Caleigh Alessi

Elementary & Volunteer Coordinator

Caleigh is our Elementary & Volunteer Coordinator. Her three passions in life are the Lord, children, and the performing arts. She grew up in Nashville, TN and moved to NYC after graduating from Belmont University with a BFA in Musical Theatre. From there, she had the privilege of spending several years traveling the world as an actor/singer/dancer. While performing in New Orleans, she met her husband, Robert. Together they uprooted back to NYC, and Caleigh began teaching the performing arts to children in after-school programs across Manhattan. Caleigh has volunteered for several children's ministries throughout most of her life and is thrilled to be a part of the East Side Children's Ministry. She aims to instill in each child the desire to reflect Christ's love everyday. In her spare time, Caleigh loves to sing in the Young New Yorkers' Chorus, study French and travel with family.

Liz Avanzato Cintron

Sunday Service and Generosity Director

Liz began attending Redeemer in 2010 and instantly knew that she had found her church home. In 2013 she joined Redeemer staff and has enjoyed every moment since! On Sunday you will often find her outside the sanctuary where the volunteers sign in. If you visit her, she will give you gum! Liz was a Spanish major in college which required that she study abroad in Mexico (for one semester), but she loved it so much that she ended up staying for six years teaching English as a foreign language, studying for her master’s in applied linguistics, and enjoying all the culinary wonders that Mexico has to offer. Liz spends her free time listening to podcasts, playing touch football, cooking, and studying the map of Astoria, where she she lives, in hopes of one day mastering her navigation of 23rd Street, 23rd Road, 23rd Avenue and 23rd Drive.

Jenny Barker

Children's Ministry Administrative Coordinator

Jenny is our Children's Ministry Administrative Coordinator. She provides administrative and communicative support for the children's ministry team. Jenny grew up in the south and moved to New York in 2016. Her passion has always been to be a part of a healthy church in a large metropolitan area. She enjoys being in community with her friends and painting. She also received an MA in Intercultural Studies from seminary in 2018.

Judson Bergman

Youth and Young Adult Formation Manager

Judson spent his earliest years in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago before moving to Connecticut, where he grew up in the shadow of New York City. Though he’s always loved New York, Judson returned to the Chicago suburbs to study Christian Education & Ministry at Wheaton College. He’s had the privilege of ministering in such dissimilar contexts as Greenwich, CT and Tulsa, OK — experiencing firsthand that the Gospel truly is good news for all. Judson loves long conversations around a fire, losing himself in an art museum, playing tennis at the beach, and falling into a good book.

Sabrina Booth

Nursery & Preschool Coordinator

Sabrina is our Nursery and Preschool Coordinator for the Children’s Ministry. She is a native from Bronx, NY, who came to Redeemer in 2015 through the invite of a friend. She was immediately drawn to the numerous ministries that Redeemer had specifically, the children’s ministry. Having the desire to teach children in her heart, she began as a nursery volunteer in April 2016 and then was hired as a Nursery Greeter in September 2016. When she is not working, she enjoys listening to music, spending time with friends and family, trying new foods, exploring the city and volunteering. She also has a Masters in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Miriam Burns

Morning Music Director

Miriam Burns has attended Redeemer since its inception in 1989, is the conductor of The Orchestra of the Redeemer since its beginnings in 1995, and has been on staff as music director of the East Side morning service since 2000. Music Director and Conductor of the Tysons McLean Orchestra of Northern Virginia since 2012, she formerly held the same title with the Tallahassee and Kenosha (WI) Symphonies. Miriam was also on staff with the New York Philharmonic as one of the cover conductors for eight years, having been invited as a result of a competitive audition. Serving under then music directors Kurt Masur and Loren Maazel, she was entrusted as an assistant conductor on call for countless specific, fully prepared programs under many guest conductors of international repute.

Kyle Chen

Pastoral Intern

Kyle has spent most of his life in the shadow of NYC, growing up in New Canaan, CT and then enjoying an extended stay in Princeton, NJ for college and seminary. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he ended up back home and loved ministering to young adults at his hometown church. But when Kyle's (then) soon-to-be-wife Samantha was accepted to NYU Law School, it was clear that it was time to move to New York. He joined the East Side staff in summer of 2021 and can't wait to find all of the quietest places in the city and try every kind of ice cream it has to offer.

Lyn Cook

Senior Director of Spiritual Formation and Care

Lyn grew up in South Florida and moved to New York in 2008. One bright spot of her early days in New York was a Redeemer women’s community group. The relationships and truth she found there were pivotal in her transition to life in the city and growth in her faith. Prior to joining Redeemer as a Community Group Director, Lyn worked in ministry with Cru for 14 years, serving in campus ministry in Alabama and East Asia and in New York with Cru City. She lives on the East Side with her husband, Clay, and daughters, Emma and Hope. Some of Lyn’s favorite ES activities are running on the East River Esplanade and eating Sichuan food at Wa Jeal.

Iain Coston

Justice & Community Group Manager

Iain is a native of San Francisco, California where he grew up rooting for the (San Francisco) Giants, 49ers, and Warriors (yes, even before the Warriors were good). After moving to New York City in 2015, Iain immediately began attending Redeemer. By August of that year he had found one of his favorite jobs – working the Children's Ministry front desk at Redeemer WS. After working with the LSQ site from 2017-2020, Iain has now come aboard to do one of his favorite things: show how the love of God and His Word brings true justice and joy to all peoples. When he's not working you can find him dancing and telling inside jokes with his lovely wife.

Theresa Desrochers

Administrative Coordinator

Theresa grew up in Buffalo and then Hong Kong, before returning to the U.S. for college. She relocated to New York in 2005 and started attending Redeemer later that year. Theresa has worked in various ministry areas at Redeemer including with the short-term missions team and on Questioning Christianity — she joined the East Side team in 2021.

She met her husband, Brendon, through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Northwestern, and they enjoy volunteering together at IVCF retreats for the NY/NJ region. They attend Redeemer West Side and also lead and host a community group in Hamilton Heights. Theresa enjoys drawing, photography and watching sci-fi action movies, although she now spends most of her time checking out neighborhood playgrounds with her young son.

Charlie Drew

Interim Lead Preacher

Charlie Drew is with us for the 2021-22 ministry year as our principal preacher while we conduct our search for a new senior pastor. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard and earned his M. Div. at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He has pastored churches in Charlottesville VA, Stony Brook NY, and the Upper West Side, where he founded Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in 2000 and from which he retired in 2017. Since retirement Charlie has taught pastors and seminarians at Redeemer City to City and served on the board of the Washington DC based Center for Christian Civics. Charlie has published “The Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament,” “A Journey Worth Taking: Finding Your Purpose in this World” and “Surprised by Community: Republicans and Democrats in the Same Pew”. Charlie is married to Jeannie and has two children (his daughter Sarah played Dr. April Kepner on Grey’s Anatomy for many years) and four grand children. He loves music, singing, and daysails regularly during the summer months out of Larchmont in lower Westchester.

Louanne Elliott

Pastoral Intern

After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2013 with a degree in Public Relations, Louanne moved to Chicago to work with Cru Inner City and minister to the homeless population. During her time with Cru, she was sent to New York City to help with a summer project and immediately fell in love with all the different ministries and how the Lord was using them to restore communities and make Himself known. Louanne couldn’t shake New York after that summer. She finally moved here in April 2019 and immediately plugged into Redeemer East Side. Louanne has now come on board to invest in community groups and foster discipleship at Redeemer. When she's not working, you can find her riding bikes through the city, enjoying conversations with friends, and writing short stories.

Jeffrey Jou

Pastoral Intern

Jeff is husband to Jamie and dad to Isaiah Calvin (born in January of 2020). He was born and raised in Bayside, NY. He left temporarily to do undergraduate studies in Baltimore, Maryland, but couldn't stay away from his hometown in New York City, so he moved back post-graduation. Jeff has worked in various settings in the chemicals industry, including as a research scientist and a quality control chemist for a cosmetics manufacturing company. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Chemistry and Stony Brook University with an M.S. in Chemistry. He'll be graduating from Reformed Theological Seminary, New York City with an M.A. in Biblical Studies. Jeff lives and dies with his New York Knicks and Giants. He loves going to restaurants in Queens, talking about different cuts of beef, and playing basketball. He has served as a ministry leader and worship leader in his previous church and he's looking forward to being part of the gospel community movement at Redeemer.

Caitlin Kemp

Community Life Director

Originally from the great state of Delaware, Caitlin's love affair with serving people and building community began while volunteering with Young Life and studying human development at the University of Delaware. Starting Fall 2016, Caitlin began her MA in Biblical Studies with Reformed Theological Seminary. She and her husband Kevin love resale bookstores, meandering through museums and gathering people together to explore.

Rich McCaskill

Assistant Pastor

Rich is passionate about transforming disconnected individuals into a missional family and has a huge heart for those who aren't sure about the Christian faith. He holds an MDiv from Regent College in Vancouver, BC and is the author of Questioning Christmas. He had been living and ministering in the Seattle area for more than two decades prior to joining the East Side Team in August of 2021. After all those years in Seattle, he is curious to find the best cup of coffee in New York and to see how it compares. He and his wife Erin are both originally from Nashville, TN — fun fact: they were high school sweethearts who went to Junior Prom together! — and together they have five children.

Rozz Morehead-Strebe

Evening Music Director

Rozz was born and raised in Kannapolis, NC, and began singing as a child at Mt. Calvary Lutheran church. After receiving her BCA degree from UNCC, she moved to New York to pursue a music career. She’s appeared on Broadway in Once On This Island, Big River and Urban Cowboy, Off -Broadway and regional performances of Dreamgirls, Aida, Joseph, and Candide. She’s recorded with Moby, Black 47, Grover Washington, Eartha Kitt and as a back-up singer for Diana Ross, Ben E. King, and Maxwell and many others. She’s performed with symphony orchestras, corporate clients, and many wedding and club date bands over the years, most recently as a featured vocalist for JK Entertainment. She served 10 years as Music Director at All Souls Community Church in Suffern, NY starting as a church plant in 2009, and for 5 years as a Deaconess from 2015 to 2019.

She came to Redeemer in 2003 when Tom Jennings asked her to sing at a West Side Evening Service. She lives in Fort Lee, NJ, her “Upper West Side” home just on the other side of the river with her husband Vince Strebe whom she met when he was hired as the Master Plumber to renovate her kitchen in 2016. They were married in August of 2017. Rozz is overjoyed to share her gospel/R&B roots as Music Director for the East Side evening service. She can be heard on several episodes of The Wonder Pets including “Off To School,” “Meet the Beetles” and “The Rat Pack,” and she co-wrote the title cut “Home For Christmas” on the NSYNC Christmas album.

Hector Sanchez

Director of Justice and Cross-Cultural Community

Hector was born in Ecuador, and grew up in Flushing, NY. He loves history, learning about cultures, and traveling with Erica, his wife. They recently welcomed their second child, Grace Lucy, who along with her big brother, Hector Fernando III, aka Dito, make up their little family. Hector has been at Redeemer since 2009 and is serving as Assistant Pastor and Director of Justice and Cross-Cultural Community. He graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary, NYC.

Lindsey Schultz

Children's Ministry Director

Originally from Ohio, Lindsey is a drama graduate of New York University. After graduation, she performed professionally Off-Broadway, on screen and in national educational tours working with schools across the country. Lindsey began attending Redeemer in college, and began working in the children's ministry in 2010 serving in multiple roles along the way. Redeemer's family community has been such an integral part of her spiritual journey and life in New York, and she is committed to helping support families as they follow the call to plant roots and raise their children in the city. Lindsey married her high school sweetheart, Todd, and they are raising four little New Yorkers, Alexander, Emily, Elliot, and William in Astoria.

Hannah Seong

Director of Communications

Hannah was born in Boston and was raised a faithful Red Sox fan while growing up in England, California, and South Korea. (Her freshman year at M.I.T. was richly rewarded with the first World Series in 86 years!) She moved to New York City after college to study neuroscience but will readily admit that her Ph.D. is the third best thing that happened in the city, after Redeemer and her husband Topher. She and her husband, along with their daughter, live in Brooklyn and love spending time in Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Cybele Silver

Sunday Operations Manager

Cybele moved to the United States from Brazil in September of 1980. Since her Brazilian years, Cybele has been a devoted professional for the joy of her family and friends. She lived in Michigan for five years as a companion and enthusiastic supporter of her husband’s education and ministry. In 1985, she came to New York City, serving administrative roles at John Wycliffe School, Advent Hope, and Redeemer Church. Having been with the church since its early years, she has developed a passion and compassion for the city and commitment to Redeemer’s church planting vision. As a native Brazilian, Cybele is an avid soccer fan. “I enjoy the Brazilian salad buffet and ambiance at Plataforma Restaurant and also the juice and smoothies from Fresh Press.”

Mary Cameron Taylor

Youth Ministry Manager

Originally from Atlanta, Mary Cameron Taylor moved to NYC January of 2017 after obtaining a Hospitality Management degree from Auburn University the December before. Upon moving to the city for a job in event coordinating, she quickly plugged in to Redeemer through joining a New Years Community Group that encouraged her to consider pursuing ministry as a potential career. With a love for investing in students, she joined the Redeemer East Side team in September 2017 as the Youth Intern and the next school year came on as the as the Youth Ministry Manager. In her free time she loves walking through the city, watching any and all Broadway Shows, cooking new dishes with friends, and planning events both large and small to intentionally build community.

Bruce Terrell

Executive Director

Bruce Terrell began serving as the executive director for Redeemer East Side in the summer of 2017. He also served as executive director of Redeemer Presbyterian Church from 2006 to 2017. Prior to joining the Redeemer team, he served for 20 years with Mission to the World (MTW), the foreign mission agency of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) denomination, the last 10 years of which he served as chief operating officer. Bruce served as the moderator of the PCA in 2013-2014. Bruce and his wife, Missy, recently celebrated 33 years of marriage, and they have two adult children. Missy is a counselor with Redeemer Counseling Services. As executive director of Redeemer East Side, Bruce leads the East Side staff team to help advance thriving ministries, including the anticipated new sites and new ministry center. Bruce and Missy love to travel internationally, explore NYC, and their newest and best pastime — enjoying their two grandchildren!