After interviewing some of the staff and leaders of the congregation, I thought it might be helpful to get some basic information from newer members since it has been harder to get to know them during the pandemic. According to our congregation records, no new members were received in 2018; in 2019 Pastor Alexis King & her family were the only new members; in 2020 Pastor Eric Trozzo & son, Dante were our new members. Therefore, I am beginning in 2017 when new members were received on 3 different occasions. Two women have died: Mary Howard and Mary Sentel. I contacted those received in February & June and at this writing, I have received information from these two ladies:
Denise Cole and her young daughter joined in June. She was raised Catholic but found a Lutheran church when she lived in Roswell, GA. She loved the music and the pastor, who had a lovely family and the “voice of an angel”. Denise joined the choir, researched the Lutheran church, read some books, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Letters and Papers from Prison” and decided the ELCA would be a “good fit” for her. She was introduced to Pastor Wengert by a mutual friend and liked the visibility and the social ministry outreach of the congregation, especially the food pantry.
Denise was born and raised in Somers, NY, about 60 miles north of New York City. She currently lives in Mount Laurel with her husband Mike and daughter Jillian, who recently received her first communion. They have 3 cats: Joy, Serene and Mr. Tumnus. She is looking for a job in Learning and Development, an HR/Talent position, and is very interested in getting her “active and delightful daughter” back in school. She enjoys reading, gardening and singing. Some of us have seen her in our You Tube worship services. She is a member of the Congregation Council where she is supporting Social Ministry and leading the anti-racism initiative to help us be a truly welcoming church for all people.
Denise welcomes anyone interested in knowing more about the initiative to contact her. We welcome your willingness to serve the Lord through the ministries of Saint Matthew Church.
Patricia Covington (Pat) was born and grew up in Bedford/Stuyvesant Brooklyn, NY. She attended Medgar Evers College and Long Island University. Her career was devoted to education for 40 years – 22 as an Early Childhood Elementary teacher; 6 as an Elementary Assistant Principal and 12 years as an Elementary School Principal—all as an employee of the New York City Department of Education. She has been happily retired for 7 1/2 years and lives in Willingboro, where she was a member of Alpha Baptist Church before joining Saint Matthew.
Because her daughter-in-law, Jennifer (Widin) and her family are active members here she and her son Ernest were “interested in learning about the philosophy of the Lutheran Church and the history of Saint Matthew”. After attending several Sunday worship services and having conversations with Pastor Ingrid Wengert, they “wanted to embrace and practice the church’s mission statement” and joined in June 2017.
Pat feels honored and blessed to have her son Ernest, daughter-in-law Jennifer and “two awesome grandchildren, Wesley and Brielle.” And we feel honored and blessed to have you, Pat, and your son in our congregation..
When I contacted newer members for the “Getting To Know You” article, I did not know Brandon & Debbie Beaver and their children had moved from Mount Laurel to Wake Forest, NC in December 2019. I was happy to hear from Brandon after writing the article and I am including some excerpts here.
Brandon and Debbie Beaver joined Saint Matthew Church in February 2017. Brandon, a life-long Lutheran, grew up in Burnham, PA, about 30 minutes from State College; Debbie, a former Methodist, is from Westampton, NJ. Not long after joining Saint Matthew, they had triplets Evan, Autumn and Shawn, now 3 1/2 years old. Brandon is a Senior Instructional Technologist for CVS Health which involves helping to develop online training and was transferred to NC. After working in alumni relations for several universities in NJ and PA, Debbie is now working full-time at home taking care of the three children.
The Beavers joined Saint Matthew because they found the people and Pastor Wengert very friendly and welcoming – “a good fit for our family.” Between the move and COVID, they have not yet found a church home in North Carolina. Brandon wrote that after the birth of our triplets, “the people of Saint Matthew were truly wonderful to us in so many ways – from cards, prayers, visits, and even meals after we brought our triplets home from the NICU. We have so many fond memories of Saint Matthew, including the baptism of our triplets. Even though we are no longer in New Jersey, Saint Matthew will always have a very special place in our hearts.” We certainly wish the Beaver family many special blessings in their new location.
—Rozella Bower, Archivist