A Massachusetts boy who’s called NYC home since 2004, Will hails from the Broadway lighting world and often feels more comfortable hanging from a harness in a box boom than he does hanging out in a suit. Energetic and analytical, he has about a 60% success rating in landing a joke. He’s been a deacon at Redeemer since 2016, and in 2019 he received a Masters in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. Will lives in New Rochelle with his wife, Eunice, and their ever-active toddler, Jacob. Before chasing his son around the house, Will’s been known to go for hikes, hit the water for a swim, do a triathlon or two, and even enjoy a nap.

‍

Schedule coffee with Will →

A native of sunny Tempe, AZ, Karen Dolan moved to New York City in the Spring of 2008, armed with a bachelor’s in education and ready to take on the schools of New York. After a teaching stint at two public schools in the Bronx, Karen decided to use her teaching background to pursue a master’s degree in school counseling. While working toward her master’s, Karen began working with Redeemer Children’s Ministry as a Sunday School and Moms’ Group teacher. She’s worked with a multitude of Redeemer families. Karen joined Redeemer Downtown in March 2013. She loves downtown, children, and their families and is thrilled to be a part of what God is doing here. Karen loves riding her bike to far-flung locales such as City Island, New Jersey and Coney Island — basically anywhere with a food-focused destination.

Tyler MacDonald has lived in Brooklyn, New York for ten years and has attended Redeemer Downtown for seven years. In fact, she met her husband while attending a Brooklyn Community Group. Together, she and her husband Nick live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn with their two little boys Llewyn and Whitney, their dog Olive, and cat Rowen. There is never a dull moment! Tyler has a background in fashion but a passion for working with children. She loves the joy and creativity that children bring and loves learning about God through their eyes. Prior to becoming the Early Childhood Coordinator, Tyler served as a volunteer in the Children’s Ministry for four years. She also co-led a Community Group from 2017-2019 and participated as a member of the RDT Pulpit Search Committee in 2020-2021. When she is not working you can find her near a body of water or running. 

‍

An avid reader, a serial crafter and Georgia girl at heart, Ashley and her family moved to New York City to follow God in His grand adventure in August of 2023. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2002 and Baylor University in 2003 with a Masters in Communication Sciences, Ashley practiced as a speech pathologist in adult healthcare for over a decade. Ministry became a second career when she served as Director of Groups and Discipleship for her church in Nashville, TN. She and her husband Josh have been married since 2005 and have 2 smart, silly, lovely daughters, Evelyn and Miriam. Ashley loves meeting new people, good conversation, and talking about books.

‍

Schedule coffee with Ashley →

Elli was born in Philadelphia and raised just across the river in New Jersey. She moved to NYC in the fall of 2020 to attend The King’s College where she received a BS in Business Management. She came for the college but stayed for the city and the sense that God was doing something here that she wanted to be a part of. Despite coming from generations of faithful believers, ministers, and Bible professors, Elli never imagined that she would end up in vocational ministry. Not everyone has a great experience growing up in church, but Elli did, and that foundation is what motivates her work at Redeemer Downtown. While she loves the city, Elli feels most at home among the trees. Thankfully, she now lives in Prospect Heights, where she can access wild-like landscapes within minutes. She enjoys reading novels, going on long walks, building friendships, and exploring interesting food destinations.

Obed grew up right outside NYC in northern New Jersey. For college he traveled to Dallas, TX, and received an Associate's degree in Practical Theology from Christ for the Nations Institute. He then completed a BA in Political Science from Rutgers University and pursued politics for a few years in NYC, Washington DC, and on the campaign trail. Obed started attending a Redeemer Community Group in 2011, and, between political endeavors, he helped launch the Downtown congregation as part of the Operations staff in 2012. For fun, Obed enjoys nature outings, classic cartoons like Bugs Bunny, The Chronicles of Narnia, LOTR, and various arts and crafts. When time allows, he also works on home renovation and landscaping projects.

Charles is also known as “Cheech.” He was born and raised in Brooklyn. He did not grow up in a Christian house, but came to faith as a teen through many trials (you can ask him about it)! He and Christina got married in August 2015 after dating for 5 years. He graduated from Cairn University with a Bachelors in Bible and a Bachelors of Social Work. After a short time working in adult mental health, he continued his studies at Westminster Theological Seminary and received a Masters in Divinity. He joined Redeemer Downtown’s staff in August 2017. Cheech has a daughter who looks exactly like him. He loves NYC because of the diverse people and cultures. He enjoys all sports - from locally known handball to basketball to golf.

Marla was adopted when she was two. She grew up in Phoenix and moved to NYC in 1999 to work in publishing, where she enjoyed copyediting cookbooks and novels. During her first fifteen years in New York, she carried on a tumultuous love/hate relationship with the city but was eventually won over by the power of community (and a new Trader Joe's opening up in her neighborhood). In 2018, Marla’s birth sister found her, launching a cultural identity adventure that started with Skype calls and K-dramas and culminated in a half-year visit to rural Korea. As her story continues to unfold, God’s faithfulness is the consistent theme.

Get coffee with Marla →

Gustavo was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. He and his wife, Ha Na Choi, moved to NYC at the end of 2019 after six months of marriage; it was a hard move initially, but they learned to love the city. Gustavo holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, works as a system engineer, and is pursuing an MDiv at Westminster Theological Seminary. Gustavo loves MPB (Brazilian popular music), and in his spare time, he reads, plays the guitar, and explores NYC coffee shops with Ha Na.

A graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary, Jeff started his ministry at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and then went on to serve as the first associate pastor at Redeemer from 1990 to 1998. At Redeemer, he oversaw community formation through fellowship groups before moving on to become the organizing pastor of New Song Community Church, a multi-ethnic, church-based community development effort in Harlem. Jeff is very excited to have rejoined the staff of Redeemer to launch and serve the Downtown congregation. Jeff and his wife, Rebecca, have been married since 1985 and have three children (Kirsten, Corina, Andrew) and two grandchildren. Prior to entering the ministry Jeff worked as a physical therapist.

Sam is an actor and musician all the way from Dallas, TX. As the son of a full-time Worship Pastor, Sam has been in church on Sundays for as long as he can remember. He has spent the majority of his childhood/early-adulthood singing and leading worship on stage and has now taken over managing the production aspects of Sunday Services & events for Redeemer DT! Sam has a Bachelor of Music from the University of Central Oklahoma, and is a creative at heart; working as a performer and photographer when he’s not at Redeemer.

Jane Butler has lived in Manhattan, New York for six years. She met her husband in Virginia and they have 3 kids, Jack, Sage and Lucy. Jane has a background in design and marketing and enjoys bringing together creative  ways to communicate what God is doing. Jane has served as a volunteer in the Children’s Ministry for four years and has co-led a Community Group, hosted local gatherings and deeply loves the Redeemer downtown family. When she is not working, she’s biking around the city, shuffling her kids from playground to playgrounds—finding the best bubble they can find.

Grace Bydalek, a Cornhusker at heart, moved to New York City in 2018 after earning a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. She discovered Redeemer Presbyterian Church shortly thereafter through Tim Keller’s Questioning Christianity lecture series, and the world came into color. Grace is a 2021 graduate of the Gotham Fellowship and, alongside designer Briar Figueroa, was awarded the 2021 Cultural Renewal Project Grant, which led to the founding of It Is Good: A Festival of Arts + Faith.

Grace currently serves as the Director of the Dissident Project, is a Visiting Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum, and works as a freelance writer. She is also pursuing a Masters at Reformed Theological Seminary. Her favorite roles have been sister to Jack and daughter to Mike and Jill.

‍

Megan Dishman grew up in the Chicago suburbs, but her family roots are strongest in the San Francisco Bay area. She moved to New York City in 2012, where she served in a variety of roles at The King’s College, leaving briefly to work on a 2016 presidential campaign. Megan met her husband Matt (a Coloradan who works at The Bowery Mission, a HFNY affiliate), at coffee hour at Redeemer West Side, prior to helping launch Redeemer Lincoln Square. After his third attempt at asking her out over the span of one year, Megan joyfully followed the Lord’s leading, and the two were married in NYC in 2019. Apart from work, Megan enjoys spending time with friends, hiking, cooking, watching sports (Go Denver Nuggets!), and playing games. Megan and Matt reside on the Upper West Side in Manhattan with their daughter, Eleanor.

‍

Schedule coffee with Megan →

‍

Helen was born and raised in the vibrant city of Hong Kong, but New York City has been her home since 2001. She was introduced to Redeemer by a friend and has been a congregant since. Helen led operations in healthcare and at a tech company before God led her to a role supporting the ministry. In her spare time, you’ll likely find Helen staying active—she’s currently mastering the art of tennis—or enjoying the city’s energy with a matcha tea in hand. She’s a fan of Hans Zimmer’s music, sci-fi movies/shows, and the timeless adventure of LOTR. Helen is also always planning her next travel adventure and would love to hear your destination suggestions!

Christa is a NYC transplant of seven years by way of Los Angeles, CA. Christa had visited NYC three years prior and fell in love with the beating heart of the city. After nine months of reflection, prayer, and reading about what was going in the churches here — she took a step of faith. Christa sold her belongings, packed her SUV, and drove cross-country to her new home. Along the way, she did one of the things she loves most — document life.

‍

Get coffee with Christa →

‍

Emma Nelsen moved to New York City in 2013 which prompted her entire immediate family to relocate to the city a few years later. After graduating from The King's College with a degree in Media, Culture and Art, Emma moved to London to receive her master's degree in Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art. Inspired by the call to help people thrive in their work environments, Emma began her career in Human Resources and worked in the Financial Services industry for a number of years before prayerfully considering a move into Ministry full time. Emma and her husband Brandon live in Hell's Kitchen and enjoy traveling, cooking together, walking through Central Park and exploring New York City.

Shara Powell hails from sunny Southern California! She grew up in Moreno Valley and has a degree in Culinary Arts with an emphasis in Business Administration and Marketing. After starting her own company in Los Angeles, God led her to a partnership that allowed her to expand her business to Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, and Boston. Coming to New York was completely a divine intervention since cold weather was not on the life agenda! She loves how God will completely turn your world inside out and put it back together in ways that she could have never imagined! Learning to trust God and grow through the unknowns can be challenging, but rewarding. For fun, it’s all things family, Disney, Marvel, basketball, football (Go Cowboys!), and testing out the latest Joanna Gaines’ recipes for her family to enjoy!

Matt and his wife Paige live in LIC, Queens. They moved to NYC from Chattanooga, Tennessee, in early 2022. He currently works as an account manager for a tech company and moonlights as a US Naval officer in the individual-ready reserves with the Chaplain Corp., serving Sailors and Marines. When he's not working, you can find him running (with RunLIC), hiking, reading the news (a passion of his) and hanging with Paige and their dachshund (Tucker). Matt is a sunscreen aficionado and also has heaps of fun facts relating to all things red hair.

‍

A native New Yorker who has lived in four of the five boroughs, she moved to Dallas, TX, for several years, where she raised her three grown sons. Upon her return to NYC in 2000, Marie started to attend Redeemer. She became a Community Group Leader and then served on the Diaconate from 2005 to 2009. Marie spent most of her career in the field of staffing and Human Resources and assisted in forming the Job Search ministry. She is thrilled to be working on staff at Redeemer Downtown as the Generosity & Membership Coordinator and assisting Pete. Marie enjoys exploring the many neighborhoods in NYC and spending time with her grandchildren.

Paul is the Director of the Center for Faith & Work. Paul has over a decade of experience in equipping Christians to lead integrated lives informed by the gospel. He is the best-selling author of Quarter-Life Calling. His work has been recognized by Christianity Today, where he was named one of the Top 33 under 33 Christian Millennials to Follow in 2014, and received the John C. Maxwell Leadership Award in 2016. Paul holds a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University, and a Master of Arts in Bible Exposition from Talbot School of Theology. As a 1.5-generation Korean-Canadian-American, Paul enjoys building bridges between people and culture. Paul resides in NYC with his wife and daughter.

A Massachusetts boy who’s called NYC home since 2004, Will hails from the Broadway lighting world and often feels more comfortable hanging from a harness in a box boom than he does hanging out in a suit. Energetic and analytical, he has about a 60% success rating in landing a joke. He’s been a deacon at Redeemer since 2016, and in 2019 he received a Masters in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. Will lives in New Rochelle with his wife, Eunice, and their ever-active toddler, Jacob. Before chasing his son around the house, Will’s been known to go for hikes, hit the water for a swim, do a triathlon or two, and even enjoy a nap.

‍

Schedule coffee with Will →

Charles is also known as “Cheech.” He was born and raised in Brooklyn. He did not grow up in a Christian house, but came to faith as a teen through many trials (you can ask him about it)! He and Christina got married in August 2015 after dating for 5 years. He graduated from Cairn University with a Bachelors in Bible and a Bachelors of Social Work. After a short time working in adult mental health, he continued his studies at Westminster Theological Seminary and received a Masters in Divinity. He joined Redeemer Downtown’s staff in August 2017. Cheech has a daughter who looks exactly like him. He loves NYC because of the diverse people and cultures. He enjoys all sports - from locally known handball to basketball to golf.

David Lee moved to New York City from the mean streets of Delaware in 2005 to study finance at NYU. After making use of his degree as an investment banker for a number of years, he recently left Wall Street to pursue a Masters of Divinity at Westminster Theological Seminary. He joined Redeemer's staff in 2015 as a Community Group Intern for the Downtown congregation and has also served as an intern for the Center for Faith & Work. In his free time, David enjoys exploring new cafes with good coffee and air-conditioning, and walking the streets of the city to his own soundtrack. He also likes talking sports, eating good food and wearing colorful socks!

Pete is an Englishman in New York who moved to become the Senior Pastor at Redeemer Downtown in 2022 with his wife Rebecca, and two children, Oliver, and Tobi. Rebecca is a Reconstructive Surgeon, whom it is rumoured, took more than 45 minutes to agree to Pete’s marriage proposal. They have been married since 2008. Pete came to faith in Christ at university where he was studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics and playing rugby. This was followed by a Masters Degree, and a brief and unsuccessful time playing more rugby in a semi-professional capacity before he started working as a Management Consultant. He was soon called to pastoral ministry where he worked for Christians in Sport, before a time at seminary, and then planting a church in London, where he also helped found and lead the City to City initiative - the London Project. Pete has authored the books: A Place For God, Five Things To Pray For Your City, and Virtually Human: Flourishing in Digital World. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with Rebecca, rough and tumble with his fast-growing boys, cooking, reading, and watching sports that he is now too old and broken to participate in.

A graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary, Jeff started his ministry at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and then went on to serve as the first associate pastor at Redeemer from 1990 to 1998. At Redeemer, he oversaw community formation through fellowship groups before moving on to become the organizing pastor of New Song Community Church, a multi-ethnic, church-based community development effort in Harlem. Jeff is very excited to have rejoined the staff of Redeemer to launch and serve the Downtown congregation. Jeff and his wife, Rebecca, have been married since 1985 and have three children (Kirsten, Corina, Andrew) and two grandchildren. Prior to entering the ministry Jeff worked as a physical therapist.

Harrison Hollingsworth was raised in suburban Texas and grew up in the church. At 18 years old, he moved to Center City Philadelphia for music school and attended Tenth Presbyterian Church, his first exposure to city ministry. His severe culture shock was cushioned by a church that loved students and loved the city. Harrison joined Redeemer in 2008 when he came to New York to play Principal Bassoon at the NYC Ballet. God took him through an amazing discipleship journey, led by a combination of the preaching, the experience of leading a Community Group, and the courtship of the woman who soon became his wife. Harrison’s hope for Downtown is that we will bring the healing power of the gospel to lower Manhattan in word and deed and that we will worship on Sundays in a way that both edifies the church and attracts seekers and skeptics to our community.

A graduate of Manhattan School of Music, Mark Lau grew up in Sydney, Australia and has lived in Downtown Manhattan since 2003. Mark and his wife Helen have three children, Jack, Jonah and Joshua. When Mark is not working as a freelance bass player, he likes to spend time with his family on the Lower East Side.

Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Carlin Lee moved to New York City in 2017 to study jazz piano at The New School. After a few semesters, Carlin transferred to NYU, where he finished his Bachelors of Music degree in 2021. He was first referred to Redeemer by Cheech’s former youth pastor who coincidentally pastored Carlin’s home church in Seattle. The worship services, especially the music, became a weekly blessing for him, and he eventually studied with several of the pianists who regularly play for Redeemer. Carlin joined Downtown’s Staff in 2020 as the Worship Arts Coordinator, working under the two music directors Harrison Hollingsworth and Mark Lau. When not working as a freelance musician, Carlin enjoys spending his free time cooking, in nature, and reading.