Pastors & Staff
We are blessed to have three extraordinary pastors. Bishop Alfred Johnson has led our church for the past five years, bringing dynamic preaching, energy and vision for growth to our congregation. We welcome Pastor Vicki Flippin and Pastor Sara Giron-Ortiz who recently joined us.
Bishop Johnson came to our church in 2005, appointed to lead the church as it made its transformation
from three congregations into one. Having been a retired Bishop of the United Methodist Church, Bishop J.
(as we call him) returned to active ministry to answer our call for a dynamic, visionary leader who would
unify our congregation and take us in a new direction. He has been part of the United Methodist Church ministry
since 1975, serving in many leadership roles in the Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York area. He received his
Masters of Theology from Boston University School of Theology and earned a Doctor of Ministry at Wesley Theological
Seminary. He was elected and consecrated as Bishop in 1996. Email:
bishopj@churchofthevillage.org
Pastor Vicki was appointed Associate Pastor of The Church of the Village in mid-2011. In that role, she
works closely with Bishop Johnson and leads activities related to Young Adults, Children's Ministry, and Social
Outreach. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Pastor Vicki served for three years as Senior Pastor of the
Diamond Hill UMC in Cos Cob, CT, and was a pastoral assistant at First and Summerfield UMC in New Haven, CT,
while in seminary. She is active in a number of Methodist organizations, including the NYAC Conference
Commission on Religion and Race and the NYAC Methodist Federation for Social Action. She received her undergraduate
degree from the University of Chicago, where she focused on South Asian Languages and Civilization and studied in India.
With knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, Hindi and some Portuguese, this young woman can claim to have a true multi-cultural
perspective. We are extremely blessed to welcome her as a leader in our congregation. Email:
pastorvicki@churchofthevillage.org
Pastor Sara serves in the role of "Vision Bearer" for The Church of the Village, appointed by the UMC Conference in
mid-2011. In that capacity, she leads services for the Spanish-speaking community within our Church. A Manhattan native,
she received her divinity degree in 1998 from Andover-Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, MA, and then served
as a pastor for several Hispanic congregations in the New York area. Most recently, she is a pastor at San Pablo UMC in
Astoria, which involved acting as Vision Bearer for that church's Greenpoint congregation. We are grateful that Pastor Sara
has joined our community. Email:
pastorsara@churchofthevillage.org
Nathan Bledsoe is a student at Union Theological Seminary that is joining the Church of the Village
staff for his supervised ministry internship. Nathan began worshiping at COTV in the fall of 2010, and he is excited
to dive deeper into such a vibrant and exciting community. Nathan grew up in Austin, Texas and plans to pursue
ordination in the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Nathan will work primarily in youth ministry,
and he brings with him significant experience in youth ministries. Prior to beginning seminary, Nathan worked full-time
in youth ministry at St. Paul's UMC in Houston, and was also involved with UMARMY, a United Methodist Youth Service
organization. Email:
youth@churchofthevillage.org
Andrew Lobo, an Americorps VISTA volunteer for 2011-2012, has been assigned by the New York City
Coalition Against Hunger to support the Hope for our Neighbors in Need feeding program in the area
of resource development. A New York resident, he's a recent graduate of The College of William and Mary
(major: Economics). Email:
vista@churchofthevillage.org
Rev. Dr. Rebeca Radillo, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling Director of Pastoral Care and Community Ministries, New York Theological Seminary New York City; Executive Director, Latino Institute & Pastoral Care. Email: rebedoc@aol.com
Rev. Dr. Arthur L. Pressley, Associate Professor of Psychology and Religion at the Theological School and Graduate Studies, Drew University, Madison, NJ.
Rev. Dr. Althea Spencer-Miller, Associate Professor, New Testament Studies, at the Theological School and Graduate Studies, Drew University, Madison, NJ. Email: aspencer@drew.edu
Faser Hardin, Director of Music Ministries faserhardin@churchofthevillage.org
Ronneak Lee, Administrative Assistant office@churchofthevillage.org
Dereck Panchure, Building Coordinator buildingcoordinator@churchofthevillage.org
Jay Lonschein, Investment Consultant