master’s degree in historical keyboard performance and an artist diploma in organ performance from the Oberlin Conservatory, two Master’s degrees from the Liszt Academy in Budapest, and two Prix de Virtuosités from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Genève. He also holds two master degrees in clarinet performance from the Liszt Academy and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Genève.

Edgar Guerrero

Parish Secretary / Secretario Parroquial

Edgar provides administrative support to pastors and parish committees and also interacts with members and visitors alike to assist them in connecting to the community. / Edgar brinda apoyo administrativo a los Pastores y los comités parroquiales y también interactúa con los miembros y los visitantes para ayudarlos a conectarse con la comunidad.

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Before joining the staff of the new Saint Peter's Church in early 2020, Edgar worked with elderly people and was linked to organizations targeting people living with HIV / AIDS in New York City. He worked in Ecuador in "Fundación Mujer Solidaridad," a non-profit organization that provides care to women sex workers in vulnerable neighborhoods. He worked as Coordinator in the "Functional Rehabilitation Medical Unit" for seniors and people with disabilities.

Edgar graduated from a Naturopathy technology program in 2013 and is currently studying at Trinity School of Natural Health.

Ryan Olson

Program Intern for Faith Communities

Ryan Olson is the Program Intern for Faith Communities, undertaking a joint internship with Saint Peter’s and the interfaith non-profit organization, Partnership of Faith, of which Pastor Stahler serves as co-chair. He works on interfaith engagement in New York City through the Saint Peter’s community.

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Born and raised in NYC, Ryan recently graduated from the Gallatin school at NYU where he received a bachelor’s degree in Individualized Studies. His concentration was religious studies and philosophy, focusing on cosmologies, interfaith histories, and mysticism. He is invested in conversations about spirituality from many different sources, as well as discovering shared values, passions, and experiences.

Ryan’s also a musician, playing piano and guitar in his spare time.

Rebekah Thornhill

Special Advisor to the Senior Pastor

Rebekah Thornhill is providing support to Saint Peter’s Capital Campaign, tending to campaign goals and leadership needs throughout.

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Rebekah holds a M.A. in Theology and the Arts from Union Theological Seminary. Prior to working at Saint Peter’s, she spent over a decade working in interfaith education, parish programming, and synodical communications and events.

She also owns and manages a creative business centered on digital manufacturing with sustainable resources and is active among professional organizations for small businesses in New York City.

JoAnn Yao

Executive Assistant to Pastor Stahler

JoAnn Yao is the executive assistant to Pastor Stahler, providing administrative support to the team at Saint Peters.

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Before joining the Saint Peter’s staff, JoAnn worked in various administrative capacities across several industries, including the nonprofit sector. She has lived all over the US but considers New York City home.

Bill Eschen

Pastoral Counselor

Pastor Bill Eschen is a licensed pastoral counselor with offices at Saint Peter’s Church and in Westchester County.

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He keeps regular office hours and also provides periodic learning opportunities for the people of Saint Peter’s Church at retreats and forums.

Pastor Eschen is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Wagner College and Gettysburg Seminary. From 1994 until 2004 he was called by the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as a pastoral psychotherapist, serving on the Foundation for Religion and Mental Health and at the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute.

Pastor Eschen lives in New York with his family. His hobbies are reading and yoga. He is an engaged “baseball parent.” For more information on his services, please visit billeschen.com.

Vineeta Chopra

Counselor

Vineeta Chopra is part of Saint Peter’s Church’s growing counseling services program.

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Vineeta received her MA in mental health counseling from Montclair State University in New Jersey. After working in various psychiatric settings for several years, she was most recently director of the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Senior Center at Saint Peter’s Church, where she managed a vibrant program and also provided emotional and tangible support to older adults. Vineeta provides talk therapy and Brainspotting services to adults in the counseling office at Saint Peter’s Church. For more information on her services, please visit vineetachopra.com.