Pastoral staff
Taking a less conventional route into the ministry, Paul has a Marketing degree from Messiah College. He later completed a Master’s of Divinity from Biblical Seminary. Before entering the Pastorate, he spent thirteen years in the Pharmaceutical industry, later transitioning to serve as a Worship Leader for six years and an Associate Pastor for three years.
Paul and his wife Leslie live in Lansdale and have three children; Sarah, Jacob and Libby. Paul genuinely enjoys building stuff and has successfully gained the reputation with his kids of being able to fix almost anything they give him…so far.
Pastor Jeff joined Bridge as our Family Life Pastor in June 2023. Before coming to Bridge, Pastor Jeff served as an Online Pastor for 5 years. His other experience includes developing and overseeing a ministry school for 5 years, being part of an evangelistic ministry for 5 years, and serving as a Youth Pastor for 8 years. Pastor Jeff is a graduate of University of Valley Forge where he majored in Pastoral Ministry and earned a Bachelors in Bible.
Pastor Jeff and his wife Alison have 2 adopted children, Tyler and Toby, and a golden retriever. Originally from Western PA, Pastor Jeff and his family now live in Lansdale. His heart is for people and he enjoys hanging out and spending time. Pastor Jeff also loves helping people save money and get a good deal.
office staff
In 2023 Stacey came on staff at Bridge. Before she joined the team, Stacey attended Bridge for 10 years and even met her husband here! She attended Cairn University (which, for her, included a year in Wisconsin and a semester in Uganda) and graduated with a Bachelors in Social Work. She worked as a social worker serving families in foster care and adoption after graduation until she and her husband welcomed their first son. Will and Stacey now have 2 sons and 1 cat.
Stacey loves building community and helping people find their people. She co-leads a local book club for women in Lansdale, ran a play date group that fostered many relationships in the community, is on the leadership team for the Nurture and Nature Women's Ministry, and is involved in community group at Bridge.
Rochelle and her family have attended Bridge since October 2014. Though she started as the BridgeKids Director in October 2024, Rochelle has been serving in BridgeKids since January 2015. She taught in Rockin' Tots, then Kidzone, then Little Builders. Rochelle took over as the lead of Little Builders in January 2021.
With a degree in Early Childhood Education, Rochelle worked for ten years in a childcare center as a preschool teacher and assistant director. She then stayed home for ten years, raising her little ones and babysitting in her home. Rochelle then spent three years working as a classroom assistant in a fourth-grade special education class until 2020, when she and her family decided to give homeschooling a shot. They loved it so much that they have continued since then.
Rochelle and her husband Bill have 3 children, Trent (and their daughter-in-law, Bailey!), Kristen, and Wayne. The Gaerthes also have a variety of pets - Duke Fluffernut the whack-a-doodle (cock-a-poo), Jarek the Ball Python, and coming soon a variety of pond fish (winner of low-maintenance pet!)
Favorite hobbies of Rochelle's are reading, writing, and learning alongside her kiddos. Planning lessons and activities to make learning more fun is her heartbeat. Rochelle loves bringing these skills to the team and using them at Bridge! Helping kids know Jesus and make the Best Decision Ever is her greatest joy.
Jennifer Martinelli joined our Staff in May of 2022 and serves as our Ministry Assistant and the Director of our youth workshop series, LEAP. Jennifer is a graduate of Arcadia University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor who works with children, teens, and adults. Jennifer has worked extensively with children and teens with social communication challenges and is passionate about helping others seek their God Given Purpose and Gifts.
Jennifer lives in Lansdale and is a wife and mother of three. She enjoys biking, walking, and spending time at the beach. One of her favorite hobbies is decorating for birthday parties and her favorite food is chicken wings!
In spring of 2022, Trish joined our team and took over handling BCC’s finances. Prior to living in Lansdale, she attended Penn State and served as a Worship Leader at her college church, where she met her husband, Daniel. Trish graduated in May of 2021 and married Daniel the same month. (She actually skipped her own graduation to get married- ask her about it sometime!)
Some of Trish’s hobbies include reading, playing piano, and backseat gaming (along with occasionally gaming herself). However, worship is what gets her really excited! She loves serving on Bridge’s Worship Team and considers it her greatest privilege in life to make music for the Lord.
LEADERSHIP
Paul Kemper
Andy Liples
Alex Thomas
Joseph Devlin (Secretary)
Bill Gaerthe
Kathy LaCorte
Sheriff Popoola (Treasurer)
Caleb Reinford
Sundays - 10AM
Mondays 9AM-12PM
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9AM-4:30PM
BRIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH
983 Allentown Road, Lansdale, PA 19446
(215) 412-8600 • info@bridgecomchurch.org
Copyright 2024 Bridge Community Church. All Rights Reserved.