Vicar Mandy Gilberti Rev. Brenda Henry Rev. Sue Devine Bishop Kurt Kusserow Rev. Paul Koch Rev. John Gropp
Feel free to call or contact ANY of our pastors! Each of them is an ordained pastor and they all can help you.
Each of our pastors has many years of wisdom and experience! However, each has slightly different skills and abilities. If the pastor you first contact feels that your problem or concern may be better handled by one of their fellow clergy, then he/she will help you to get in contact with that other pastor.
The Reverend John Gropp
While attending Slippery Rock University, I met my wife, Colleen, whom I married during my second year at Gettysburg Seminary, where I actively participated in the Luther House of Studies, taking courses in many of the Washington D.C. area and other schools of theology. Following our marriage in March of 1974, we began a 2-year concurrent internship in the Armstrong, Indiana, and Jefferson county’s (AIJ Town and Country Cooperative Ministry). During the internship, I commuted to Washington D.C. one day a week to attend courses there and complete my academic studies while serving the parishes of AIJ (At one time there were 21 parishes in AIJ from Avonmore near Apollo, to Brookville, and Dubois, to Brush Valley and Coral near Blairsville, just to mention the outside perimeter of the area served). In case some think what we are doing in PLUM is tough or crazy, many of the congregations we served in AIJ have stabilized their ministries and are still faithfully serving their communities today.
The Reverend Doctor Paul Koch
I graduated seminary with a M.Div.; ordained August 9, 1970; earned a D. Min. degree in 2003; after 39 years of full-time pastoral ministry, I retired to Pittsburgh from Chicago. Married to Sharon with two son, one of which lives in Ingram, PA; the other son is a saxophone player with the USAF Concert Band, D.C. Working part time with PLUM; primary ministry is on Sunday morning, leading worship and preaching, preparing Bible Study materials for the PLUM pastors, teaching one class a week on Tuesday mornings, and working on a variety of PLUM projects.
The Reverend Brenda Henry
I was born and raised in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. I am a first generation American. My dad was from the island of Antigua. My mother was born on the island of Montserrat and raised on St. Kitts. I am the proud mother of two. My daughter a graduate of LaSalle University (2019) and resides in Philadelphia. My son is a senior at Thiel College. We relocated to Pittsburgh in 2004, from Michigan, and have made it our home. My younger sister, a very important part of my nuclear family as she was ‘my first’ child, also lives here in Pittsburgh.
I have had an ecumenical faith journey. I was baptized and confirmed as a Moravian in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. I spent my young adult years as a member of a UCC congregation in Lansing, Michigan. While living in Pittsburgh, I have been a Baptist, until April of 2017, when I joined Hope Lutheran Church of Forest Hills. I have served as Sunday school teacher for youth and adults, Church Secretary and Administrative Assistant to the Pastor, choir member and Council member During my spiritual journey, I have come to appreciate that God is ever present and uses many hands and a variety of settings to serve his creation.
My first vocation was social work, which I did for 20 years. I received both my undergraduate (1990) and Masters of Social Work (1992) degrees from Michigan State University. I earned my Masters of Divinity degree in 2017, from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I served as an Intern with PLUM. I have come to appreciate how ministry intersects secular space and congregations, thus allowing me to see how both of my vocations are an unfolding part of God’s plan for me. By the grace of God, and the support of the church, I was ordained on November 3, 2019. I am delighted to begin my call as a Minister of Word and Sacrament to the congregations of PLUM. I look forward to serving together, as we discover what God is up to in our communities and our world.
The Reverend Susan Devine
I was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. I met my husband, Keith, while attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where I graduated in 1983 with a BS in Education. Keith joined the Navy in 1984 and we spent the next 11 years as a Navy family. We lived in Waukegan, Illinois; Winter Park, Florida – where our son, Shawn, was born; Ballston Spa, New York – where our son, Bryant, was born; and Hampton, Virginia – where our daughter, Sarah, was born. In 1995, we returned to Pittsburgh, where we now reside. I am also blessed to have two grandsons and a granddaughter.
I came to ministry later in life, after spending 23 years in a banking career at Dollar Bank. I am a recent graduate of Luther Seminary, in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I earned my Master of Divinity (2019). I was ordained on February 15, 2020. My home congregation, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, in the Sheraden community of Pittsburgh, was a congregation of Pittsburgh Lutheran United Ministries. Coming from a small, struggling congregation, I am passionate about working with small congregations to develop ministries in their local communities. I also serve as a member of the Stewardship Committee of the Southwest PA synod of the ELCA.
I am excited to begin my call as a Minister of Word and Sacrament to the congregations of PLUM.
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3
Vicar Mandy Gilberti
Malinda (Mandy) Kay Gilberti was born in Altoona, PA and raised in Johnstown, PA. She currently resides with her husband Frank, in Penn Hills, PA. Mandy graduated from ICM School of Business and was a banker for 24 years, most recently with First Commonwealth Bank in Indiana, PA. While there, she discerned her calling to walk with the people in her community and left the business world to answer God’s call. She enrolled in the United Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg in 2016. She just finished her third year at the seminary and is now in her internship here with PLUM.
Mandy is a proud Mother of Marykate and Mack Kuhne. Marykate is an accomplished clarinetist, musical conductor, and an Adjunct Professor at Illinois State University. Mack is a full-time student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania majoring in Kinesiology/Pre-Med.
Mandy was raised as Roman Catholic and converted to ELCA Lutheran in 1995. At that time, she attended Zion Lutheran Church, Johnstown, PA. In 2003, she became a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Indiana, PA, and served as a Sunday School teacher for children and adults. Church Council member, Financial Secretary (6 years), Choir, Church kitchen staff, VBS, and the Indiana County Back to School Bash.
The origins of PLUM go back to the year 2004 when our sister congregation at East Liberty Lutheran became vacant and was unable to provide the resources to call a pastor. Pastors Beth and John recognized that East Liberty’s situation was similar to that of many of our small congregations so they put their heads together, along with the members of East Liberty, Christ and St. Andrew, to develop a plan of action. That work led to the PLUM model for addressing the pastoral care needs of small congregations in our Greater Pittsburgh area. It is from those discussions, the fantastic support of our congregations and our synod, constant prayer, faithful action and humble beginnings that the Pittsburgh Lutheran United Ministries has, and continues to, evolve. PLUM continues to meet the needs of small congregations and now has eleven churches as part of this cooperative ministry. These churches include:
Bethany Lutheran Church – Dormont
Christ Lutheran Church – Duquesne
East Liberty Lutheran – East Liberty
Hope Lutheran – Forest Hills
Lutheran Church of our Saviour – North Huntingdon
Messiah Lutheran – Munhall
Resurrection Lutheran – Oakdale
St. Andrew – East Carnegie
St. Paul’s Lutheran – Canonsburg
Trinity Lutheran – Mt. Oliver
Zion Lutheran – Coraopolis
Feel free to call or contact ANY of our pastors! Each of them is an ordained pastor and they all can help you.
Each of our pastors has many years of wisdom and experience! However, each has slightly different skills and abilities. If the pastor you first contact feels that your problem or concern may be better handled by one of their fellow clergy, then he/she will help you to get in contact with that other pastor.
Read about our modern day Circuit Riders 
Listen to some of our past Sermons 
 
Pittsburgh Lutheran United Ministries (PLUM), 405 Kennedy Avenue, Duquesne, PA 15110 412-466-7773
|
|