Rev. Andries Coetzee
Interim Pastor
Rev. Coetzee is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is a native of South Africa and grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church. Dries has been in the United States since 1998 and he was ordained in the PCUSA in 2001. He has served as a pastor in Ohio, Minnesota, and Texas, has demonstrated a strong commitment to social justice throughout his career, and has experience in interim and transitional ministry.
Please take a few minutes to watch this video introduction to Rev. Coetzee and plan to join us this Sunday to welcome him to our church and community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrhL9A5nVTc
If you need pastoral care or have other questions for the church, please contact the church office at (518)584-6091 or Andries@pnecchurch.org.
Dr. Gary O’Brien
Coordinator of Senior Ministries
Gary was born in Brooklyn and moved with his family to Long Island. The oldest of four children, he attended St. Anne's School in Garden City. Following his high school years at St Albert's Jr. Seminary on Middletown, NY, Gary entered the Carmelite Order.
He was awarded four degrees -- BA in history from Marquette University, MA in education from the University of Notre Dame, MA in theology from the Washington Theological Union and a Doctor of Ministry from The Catholic University of America.
He worked in campus ministry, retreat work, directed the Seminary and the Novitiate before being elected Prior Provincial.
Following Gary's time in leadership he took a sabbatical which was transformative ultimately leading to a new direction in his life.
From Church he went to State joining The Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. For more than 10 years, he headed the agency which oversaw the mental hygiene system in NYS.
In 2009, he was one of the founders of the Suicide Prevention Center of New York. Retiring in 2015, he continues to do a variety of suicide prevention trainings and to serve on boards.
Trish Wildermuth, Sunday School Coordinator
Trish received her degree in Elementary and Special Education from SUNY Geneseo and then went on to get her Masters in Elementary Reading and Literacy. Trish taught children in both the Elementary and Intermediate levels before starting her own family of three children with her husband Don. They joined PNECC in 2014.
Trish has worked with children through numerous volunteer positions such as the Special Olympics and Girl Scouts. Trish has always believed that "education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of a fire" (William Butler Yeats). Through the Sunday School program she hopes to light that fire in the youngest members of our congregation and instill in them a sense of community and commitment to their developing faith.
Julie Campbell,
Office Manager
Julie Campbell was raised in Illinois and holds a BA in Mass Media Communication from the University of Illinois at Springfield (formerly Sangamon State University.). She and her husband Todd moved to Saratoga in 1997 to raise their family. She began working at the church in 2005 after 8 years of being a stay home mom to her three boys. She enjoys cooking, walking and making people laugh.
Robin Leary,
Music Director
Robin has been attending PNECC since 1982, and has been directing the choir since the late 80's. Born in Concord, New Hampshire, after a brief residence in Lewiston, Maine, she grew up living near Flemington, New Jersey. Her favorite non-musical things to do are canoe camping and participating in local theatrical productions. She enjoys listening to all genres of music --- rap, traditional country and hard-core jazz perhaps only in moderation ;-).
Pam Lipkin, Accompanist
Pam grew up in a musical family -- her whole family sang at home, in the car, with tv musical shows, in the church choir, and probably in the shower. She has been playing piano since age 7. Over the years, Pam has played in many churches, including St. Joe's Catholic Church in Greenfield, NY and the Presbyterian Church in Albany, and accompanied singers wherever the opportunity arose. After working in the insurance industry for many years, Pam left to become a full-time piano teacher. She has been teaching full time for 16 years and has never been happier!