Here are some of the people you'll see around St. Peter's who help provide leadership and serve our community:
Christine has been a priest in the Episcopal Church since 2012 and priest-in-charge of St. Peter's since October 2019. She previously served as Vicar at All Angels' Church on the Upper West Side and Interim Minister at St. Mary's in Harlem.
She has worked as a community organizer for Habitat for Humanity NYC and campus minister with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. Christine is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute and received her Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Trinity International University in Chicago. She completed a year of Anglican Studies at the General Theological Seminary and is a Doctor of Ministry student at Fuller Theological Seminary, focusing on leading congregational and organizational change. She is married to Jimmy and a dog mom to Baxter, an adorable rescue. 
Aaron is a liturgist, writer, and pastor who graduated from The General Theological Seminary in NYC. After leading worship at Mars Hill Church (Grand Rapids, MI) and Willow Creek Church (Barrington, IL), he created A New Liturgy - a collection of modern liturgical worship recordings. He then curated a discipleship-focused, formational, ecumenical, practice-based community at Willow Creek called “The Practice”. Aaron released a book called The Eternal Current: How a Practice-based Faith can Save us from Drowning, and continues to create resources to help others flesh it out. But that’s just job stuff. The best part of his life is his wife Shauna, and their sons Henry and Mac. aaronniequist.com
Julia moved to Chelsea from Seattle with her family in 2016. She has enjoyed working with children in many capacities over the years. She has coordinated moms and tot’s groups, worked as an elementary school paraeducator, and received training in nature-based early childhood education as well as both Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and the Godly Play curricula. At St.Peter’s, she hopes to create opportunities for children to grow in their faith, through prayer, music, stories, crafts and play.
Julia is also an administrator for College & Universities of the Anglican Communion, a non-profit located at the Episcopal Church Center. She is a passionate baker and homecook and enjoys pottery in her free time. She and her husband Michael have two teen daughters and a Norwich Terrier named Poppy! |
Lisha is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and received her Master of Arts in Ministry from General Theological Seminary. Lisha is a professionally trained dancer who has taught dance to hundreds of children in the NYC public school system and brings to her work in ministry a love for the creative and performing arts. More recently, she founded the Creative Arts Project - a free arts enrichment program for children in Harlem. Lisha and her husband Rodney are native New Yorkers and parents to five children.
The Rev. Michelle Howard
Priest Associate Michelle was ordained a priest in September 2023, and her hope for her ministry is that every person would know how deeply they are loved by God. Michelle’s day job is as the Interim Chief Program Officer at the Osborne Association, which aims to transform lives, communities, and the criminal justice system. In addition to supporting program areas to accomplish strategic objectives, she serves as a chaplain to people at Rikers Island and supports chaplaincy interns completing their Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).
In 2017, Michelle was appointed as a fellow of Silliman College at Yale University where she co-taught a class on prison law and policy with her husband, Hyatt. Prior to moving to New York, she received her Master of Divinity Degree with honors from Duke University and a B.A. with distinction from Yale University. Michelle lives in Manhattan with Hyatt, their two children, Amara and Hyatt Jr., and their labradoodle, Kenobi. 
Troy Austin,
Sexton In 1979 Troy studied Liberal Arts at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he grew up. In 1983 he moved to California to study massage therapy, yoga, nutrition, and Eastern Philosophy. In 1985 after finishing massage school, he moved to New York City. He worked for the NYC Superintendents' Union (Local 32BJ) for ten years. Currently, Troy is an active member of the Art Students League where he studied full time. Presently Troy is working on a project of forty paintings he hopes to complete before the end of the year.
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Michael’s day-job is as the Senior VP and Dean of the Chapel of Good Shepherd at the General Theological Seminary (down the block on 20th street). As a priest associate at St. Peter’s, he volunteers to support the ministry of the Church, chiefly by offering opportunities for faith formation and Christian education and through preaching and leading worship.
Licensed in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, he was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Milwaukee in December 2020. He holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Glasgow (’06) and a Master of Arts in Theology and Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary (’02). He’s spent most of his career as a theological educator, leading programs to prepare future priests and pastors for ministry at institutions in the UK and the US. Michael’s married to Julia, who pioneered the Children's Ministry at St. Peter's. Together, they live in the neighborhood with their two daughters, Naomi and Eliza, and their Norwich Terrier, Poppy. When Michael’s not at Church or the Seminary, he’s probably riding his bike around Manhattan or enjoying some tasty treats at Chelsea Market! 
Kelly hails from St Louis, MO, where she grew up as a pastor's kid. She and her husband Todd moved with their four young kids to NYC in 2007, motivated by a deep desire to live in community with her sister and family, and college friends in Astoria, Queens. Kelly's background is math education- moving from teaching to writing and editing math curriculum. After 20+ years she took a break, spending a number of years volunteering at Restore NYC's Safehome and cooking for Community Ministries at All Angel's, where they attend church.
Brian has been an enthusiastic volunteer at St. Peter’s Food Pantry since 2017, where he played a crucial role during the Pandemic and assumed the position of Interim Program Director in late summer 2023. A 2020 graduate from the nearby Fashion Institute of Technology with a
degree in Fashion Design, Brian brings a unique blend of creativity, leadership and dedication to his volunteer work. As a child of immigrants from Eastern Europe, he has harbored a lifelong passion for food security. Brian's cherished moments at the pantry include fostering a sense of community among the dedicated volunteers, who have become an integral part of the pantry.
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