Our Church Staff

Rev. Ed Carll, Senior Minister

Rev. Edward Holmes Carll, the Senior Pastor, was appointed to serve the First UMC Westfield congregation in 2002. He was ordained in 1980, and has practiced ministry in New Jersey in 4 parishes. Ed and his wife Gabriele were married in 1976, have a son, Christopher, and a daughter, Danielle. Chris is married to Jenna Meswick (delete) Carll. Their sons, Dylan, born in 2003 and Tyler, born in 2006 are the latest additions to the Carll family. Danielle rests in the Eternal Embrace, having died from injuries in a traffic accident in 1996.

Ed is a M. Div. graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary '81; and earned a Masters of Theology in Clinical Pastoral Care and Counseling in '87, also from PTS. His most recent graduate work has been in the area of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the Richard Stockton College of NJ. Among the most effective forms of community-oriented service ministries Ed has helped organize, the most notable are: Habitat for Humanity of Southern Ocean County; a Domestic Violence Response Team and Clergy Training for Domestic Violence, AIDS education for youth and their parents; work with the local Juvenile Conference Committee and the Municipal Alliance Committee; organizing CROP Walks for World Hunger; and setting up the Center for Healing and Wholeness, a congregation-based pastoral care center using spiritual resources for healing.

His love of singing has taken him to the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, to the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, to Carnegie Hall in NYC, to worship leadership roles in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and to the choir lofts of every church he has served!

Dan Bottorff, D.Min., our Associate Minister of Pastoral Care, has held this part-time position for 10+ years. His other ministry is offered through the Creative Living Pastoral Counseling Center in Bergen County, as a marriage and family therapist. Ordained in 1969, Dan has served two previous parishes before specializing in pastoral care and psychotherapy.

Dan has been married to Susan, a clinical social worker, for nearly 40 years. Both of their two adult children, Anna and Adam, currently live in NYC, but have in their education and adventures lived in many parts of the country and the world.

Using his abilities to engender discussion of contemporary faith and life issues, Dan has helped develop the “Seekers Service,” which adds a unique dimension to the interactive worship life of FUMC. Each week scripture is used “to crack open” the daily issues of living in order to locate personal and communal meaning from our faith.

Dan offers pastoral calling and consultation as a part of his role at FUMC. Divorce Recovery and Grief Support groups are offered regularly. As a Marriage and Family Therapist licensed by the Sate of New Jersey, he adds a professional perspective when family crises develop in the parish. Apart from our parish he supervises psychotherapists and leads Ministry Issues Groups for other parish clergy.

The facilities of the Westfield Y have offered Dan a varied menu of physical delights which include: weight lifting, racquetball, and yoga. Travel with Susan most recently has included camping in Big Bend National Park and a parish exchange to Alloa, Scotland.

Trent Johnson is the Director of Music and Arts and Organist of First United Methodist Church. In this capacity he oversees the entire Music Ministry consisting of choruses of all ages, instrumental and vocal ensembles, weekly and special services, and the Friday Night Concert series. He is also the conductor of the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, a large chorus (about 100 members) that performs the great choral masterworks with soloists and orchestra.

Trent is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and The Juilliard School. As an organ recitalist he has performed concerts throughout the northeastern United States (including the major churches in New York City, Washington DC, Boston, Baltimore and New Jersey) and Europe. He is also a recording artist, having recorded works for both Summit and Albany Records. As a conductor he directs the church choirs of FUMC, the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, and has conducted at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in the annual Messiah-Sing-In.

An award winning composer, he has written numerous works for various soloists, ensembles and musical organizations. Among them are chamber works, choral and vocal works, a cantata, concertos and orchestral works.

Norma M. Hockenjos is a deacon in full connection assigned to the First United Methodist Church, Westfield. A graduate of Douglass College with majors in English, Education, and Social Studies, Norma taught in public schools for five years. She continued graduate studies at Scarritt, Garrett, and Drew becoming a diaconal minister in 1981 and in 1997 was ordained a deacon. Additionally she became certified by the UMC as a laboratory leader in youth and adult ministries and an associate in Christian education.

She has served FUMC as Youth Minister, Minister of Education and currently as a volunteer associate minister as a member of the staff, adult education leader with special emphasis in outreaching ministries. For three years she was the Christian educator on the staff of the former Northern New Jersey Conference and continues on an occasional basis to resource local churches in the area of Christian education. She has been the chair of the Ecumenical Training Associates which annually offers leadership training workshops, and serves on the committee of the Hightstown Event, which also provides an annual day of training for church leaders.

Together with William - Bill – her husband of fifty years, she has two daughters, Kathryn and Janet, two sons-in-law, Kevin and Sam, and three grandchildren: Amberly, Victoria, and Matthew.

Exercise at the Y, summer holidays with family in New Hampshire, being with the grandchildren for celebrations and whatever they are doing, plus needlework and a quilt in process make up much of her "other activities."

Mary Pembridge has a BS in Elementary Education and a MA in Early Childhood and has taught at the pre-K through college levels. She is in her sixth year as Director of Wesley Hall Nursery School. The school currently serves approximate ninety children between the ages of two and a half and five and has been in business for fifty three years. Mary is married and has a daughter, Kelly, who is fourteen years old.

No church could possibly fulfill its mission without the presence of a committed and caring support staff.

As Administrative Secretary, Susan is responsible for keeping the administrative engine of the church running smoothly. She carries out all of the duties implicit in her title and many more. Her voice is the first that most people hear when they contact FUMC. Her graciousness is welcoming and her breadth of knowledge amazing.

Susan is the communication hub of FUMC bearing responsibility as she does for the weekly worship bulletin, the monthly newsletter, the bulletin boards, and last but not least, the annual report generated by the church. She keeps the church calendar current, maintains the church membership data base, and produces and maintains the church membership directory.

In spite of her many other responsibilities, Susan is always there to help! She designs and makes posters advertising internal church events, designs and makes name tags for meetings, and the list goes on. Every committee in the church has benefited from her willingness and expertise!

As Maintenance Supervisor, Joseph Guarraci is responsible for keeping the physical engine of the church running smoothly. In fact, he is responsible for maintaining the health and safety of the 30,000 square feet that make up the church, the church grounds, Wesley Hall Nursery School, and two parsonages.

With the knowledge associated with his N. J. Black Seal Boiler License he safely operates two- 500 horsepower boilers. He inspects our buildings, roofs, and all other ground dwellings, carrying out repairs for smaller projects that include electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and masonry. When large projects arise, Joe bids out, supervises and inspects all contractual work performed by outside contractors. He also manages all part-time custodians and janitorial services and is our interface to the local Fire Department, the Town Inspector, and the Police Department.

In line with keeping us safe, Joe makes sure that we conform to all health and safety standards including the uniform fire code and standards. He maintains security for all dwellings including the Wesley Hall Nursery School, is on call 24 hours for our alarm systems, and is responsible for snow removal. He also keeps us beautiful, procuring all goods and landscaping services for the grounds as needed and efficient by maintaining records for coordination and scheduling of room setups for parties, meetings retreats, and all other outside functions.

In spite of his heavy workload, Joe is always available to help solve problems. During our recent “Creation Weekend”, he came up with the perfect way to display the congregation’s artwork. He even made a long, heavy duty extension cord to use for the greening of the church. What would we ever do without him!

As Education Ministry Secretary, Linda Newingham supports many activities. She assists volunteers in the Education program, answers questions, and records church school attendance and the offering. In addition, she does the bookkeeping and orders materials for the curriculum.

However, Linda’s efforts are not limited to the Education Ministry and, in fact you can find her wherever there is a need. Linda coordinates weekly newspaper releases. She assists the Youth Ministry with RISE activities, the Music Ministry with its Worship, Music, and Arts Committee, and Community Outreach, specifically in preparing paperwork for various programs such as Homeless Hospitality. Linda’s influence is obviously extensive, reaching as it does some of the major ministries of our church. The word “No” is just not in her vocabulary!