Leadership

Rev. Jennifer Toburen

Pastor Jennifer Toburen joined Christ Lutheran Church in June 2019 as our internship student during her final year at United Lutheran Seminary. After graduating with a Master of Divinity in May 2020, Pastor Jennifer was called to Christ Lutheran as our pastor in October 2020. She was born and raised in Dundee, Michigan, a small, rural town in southeastern Michigan. She is a cradle Lutheran, raised her whole life within the community of St. John Lutheran Church in Dundee.    Before deciding to attend seminary, Pastor Jennifer spent 25 years in the world of corporate finance with her longest tenure at Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she was a Director of Finance & Accounting Operations. She also worked at the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor from 1995 to 2017 as a Weekend Relief Manager. Pastor Jennifer also has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University.    Pastor Jennifer is married to her wife Lisa, and they are the proud parents of five cats who keep the house active – day and night! Pastor Jennifer and Lisa love to travel, with favorite destinations being Walt Disney World and Mackinac Island. When seeking some time for rest and relaxation, Pastor Jennifer loves to run, read, bake, and spend time with family.

Cindy Brookhart, Secretary

I am what is referred to as a “cradle” Lutheran, meaning I’ve been a member of Christ Lutheran Church most of my life. I was baptized, confirmed, married and  renewed my wedding vows at CLC. With the exception of the two years we lived in Marysville and attended Zion Lutheran Church, I have always been a member here. The fact that we shared the same pastor made it seem as it I was still at Christ Lutheran. Over the years I have held many positions as a member of this congregation. Everything from Sunday School teacher, council member and past president, synod assembly representative, altar guild member, choir member for 30+ years, and a member of most committees at one time or another.  I have been the church secretary since 2016 and I truly enjoy this position. I love being able to provide the worship service to the congregation each week in the form of a bulletin in hard copy and also online. I enjoy keeping folks up to date with announcements and upcoming events. Shortly after I was hired to fill the church secretary position, Pastor Beth Martini made the decision to leave CLC. For the next year and a half, there were at least 5 interim pastors and many supply pastors. They were all a joy to work with and I was thankful for that opportunity. Now I’m even more thankful to work alongside Pastor Jennifer!

Joe Abate, Organist and Choir Director

Originally from Williamsport, PA, Joe has been with Christ Lutheran Church since August 1996.  He is a graduate of the University of Scranton (Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts 1986) and Seton Hall University (Master of Divinity, emphasis on Pastoral Ministry, 1990).  It was at Seton Hall that Joe began playing the organ and was the resident organist for Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall during his time of study.  Joe’s focus is on supporting congregational and choral singing, and one of the things he loves most is that the congregation at CLC is definitely a singing congregation!  St. Augustine said that he who sings once prays twice, and Joe’s favorite forms of prayer have music as an integral part.    Joe is currently employed by Nationwide Insurance as a Medical Investigator in the Special Investigations Unit, investigating alleged medical fraud as well as other types of automobile insurance fraud and looks forward to growing with CLC.

Ann Fleisher, Treasurer

Ann assumed the role of Treasurer for Christ Lutheran Church in early 2023 after taking a 20+ year hiatus from the position. In Ann's "day job" she works with numbers, so serving the church in this capacity is a natural fit. In addition to serving as Treasurer, Ann is a member of the Altar Guild, is one of the CLC Knitters/Crocheters you might see stitching away during Sunday service and occasionally helps the CLC Quilters. Ann lives in Newport with her husband, Eric. Since her two children have grown up and moved away she is now "mom" to several cats. Ann loves all things crafty, but spends most of her spare time quilting.

Judy Schwartz, Sexton

Our Family joined the CLC community 13 years ago.  Our son was married here within the next year.  Our sons Mark and Adam are 44 and 46 and are raising their own families.  After graduating from Central Penn College, my career fields took me to medical assistant work in Zambia, Africa and back home to two local hospitals.  My husband and I then began as resident faculty at Milton Hershey School for 25 years.  I satisfied my passion for Early Childhood education and taught preschool for 15 years. I retired and was Nanny to my grandson until he entered Kindergarten.  Presently I enjoy attending his soccer and baseball games and have been actively serving at CLC on the committees that serve as outreaches.  And lastly, I am serving as the Sexton.