Pastor Abel is a Lutheran pastor and seminary faculty member with over 19 years of experience in ministry. From 2003 to 2010, he served as a Parish Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines where he was ordained and installed. During his time there, he also served as District Secretary and in other auxiliary organizations of the church, demonstrating his commitment to leadership and service.

In 2010, Pastor Abel transitioned to a new role as a Seminary Faculty member at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Baguio City, where he taught various subjects as assigned by the Dean of the Seminary. He also served as Fieldwork Supervisor and in other roles assigned by the Board of Control and the Dean, further developing his expertise in pastoral ministry and education. In addition, he served as a Vacancy Pastor of congregations, demonstrating his flexibility and dedication to serving the church.

Recently, Pastor Abel and his wife have been called to work with the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and they are currently based in the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Yonkers area. As they embark on this new chapter of their ministry, Pastor Abel is excited about the opportunities to establish and strengthen connections with the local community. In particular, he hopes to reach out to the Filipinos in the area, building relationships and creating a welcoming space where they can feel at home.

With his extensive experience in pastoral ministry and education, Pastor Abel is well-equipped to take on this new challenge. He is committed to serving the needs of the community and bringing the message of God's love to all those he encounters. His wife shares his passion for ministry and looks forward to supporting him in this new endeavor.

Throughout his years of service, Pastor Abel and his wife have witnessed the transformative power of God's love in people's lives. This has inspired him to continue his work in ministry and teaching, where he strives to share his passion for God's work with his students and parishioners. Pastor Abel is known for his humility and gratitude, and his unwavering commitment to serving others.

Rich Peko is a lifelong member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. After serving in various offices since 1985, Rich, at the urging of then Pastor Leroy Leach, completed the 10 course, two year Atlantic District lay deacon training in 2011 and was commissioned as a lay deacon serving Holy Trinity on December 6, 2011. Since then, Rich has served this church and occasionally neighboring churches, through teaching, visiting, supporting the missions of the church, and, when needed, leading worship. He especially enjoys hosting the men’s bible breakfast. Watch for the upcoming breakfast.

Rich has been married to Linda for 47 years. They have both served as Sunday School teachers and Linda is currently the Sunday School superintendent. They have one daughter, Joy, an occupational therapist working with 3 to 4 year olds in a school setting. Joy helps provide the music for our worship services.

Rich currently works for Scarsdale Medical Group in the lab. He is a rabid baseball fan, supporting both New York teams and the Rockland Boulders. He enjoys golf, reading almost everything he can get his hands on, including the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas movies, and formulaic romantic comedies.

He also very much enjoys speaking about Jesus and what he has done for him and for all of us. If you’d like to talk, email him at deaconrich@htlcyonkers.org. Or call the church office and leave a message. He will get back to you.

While Joy is new to the council, she is not new to Holy Trinity.   She has been a member of the church since she was born.  She has been involved in worship through music.  She is a singer, she has planned and executed both Christmas in July, and a visit from Maggie the comfort dog.  Outside of church her vocation is as an occupational therapist working with autistic children in a school setting.  She brings vitality and a new perspective of the management of the church through the council,