Jesse Lee Church Staff

Bill Pfohl was appointed senior pastor at Jesse Lee in 2000 after serving churches in Trumbull, CT, and Mt. Kisco, NY. He recently shared his five-year vision for the church’s ministry, highlighting the Methodist priority of practical holiness. “The goal is to connect people inside and outside the traditional church with the deep love of God so that we all become conduits of goodness wherever we are.” Bill’s favorite acronym is GROWING SELF, which stands for God Recreating Our Worlds In New Glory: Secure, Empowered, Leading, Followers. Bill received a BS in psychology from Trinity College, a Master’s of Divinity from Yale University, and Doctor of Ministry from Drew University. The primary focus of both his formal and informal studies has been the pursuit of understanding and encouraging people on the path to genuine human authenticity. His doctoral paper, “Joy Soup for the Chicken Soul,” provided him with an opportunity to express the wonder of God’s creation in women and men and the journey toward physical, emotional, spiritual wholeness. He believes that the life of faith is not a theoretical enterprise, but a practical celebration in which we choose to receive God’s infusion of capacities to both love and hope in faith. Bill is an avid outdoorsman enjoying hiking, backpacking and canoeing especially in backcountry environments. He gardens, celebrates Pittsburgh sports teams, and is excited about advancing his culinary skills. The greatest manifestation of God’s grace in his life has been the journey of parenting his four children.

Position to be filled.

José has been a loyal member of Jesse Lee Church since 1999, and serves the church as a committed Sexton. He is a native of El Salvador, where he graduated from the National University of El Salvador with an accounting degree. José is married to Ena, his sweetheart, with whom he has a son, Oscar, who is a Chef and works in New York City.

José has a special interest in chair caning, a craft he enjoys in his free time. He is passionate about international football (soccer), both watching and playing the sport. His greatest passion is gardening: working in a garden brings José joy and satisfaction, and he feels that, this way, he collaborates with Mother Nature and adds beauty to his surroundings.

He has faithfully worked at Jesse Lee for 25 years (since December 1999), and feels that God put this job in his path so he could serve Him. José has worked as a Sexton, but he is really a Handyman, carrying out many manual and maintenance tasks. José is the person who does everything he can to ensure that the church functions as it should. In addition to being physical, he also involves serving those in need, whether they are church members, church staff or school staff. He is always willing to assist with whatever they need or ask of him. José is known in the church community for his jovial character, his jokes, his constant cheerfulness, his warm personality and also his commitment.

Jessica has served as the office manager at Jesse Lee Church since 2022, and is a PAUMCS certified church administrator. She earned her B.S. in Music Education at WCSU, and continues to be an active performing musician. Jessica is a lifelong member of the Bethel United Methodist Church, where she serves as the music director. Her hobbies are many and varied, including gardening, cooking, bird watching, crochet, power-lifting, and spending time with her beautiful niece, Francesca. Jessica lives in Bethel with her guinea pig, Oscar.

Ginny Konopka has served as Jesse Lee Church’s Treasurer since 2005 and has been a Jesse Lee parishioner since 2001. She is a New Jersey native, a Bucknell graduate and was a CPA with Price Waterhouse. She left that post to work for Crum and Forster before she and her husband Mark started their family. When sons David and Ryan (both adults now living and working as engineers in Connecticut) came along, Ginny worked with small clients and did a lot of volunteer work with schools, churches and not-for-profits.

Ginny enjoys helping the staff manage operational tasks so they can do the work they are passionate about. She balances the books and keeps the business-end of Jesse Lee running smoothly. She is currently an active part of the prayer ministry, Stephen Ministry and Thursday Bible Study. Over the years, she has enjoyed teaching Sunday School, and volunteering to make Vacation Bible School and Thank God It’s Good Friday events happen. She has also traveled to Trinidad, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and closer to home to help the youth with mission trips.

When Ginny isn’t busy balancing the Jesse Lee budget and giving the staff the operational (and spiritual) support they need to succeed, she enjoys reading books, playing handbells, singing in the Impulse Choir, playing Pickleball, taking long walks and spending time with her husband and family.

Victoria joined the Jesse Lee staff in fall 2023. She is a native of western New York and received a B.A. in Christian Ministries from Messiah University near Harrisburg, PA. She and her husband have a little girl, Ahava. Victoria may be short in stature but her ability to work with and teach children about our Christian faith is enormous!

Kathy is the Executive Director of Jesse Day School, which has seen tremendous growth under her leadership since 2003. She is an educator with a reputation for creative and decisive direction. By implementing a series of stimulating and inspiring enrichment programs, she combines both traditional educational concepts and new leading-edge programming, never losing sight of her goal to encourage and develop strong, independent, imaginative young minds. Her philosophy of fostering a professional and collaborative spirit honors leadership, accountability and ingenuity. It is a successful key component that resonates quality, and is designed to develop important new learning initiatives with the staff and students.

When not at the school, she can be found spending time with her husband John and their two dogs. They have three adult children — Morgan, Madison & McKenzie — who all live in the Northeast. Kathy enjoys nature photography, hiking, fishing and spending time at her lake house in New York. 

Julie comes to Jesse Lee Church with over 20 years of experience working with non-profit organizations and county and city governments. Her background is in public administration with skills in grant writing and management, fundraising/event planning, budgeting, program implementation, and collaborative work with a variety of boards, coalitions and community forums. She appreciates the chance to work with a talented group of staff and dedicated church members to support Jesse Lee’s efforts in reaching out to educate, build relationships and steward others to successfully sustain the church’s mission. She is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community through her work at the church.

As a United Methodist pastor, the Rev. Matt Curry has led congregations in New Canaan, Valley Stream, Mount Kisco and Mamaroneck. With over 20 years of experience in ministry and organizational leadership, he has a passion for empowering and engaging people to live up to their potential as disciples of Jesus Christ. For six years, Matt served as the Director of Connectional Ministries for the New York Annual Conference, where he creatively and effectively led programming, communications and mission for an organization of over 400 local churches. He served on the Bishop’s cabinet and oversaw budgeting, staffing and visioning, while navigating new priorities, including: leadership development, DEI, and communications. Matt holds degrees from Emory, Yale and Teachers College of Columbia University. He lives in Katonah with his family.

Caroline joined the Jesse Lee staff in 2024. With over 15 years experience in marketing and communications, she enjoys using her background in writing and brand development to help individuals, businesses and nonprofits tell their stories. She also serves as Marketing and Communications Director of Mothers for Others, Fairfield County’s largest independent diaper bank. Caroline is a past president and sustaining member of the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk and has served on the board of directors of the Intestinal Malrotation Foundation. She enjoys reading, cooking and spending time in Maine. Caroline lives in Easton with her husband Robert, three young children, Olivia, Gabriel and Louisa, and their dog Kiki.

Kerry is the Technology Administrator. She also works at a nearby elementary school, directly with the children and in the main office doing administrative work. Kerry grew up in Mohegan Lake and Yorktown, New York, and now is inspired and supported by her 11-year-old dog and two children in their twenties. Email Kerry at kerry@jesseleechurch.com.