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.

Deivis Ventura

Vicar

Vicar Deivis Ventura, 2024-2025 The Rev. Dr. John S. Damm Pastoral Intern, is originally from the Dominican Republic. In 2017 he migrated to New York City, where he joined a Lutheran Church in Brooklyn and began to feel a call to ministry.

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Vicar Deivis holds a Masters degree in Education from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and several certifications related to health education, Human Rights and democracy. He is currently a third year Master of Divinity student at the United Lutheran Seminary (ULS).

He worked for 20 years to achieve the full exercise of citizenship for LGBTQIA+ people and other vulnerable populations in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. In 2008, he founded the Dominican Pride Parade. He coordinated legislative initiatives for the eradication of discrimination and, in 2016, became the first openly gay man to run for a legislative position in the Dominican Republic. This work was widely praised. In 2006 he received the Seventh Clark Award from Georgetown University and in 2016 he was recognize as a Global Thinker by Global Foreign Policy.

He is a lover of animals, music and dance.

Vincent Carr

Interim Cantor and Director of Music, Liturgy & the Arts

Vincent Carr is a conductor, organist, pedagogue and composer/improviser widely known for his versatility as a performer and collaborative musician.

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Most recently, he served as National Councillor for Education for the American Guild of Organists, the world’s largest professional organization of organists and church musicians, as well as Director of Sacred Music at the parish of Our Lady of the Lake in Verona, New Jersey. From concert hall to church, he has championed new music and the works of underrepresented composers in diverse and engaging concert programs.

As a professional organist and choral conductor, he has held organist and choirmaster posts at some of the nation's most noteworthy churches and cathedrals. From 2006-2013, he was Associate Organist at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, where he founded the Wednesdays at Noon concert series as a mission to the city of Newark. In his subsequent post at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York, a commercial recording entitled "A Year at Incarnation" was released featuring the cathedral's renowned music ministry. An experienced university professor for more than a decade, he most recently served as Associate Professor of Organ and Church Music in the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (Bloomington). He also served on the faculties of Montclair State University and William Paterson University.

After earning undergraduate degrees in Organ Performance and Spanish language from Indiana University, Vince continued his graduate music studies at Yale University, where he was the recipient of numerous prizes from the faculty and in national organ competitions. His keen interest in the business aspect of being a career musician led him to undertake further graduate studies in business and personal finance at New York University. He holds the Associate and Choirmaster certificates from the American Guild of Organists and in 2013 he took a sabbatical in France, studying in the tradition of Nadia Boulanger. In March 2024, following extensive examinations, he was conferred the Fellowship Diploma from the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), where he earned the Limpus Prize, the Dixon Prize and the Richardson Prize.

Vince has served as musical director/conductor for the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in the United Kingdom, as well as the celebrity Irish singing group The Priests. His performance of Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb with the Richard Alston Dance Company (London) garnered critical acclaim in both the UK as well as New York City’s Fall for Dance Festival (2016).

Known for his warm demeanor and charisma as a conductor, he has led professional and amateur choirs in both sacred and secular space and served as a conducting fellow for the Grammy-nominated Voices of Ascension. As a composer and improviser, he has developed original music for keyboard, choir, silent film and musical theatre.

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.

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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. 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. She is also attending The Graduate Center, CUNY, for a Master's in the Classics.

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.

Rebekah Thornhill

Director of Development

Rebekah Thornhill advances giving goals and strategies that align with Saint Peter’s mission and values.

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Rebekah is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College where she double-majored in psychology and religion with a minor in music. She also holds a Master of Arts, concentrating in Theology and the Arts from Union Theological Seminary in New York. Prior to Saint Peter’s, she spent over a decade working in interfaith education, parish programming, and synodical communications and events.

Rebekah also owns and manages a creative business centered on digital manufacturing with sustainable resources. As a small business owner she has worked to advocate for and support other local businesses through involvement with professional organizations such as the NY Handmade Collective Board of Directors, Sunnyside Shine’s Advisory Committee and Made in NYC.

Rebekah shares Saint Peter’s deep commitment towards art engagement and advocacy. She seeks to find ways individual’s passions can align with the mission of Saint Peter’s.

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.