Leadership

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Pastor Jay Unzaga

Pastor

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Since 2017, Pastor Jay has served as the sixth Pastor of Good Shepherd. Originally from Chile, he studied in Argentina, Germany and Philadelphia and has served in various capacities in several congregations as: Youth Director, Contemporary Worship Leader, Mission Developer and Pastor. He serves the wider community leading worship at Crane’s Mill Retirement Community and writing for the denomination. Pastor Jay sees the Christian life as an opportunity to worship, bless and proclaim; as we worship God together, we bless the world with our gifts and proclaim that Jesus is Lord to all the world. 

He is married to Caroline, a Presbyterian pastor, and together they raise their children, Isabel and Sebastian, in the church. You can find Pastor Jay at the Glen Rock Inn leading Bible study, picking up his kids at school, or at the Glen Rock Fire Department where he volunteers as firefighter and Chaplain. An avid musician, Pastor Jay can often be found playing his bagpipes on Sunday afternoons.

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Guy Dobson

Director of Music Ministries

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Guy Christopher Dobson has been playing the piano since before he can remember. He began playing the organ at the age of 13 and began his career as a church musician soon after being accepted into the Westchester Conservatory's Bachelor's program for Piano in 1978. He has served as organist and choirmaster for many congregations in the New York metropolitan area, played several recitals, and worked with both the Westchester Boy's Choir and the Young People's Musical Theater. He has studied with Leonard Raver, Dennis Keene, and Jack Hennigan and he earned a Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1994. He has also enjoyed a parallel career in libraries. Starting the summer before high school as a library page he went on to earn a Master of Science from Columbia University's School of Library Service. He is currently the Director of Technical Services at the Drew University Library. He lives in Ramsey with his wife, Kim, and their dogs (Token and Saga) and cats (Minou-Bob and Beau). Their children, Conor and Andy, are each twenty-something and busy launching their careers. Conor is working as a park ranger in New York and Andy is attending the Culinary Institute of America studying baking and pastry arts.

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Amy Hurley

Church Office and Communications Manager

Office: (201) 444-6598
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As Church Office and Communications Manager, Amy's role includes marketing and administrative responsibilities. You can find her in person at the church office Monday through Friday from 9:15-1:15 or by email, Amy received her Bachelor of Arts degree as a double major in English and Psychology from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where she graduated cum laude. She is passionate about playing a behind-the-scenes role in keeping organizations running smoothly. Her background spans senior living, retail, and mental health services. As a woman of faith, Amy feels especially blessed to have the opportunity to work in a church environment. She lives in Hawthorne with her husband Jim and their two children (6 year old James and 3 year old Mackenzie) and a dog named Mo. In her free time, Amy especially loves to be with family, garden, read, and do projects around the house. Her favorite Bible passages are Lamentations 3: 21-23 and Psalm 91.

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Ernie Pastor

President; Property Committee

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Michael Cook

Vice President

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Michael currently serves Good Shepherd as vice president, after having previously been the secretary during the 2022-2023 church year. He and his family first began attending Good Shepherd in 2019 and officially became members in 2020. In addition to his place on the council, Michael sings in the choir and assists as a liturgical assistant. His school-aged children, Sophia and Matthew have both begun to follow his example by becoming acolytes and helping the church wherever they can. One of Michael’s great hopes for the church is to build a vibrant program around its youth. This summer he is helping to lead a delegation from Good Shepherd to Eastern Tennessee as part of the Appalachia Service Project. He looks forward to other opportunities to involve the church’s children and young adults in Good Shepherd’s call to “Worship, Bless, and Proclaim”.  Michael retired from a career in marketing & communications to dedicate himself to community service. In addition to his roles with Good Shepherd he volunteers as an EMT in Wyckoff.

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Chris Podd

Treasurer

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Chris and his wife, Anne Marie, have been members of Good Shepherd since they moved to Glen Rock in 2001. They were immediately attracted by the quality of the services, the welcoming atmosphere of the congregation, and quality of the music program. Their daughters, Emily and Rebecca, are currently in college. Both received their First Communion and Confirmation at Good Shepherd and are happy to call it “Our Church”. Chris spent several years coordinating the Communion Assistants, as well as teaching Sunday School. In 2019, Chris officially joined the Church Council as Education Chair, before serving Vice-President in 2022.

Erica Melz

Secretary

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Susan Melz

Financial Secretary

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Hello, my name is Susan Melz, and I have been the Financial Secretary since 2018. I was born and raised in Maywood, NJ and attended Zion Lutheran Church with my family. My husband Peter and I were married there, and our daughters were baptized there. We moved to Glen Rock in 1994 and joined Good Shepherd soon thereafter. Our daughters, Katie and Erica, received their Communion and Confirmations at Good Shepherd, and have both taught Sunday school here. Peter served as Stewardship chair for six years, I was the Sunday school chair when our girls were younger, and we both have been Communion Assistants for over 18 years. I enjoy traveling with my family, hiking, and taking my dogs on long walks.

Paul Knight

Stewardship and Endowment

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Janet Tenore

Evangelism and CARE Ministry

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I am currently the CARE Ministry and Evangelism chairperson on council.  I have been on the council now for more than 17-1/2 years.  I became a member of the church council when I was hired in 2006 as the Director of Parish Ministries.  Pastor Spencer was my mentor.  I have served continuously on council, even after I retired in 2019.

My husband, Lou, and I were married at Good Shepherd by Pastor Hergenhan in 1981.  My three grown daughters, Beth, Katie and Jackie, were baptized at Good Shepherd, and also received their First Communion and Confirmation here.  They were all active in choir, youth group and serving in other capacities.  Beth and Katie attended the National Youth Gatherings.  Katie also traveled to Namibia, Africa, with the NJ Synod team.  Our family hosted a young man from Namibia, Saltiel Heita, who stayed with us for two weeks and also attended the National Youth Gathering with the youth from Good Shepherd. 

Over the years, I have attended many NJ Synod Assemblies, where it was fun to see some of our previous interns (now pastors), and clergy friends from other churches in Bergen County.  It was also incredibly interesting and informative to see how the Synod functions and all the decisions they need to make as the overseer of the Lutheran churches in New Jersey.

I have been blessed and honored a thousand times over to be a member of Good Shepherd, to have worked here for 13-1/2 years, for all the friends I've made and ministered to, and for the opportunities that I have been given.  God is good!!

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Erin Gardner

Christian Education

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In 2016 when my husband, baby daughter and I moved from Hoboken to Bergen county it was important to me to find a Lutheran Church fior my family to grow, love and worship in.  I was lead to Good Shepherd in the summer of 2017. Immediately I felt a strong connection to the community, Pastor Jay and the congregation.  Over the years through the birth of another daughter, family illness and Covid-19 I have turned to Pastor Jay and the Good Shepherd family for support, love and friendship. I am honored to be on council and help to guide the younger generation of Good Shepherd in Christian Education program. I look forward to many more years as a member of this loving community and continual growth for the congregation.

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Christa Schurmann

Social Ministries

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Vin, our two sons, and I moved back to New Jersey from Atlanta in 2012. We took our time choosing a church and ultimately settled on Good Shepherd because it just ‘felt right’. Since joining, we have been part of a wonderful church family that truly does worship, bless, and proclaim. As social ministry chair, I look forward to working with the congregation to continue to bless those in our community and beyond.

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Carol Voss

Congregational Life

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Having been a member of Good Shepherd as a child and then returning to raise my own children here some years later, I have witnessed many changes in the congregation, the church buildings, and church activities. The events of the past few years have been especially challenging for our sense of community. As I return to the Church Council as chair of the Congregational Life Committee, I look forward to joining you all in creating and reimagining activities and events that promote and extend the concept of community at Good Shepherd. What would you like to see? Let's make it happen!