Westerly
Road Church
Staff
Dr. Matthew Ristuccia, Senior Pastor
David Rowe, Associate Pastor of Congregational Care
Robert Olszewski, Assistant Pastor of Youth Ministry
Carine Toussaint, Director of Missions
Mary McCormack, Director of Women’s and Children’s Ministries
Wendy Williams, Office Administrator
Art Pellichero, Administrator of Facilities and Finance
Maureen Hoaglund & Margaret Terrero, Office Assistants
John Beeson, Ministry Intern
Ersilia Gaudry, David Brown, & LaVerne Ombadykow, Counselors
Senior Pastor MATT RISTUCCIA, a native of Massachusetts, received Jesus Christ as his Savior in November 1971 while a student at Princeton University. Upon graduation from Grace Seminary in 1978, he returned to Princeton to join the staff of the Princeton Evangelical Fellowship ministering to University students, with his wife Karen (also a Princeton graduate). He became Senior Pastor of Westerly Road Church in October 1985. He has also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. Matt and Karen have two sons, Joel and Nathan.
DAVID ROWE, Associate Pastor of Congregational Care, joined the staff in July 2001. David was raised in Yardley, PA, and spent many an hour in Princeton working on a student public affairs show at WPST radio. After attending Ithaca College in upstate New York for a Communications degree, David began work at WABC radio in New York producing various talk shows including The Bob Grant Show and The Alan Colmes Show, as well as NY Jets radio broadcasts and the Yankees pre-game show. Later he moved over to the television side and worked in the ABC Entertainment division of the network for six years on programs such as The Beatles Anthology, The Barbara Walters Special, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and ABC’S NFL Monday Night Football.
It was during this period that David was invited to Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Manhattan, and the Spirit moved him to accept Christ as both Lord and Savior in the autumn of 1994. He left broadcasting in 1997 to attend Westminster Theological Seminary in the Master of Divinity/Counseling program, graduating in 2001. David was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in the fall of 2004. He is a Lecturer in Practical Theology at Westminster, teaching classes in biblical counseling. Married to his beautiful wife, Awilda, at Christmas time, 1998, they both love film and travel, and their precious twins, Ethan and Olivia, born in September of 2000.
ROBERT OLSZEWSKI, Assistant Pastor of Youth Ministry , was raised by Christian parents in Basking Ridge NJ, and made a public profession of his faith at a young age. During his high school and college years, Robert was active in his home church in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. Robert is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University (B.S. in Bible and M.S. in Organizational Leadership) and is currently studying at Biblical Theological Seminary for his Masters in Divinity degree. Before coming to Westerly Road Church, Robert was a Project Manager for Merrill Lynch in Hopewell, New Jersey. After serving for almost seven years within Merrill Lynch, Robert was called to pursue full time ministry. After a time as Interim Youth Director at WRC, he was called as youth pastor in February 2004. He has a wife, Karen, and two lovely children, Julia and Tyler.
The Elders of Westerly Road Church are elected for 3-year terms. Those currently serving, besides Pastor Matt (elder ex officio), are:
This page revised February 23, 1998. See Site Information.