Rev. Katrina joined Union Cong in 2018, serving as youth Minister and Associate Minister before being called as Lead Minister in January 2024. Growing up in Ohio and Wisconsin, Katrina has been a lifelong member of the United Church of Christ.
Through youth groups, service and worship, Katrina was instilled with an early love for the church’s community, message of grace, and commitment to justice. After several years working for immigration justice and then in the labor movement, she came to realize that God was calling her to bring her skills of organizing and leadership development to the church. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and Union Theological Seminary.
Katrina serves on the board of NJ Together, an interfaith organizing group. She is also a participant in the Next Generation Leadership Initiative of the UCC Pension Boards, a leadership development program for young(ish) clergy.
Together with her husband Dan, who is a union organizer, they are parents to two young kids who keep them busy! For fun, Katrina likes to bake, read, hike and bike.
The Rev. Marie A. Bacchiocchi was raised in Mansfield, Massachusetts where she learned how to be an ardent Boston sports fan. She currently serves as Minister of Old Brick Reformed Church in a part-time capacity.
She received her BA from Mount Holyoke College, her M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and her MAT in elementary education from Rhode Island College. Marie is a trained Spiritual Director from the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson, Arizona. She has served congregations in Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and New Jersey and has served in regional settings as well. She loves working with individuals assisting them in discovering where God’s spirit is leading them, while contextualizing faith to our current society and culture. Marie lives in Manalapan, New Jersey with her three cats, Bruno, Luna, and Peekaboo, and in her free time, she pursues her passion of competitive ballroom dancing.
Jon Thomsen joined Union as the Executive Director in April 2021. His primary responsibilities include managing the facilities, human resources, and finance, as well as supporting various board committees and taskforces.
Previously, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of Family Promise of Morris County for nearly 11 years. He oversaw a time of exponential growth and expansion of community services. Jon holds a BA in History from Messiah University, while also spending time at Temple University. He also holds certificates in Non-Profit Executive Leadership and Human Resource Management. Jon lives in Bergen County with his wife, Erin, who is a development and marketing professional, and their dog, Jack.
Albert was born and raised the son of a pastor in the Reformed Church in America. He has learned to love everyone in that community, and been given the opportunity to volunteer and work to help make that community grow.
He has been married since 2022 to his beautiful wife Rebecca. They live with their two perfect cats Taco and Margarita. Albert love sports, music, playing video games, movies, and being creative in general. Before being given this opportunity, he had the privilege to work at Warwick Conference Center in almost every facet of their programs since I was 14 years old. He is really excited to be at Union Congregational to do what he loves and now be a part of Union Cong’s community.
Kim honed her communication and organizational skills as a professional Equity stage manager in Los Angeles, facilitating communications across all theatrical departments and keeping shows on track. She then transitioned into large-scale event production and non-profit fundraising.
Kim also spent several years in Los Angeles as a production manager and associate producer, transferring original Broadway productions to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Kim has created spoken, deck, printed, web, and app content for conferences and large-scale fundraisers across the country and in Ireland. She also AD’d live-to-tape shows for PBS, produced videos, livestreams, entertaining Zoom shows, served as an associate producer on a documentary, and built social media campaigns.
A United Church Of Christ church in Columbus, Ohio brought Kim “back to the church” in 2012. Kim and her wife, who is a deaf and hard-of-hearing educator, live in Ringwood. Kim is a co-founder and producing director of Pride Choir.
B.J.’s first introduction to Sunday school came at a young age, sparked by an innocent question to his mother: “Why did Grandpa turn to stone after he died?” He had misunderstood that his grandfather’s headstone wasn’t literally Grandpa.
From that experience, he understands that even the youngest among us have big questions about life and faith. B.J. grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and later attended the University of San Diego. After graduating, he became a college minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where he met his wife, Sarah, who was working with the same organization. They have been married for nearly 17 years and have two energetic boys, Jackson and Cole, whom you’ve likely seen racing down the aisle on their way to children’s ministry on Sundays.
Recently, B.J. has held the role of stay-at-home dad while also working as a substitute teacher at Montclair Kimberley Academy here in town. Since becoming church members last Spring, he is eager to lead and grow the ministry for young people in our church.
Click here to view details about our robust music program.
John David Whitener is a conductor, music educator, and singer who is serving Union Cong as the Director of Music. John David holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Middle Tennessee State University, a Masters of Music in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and was a member of the Manhattan School of Music’s Opera Studio.
John David served his previous church, Bethany United Church of Christ, as the music director from 2016 until he moved to New Jersey in 2021. John David has worked in several school districts teaching choir and theatre, for which he has received numerous distinctions including “Catawba County’s Outstanding First Year Teacher Award” and has led students to achieve state-wide and national recognition. Outside of the classroom, John David has worked with numerous performing arts organizations, including a stint as the Executive Director of the Newton-Conover Auditorium, an organization focused on cultural and arts education and outreach. John David has performed in numerous musical theatre and opera productions.
John David and his husband, Jeremy, also a music and theatre educator, loves seeing as many Broadway and off-Broadway shows as they can, cuddling with their puppies, working in community and political activism, and participating in UCC’s vibrant music program.
Jeremy received his Bachelors of Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he focused on choral singing and conducting. Jeremy has conducted church choirs, youth choirs, and handbell ensembles across North Carolina. Jeremy has been performing for over 25 years and teaching music, performing arts, private voice, and piano for 10 years.
His love of music and theatre has led him to direct and music direct shows for his community’s youngest performers including The Lion King Jr, Frozen Jr, Peter Pan Jr, and The Wizard of Oz. Jeremy has performed around the world with choirs, vocal ensembles, acting troupes, and musical theatre tours. He is currently the Performing Arts Teacher at Liberty Elementary School. When not teaching, acting, or making music, Jeremy loves crafting, cuddling with his dogs, and seeing shows with his husband.
Jeremy grew up in Upstate New York and developed a love for piano and music at an early age, which deepened after his family moved to Pittsburgh. He studied French and literature at Purchase College, including a semester in Paris, and later co-owned a French restaurant in Pittsburgh while staying active in the local arts and theater community.
In 2010, he moved to Brooklyn with his now-husband Miro and soon reignited his passion for music composition, studying at Juilliard’s Extension division. They moved to Montclair in 2018, where he lives with Miro, their two daughters Liliana and Cate, and their new puppy Whitman. Jeremy will be composing most of the offertory and postlude music you will hear during our church services. You can listen to some of his music at https://soundcloud.com/jeremydcarlisle.
At Union Congregational Church, Kristine serves as the Soprano Section Leader and Children’s Choir Director. She believes that children and youth music help to develop a positive spiritual community, as well as a positive environment for the children to develop important musical skills.
Kristine holds a Bachelors and Master’s degree in music education and vocal performance. She has performed at opera houses internationally and was recognized as a National Grand Finals Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2001. Kristine is currently an elementary music teacher at Memorial School, in Paramus, NJ. She was recently recognized as “Teacher of the Year” in Bergen County and leads workshops in “Best Elementary Music Practices” in the area.
Bill is known for his range of repertoire, from Lied and Mélodie to operatic roles, comic and dramatic. His roles include Renato, Germont, Frank, Enrico, Don Alfonso, and he was heard as King in American Symphony Orchestra’s production of Strauss’s Die Liebe der Danae under Leon Botstein. He has performed nationally and internationally with opera productions and recitals.
Bill made his European opera debut as Ford in the Britten-Verdi Aldeburgh Festival’s Falstaff under Steuart Bedford, and was then invited back by the Maestro to sing the role of Leporello. He received his master’s degree in vocal performance at Montclair State University, studying voice with Professors Jeffrey Gall and Stephen Oosting. Bill is a voice teacher on the faculty of both Montclair State University and Kean University.
Kimberly is excited to be a section leader in the Union Cong Adult Choir. Kim holds a Master of Music from New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Music from Montclair State University. She has previously served as a section leader for MSU Chorale and MSU Singers, and has a deep love for choral music. Kim is currently on the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir’s roster, which is the flagship choir for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Kim is an active young artist pursuing a career in opera, and has sung with companies such as Opera Delaware, Boheme Opera NJ, and Opera Magnifico. When not singing Kim enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with her puppy Milo.
Katie spent most of her life in the state of Ohio and moved to New Jersey in 2020. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration and worked in public health for ten years before relocating.
Katie has one daughter who helped open her eyes to the joy of simple things. Katie enjoys spending time outdoors and participating in various kis-friendly activities with her daughter.
Dominique graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020. During undergrad, she got her first job working at a local preschool, which is where she first discovered her passion for teaching.
After graduation, she was accepted to the Teach for America program. As a corps member, she taught special education preschool in the Bronx for two years. She remains passionate about education and is so excited to join Patty as a Sunday school teacher. Currently, she is working on the customer care team for a tech company while taking classes to go back to school and pursue her dream of becoming a pediatric nurse. When not studying, Dominique enjoys making art, listening to music, yoga, and cooking.
Masuma currently resides in Bloomfield but is no stranger to Montclair. Outside of the church you can catch them enjoying the comic book shop and grabbing a nice cup of coffee from Paper Plane. When not in Montclair, Masuma enjoys learning new things such as knitting. They work in print design in Paterson.
Lynn has been director of the school since 2013. She joined the UCWNS Community in 1998 as a parent, served on the Nursery School Leadership team, and later joined the faculty in 2008.
Lynn has been involved in education for the past 25 years. She has taught Kindergarten and a multi-age loop classroom of Kindergarten/1st grade at a progressive public school in Chapel Hill, NC.
She holds a B.S. in Early and Middle Education from Radford University and graduated from the NJ Directors Academy in the fall of 2013. Lynn serves on the Board of the NJEEPRE and is actively involved in the United Way Montclair Directors Network. She is passionate about how children construct knowledge and the Reggio Philosophy Approach to educating children.
Rahniel initially volunteered at Side Door in 2016 as a service-learning student for Montclair State University. During his time volunteering, he recognized a sense of fulfillment that came with serving in a community program like Side Door. So, after graduating with a BA in Psychology at MSU, he went on to be a sports/activity supervisor for Side Door and a community programs specialist for a local non-profit organization.
When not planning/ leading weekly groups focused on social and emotional learning, he works to create a safe space for students to grow and develop healthy relationships within their community. In 2018, Rahniel decided to further his education and graduated with a MA in Addictions Counseling at MSU. He became an assistant co-director for Side Door in 2021. As of 2025, Rahniel considers it to be a blessing and privilege to continue serving the community through the Side Door program as its co-director.
David is co-Director of Side Door and has been involved in the program for eight years. He holds a Master’s in Public Health degree from Montclair State University with a concentration in Community Health Education. David hopes to empower and give back to the community that he has familiarized with over the past couple of years. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time at local cafes, enjoying good food, cooking and hanging out with his friends and family.
A Moorestown native, Jeffrey has been actively involved in youth ministry since their own days as a youth. Their appreciation for art and nature complements their Associate’s degree in art. As a long-time camper and staff member at Crossroads Camp & Retreat Center, Jeffrey cherishes the faith lessons they have learned and the opportunities they have had to support others on their spiritual paths.
Jeffrey helms the Eccumenical Youth Ministry project. The project is a youth group comprised of youth from five area churches. The group welcomes those churched and unchurched, all who are seeking, doubting, and curious. The youth group gathers twice a month: First Sundays to serve at Toni’s Kitchen, and Third Sundays for a Youth Group gathering centered around building community, connection, and spiritual growth.
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