Meet Our Staff
UPG Intentional Interim Pastor
The Rev. Mike Button
Mike Button is a 1974 graduate of Louisiana State University and a 1978 graduate of Luther Theological Seminary. From 1978 through 2020 Pastor Mike served churches in what is now the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the ELCA. He’s been an Associate Pastor, a solo Pastor, a Senior Pastor, and an internship supervisor. Over and above his parish duties, Pastor Mike has been active in the hospice movement, campus ministry, and his synod’s camping and outdoor retreat ministries. If he had a nickel for every mile he’s logged taking youth groups on mission trips, backpacking adventures, and overseas pilgrimages, he’d be in pretty good shape. Pastor and Carolyn married right after graduating from LSU, and while Pastor was in seminary she earned an education degree from the University of Minnesota. She retired after 25 years as a social studies teacher in Texas public schools. They have two children – Mary, who’s just been approved for ordination in the ELCA, and Tommy, a film and video editor who lives in Brooklyn with his wife Melanie and their (adorable) son Hank.
ELCA Deacon, Minister of Music (choir director and organist) and Social Ministry Leader at Light of Christ
Ms Linda Maule
Linda graduated from West Chester University with a BS in Music Education and earned an MA in organ performance from Marywood University. She took courses at Moravian Seminary and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia to satisfy requirements for the lay certification of Associate in Ministry (renamed Deacon). After being commissioned by the bishop in 2002, Linda continued to serve as the parish musician at former Messiah, a position she has held since 1982, and she took on additional hours as visitation minister and convener of the social ministry committee now called GWOH - God’s Work.Our Hands. In addition, she taught vocal music in Easton and Bethlehem for over 30 years and served as church musician at Christ Lutheran and Memorial UCC in Easton before coming to the former Messiah.
Linda is a member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. She is also active with the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists having served as secretary, dean (twice) and recently elected to a 3-year term on the chapter board. Linda sang for many years in the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. She has been married to Gordon since 1965, and they have two married sons - Darren and Ryan.
We will update this page when staffing for Blessed Trinity is finalized
Organist
Ms Marisa Deshler
Marisa Deshler has been the organist at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church for the past 20 years. In 2018, she began directing the St. Peter’s choir. She has enjoyed her new responsibilities of directing the choirs, as well as continuing to play the organ in worship. She also works closely with Linda Maule and the other members of the Music and Worship Ministry team to coordinate the worship planning for the UPG. Linda and I work together to choose hymns for worship. We also take turns directing the joint choir anthems on UPG Joint Worship Experiences. She is happy to be a part of all of the music ministries of the UPG.
She completed her undergraduate studies in Music at Cedar Crest College and earned her M.A. in Music History from Rutgers University. She did her graduate thesis on examining the organ works of J.S. Bach and his students. Since completing her graduate work, she has continued to study organ privately. She enjoys learning the organ repertoire and performing it at concerts at St. Peters. She is a member of the Lehigh Valley Guild of Organists. In addition to serving at the UPG, she is the piano accompanist and member of The Jerusalem Singers and a member of the professional a capella singing group, The Wandering Singers. Both of these choral groups regularly perform concerts throughout the Lehigh Valley. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Pete, and their daughter, Katherine.
Campus Coordinator,
Church Office Secretary
Ms Sandy Horwath
For the past sixteen years Sandy has been the church secretary at Light of Christ (formerly Messiah Lutheran Church). For the last three years, she has been Coordinator for the UPG at the Light of Christ campus. She enjoys doing God’s work with her heart and hands. Her biggest pleasure is to attend to the needs of the UPG parishioners and church responsibilities.
VIsitation Ministry Coordinator
Ms Michel Lloyd
I have been a member of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church since birth. My entire working life was spent at St. Luke’s Hospital, now known as St. Luke’s University Health Network, performing a job ( Blood Banking and Transfusion ) in a workplace I truly loved and from which I retired, very reluctantly, after 50 years service. I was blessed by Pastor Jerry’s offer to become the Home Visitation Ministry Coordinator because it allowed me to be more closely involved with my church family and also to often make trips to the hospital to visit the sick. Our Homebound Ministry has grown with the formation of the UPG and the growth in the number of members of our church family. I am busier than ever with visitations, singing in the choirs, both church and Bach, my commitment to the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter, involvement in the many activities afforded by the UPG, and most importantly my family of four children and their spouses, plus seven delightful grandchildren. Thanks be to God for all the ways in which He has blessed me!
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UPG Parish Nurse
Ms Donna Musselman, RN, CNOR (Certified Nurse Operating Room)
Donna began her health care career 48 years ago. She is a graduate of St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing. She has worked in the operating room for the last 39 years. She was one of the early recipients of St. Luke’s PCRAFT award. (Pride, Caring, Respect, Accountability, Flexibility, Teamwork): a peer nominated and chosen award. She has held numerous roles in her hospital career: staff nurse, team leader, charge nurse, assistant nurse manager, and, on several occasions, interim OR nurse manager.
As parish nurse she is able to assist you in understanding health care information provided by your physician, answer questions you may have concerning health issues and can offer and suggest practices to maintain good health.