The Rev. Dr. Eric J. Trozzo
Pastor
The Rev. Dr. Eric Trozzo began his ministry at St. Matthew in September 2020. He grew up in Cumberland, MD, and joined a local Lutheran church there while he was in elementary school. He soon became involved in church life, and every job he has had since he was a teenager has been related to the church and its ministry. His ministries have included several summers as a camp counselor at Mar-Lu-Ridge, a Lutheran outdoor ministry in Jefferson, MD and as a campus minister for the colleges of the Baltimore area. After graduating from Loyola University in Maryland with a B.A. in History, Eric was a full-time youth minister at a congregation in Maryland before heading to Texas to serve for a year at Big Bend National Park through the organization A Christian Ministry in the National Parks.
Pastor Eric’s seminary years were centered in Columbus, OH at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, but also included two years in the Atlanta area. One was spent as an intern in a still newly formed congregation, Epiphany Lutheran Church in Suwannee, GA, which had not yet moved into a permanent building at the time. The second year was spent studying through The Lutheran Center in Atlanta, which is part of the Interdenominational Theological Seminary and is focused on ministry in predominantly African-American congregations. Eric received both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Sacred Theology with a focus on ecological theology. After seminary, he decided to pursue a PhD in Theological and Philosophical Studies at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, which he completed in 2011. While working on doctoral studies, Eric also served as pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Chatham, New Jersey. From 2012 until 2020 Eric then served as a missionary through ELCA Global Mission. His primary responsibility was as a faculty member at Sabah Theological Seminary in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. There he directed the Lutheran Study Centre, working with Lutheran church bodies across the Asia and Pacific region on programs to enhance local understandings of what it means to be a Lutheran Christian today, particularly in Asia. He also spent time teaching in India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. He remains affiliated with Australian Lutheran College, supervising graduate students working in cross-cultural theology. He has published a variety of academic works in the areas of eco-theology, philosophical theology, and cross-cultural theology, including authoring or editing four books.
Eric brings a passion for ministry to St. Matthew. His particular areas of passion include education, youth ministry, and bringing faith to bear on everyday life. He is deeply rooted in the Lutheran tradition, but also open and engaged with many other ways of understanding the world and the presence of the divine within it.
Eric’s partner in these ministries around the world is his wife Wendolyn, whom he met during their years as camp counselors. Rev. Wendolyn Trozzo currently serves as the pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Tabernacle. They have two teenage sons, and the family lives in Shamong. They love travel, hiking, board games, and loose leaf teas.
Pastor Eric is happy to speak with you. He can be reached in the church office by phone: (856) 235-2055, and by email.
Mary Van Osten
Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper
Mary V. VanOsten has previously worked in the communications and public relations fields, assisting organizations in strategically telling their stories to the public. She has extensive writing and editing experience and enjoys photography. Prior to joining St. Matthew Lutheran Church, she worked as a personal historian for ten years, helping individuals record family stories to pass down for future generations and preserve private papers and photos into archives. Her faith in God always plays a role in her civic and charitable efforts. As well, many of the memoirs she wrote for others include themes of faith.
Constantino Spinosa
Family Ministries Coordinator
Costantino will be supporting Sunday School and all of our activities for families with children living in the household. Part of his work will be reaching out to get to know families with children in elementary school and younger. Make sure to reach out to him to get to know him. He has three children in his own household, included a baby just born in mid-October! You can email him. Please give him a warm St. Matthew welcome.