
John Livingston, Pastor
John is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He served as Associate Pastor at the Garden City Community Church, Long Island, and was called to be our pastor in 1986. His wife, Judi, was a teacher in The United Church Nursery School and the church’s children’s choir director. John retired in June 2022 and was honored with the title Pastor Emeritus. He returned in December 2022 to become the church’s Interim Pastor. Judi and John have been married for 44 years and are proud of their family: their daughter, Kelly and granddaughter, Everly; their daughter, Samantha and son-in-law, Julien and grandson, Luca; their son, Michael and daughter-in-law, Melissa.

Marsha Hall, Director of Music
Marsha has been active in church since her early teens, beginning in Michigan and later in
Virginia. In 1978, after moving to Connecticut, she was called to the United Church of
Rowayton, where she directs the Adult Choir and both the Adult and Youth Handbell Choirs.
Marsha has toured as director and accompanist throughout Europe and Russia. She has guest
conducted regional festivals in Connecticut and accompanied All State choirs. Marsha’s son
Jason, and his wife Blair, are proud parents of Marsha’s grandchildren, Blake and Palmer.

Val Harden, Director of Christian Education
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biopsychology at Vassar College, Val earned an
Associate Degree in Massage Therapy from the New York College of Health Professionals.
She is the Vice President, Business and Development and Senior Physician Recruiter at
TeedCo Healthcare Recruiting in Norwalk. She first came to the United Church of Rowayton in
2008 and served on The Board of Christian Education. She became the Director of Christian
Education in 2017. Val and Michael have two children, Amber and Charlotte.

Kris Jenkins, Office Manager
Kris received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from the School of Public
Communication at Boston University. She and her husband, Frank, joined the United Church
of Rowayton in 1990. She served on the Board of Household Concerns and the Building
Committee, which was responsible for the expansion of the Meeting House. She has served on
the Public Relations Committee and has edited the church newsletter since 1992.
Kris has been the Office Manager since 2005. She and Frank have three grown children:
Walker, Danielle, and Nicole.

Bill Sarr, Business Manager
Bill attended the University of Connecticut and earned an MBA in Finance. He served as Chief Financial Officer for several publishing companies. He has been a member of the United Church of Rowayton since 2012, and he has served on the Nominating Committee and as a Deacon and member of the Board of Household Concerns. Bill and his wife, Alyssa, have a daughter, Zoe.

Bill Peltz, Communications Director
Bill earned an M.A. from Columbia University and was a classroom teacher. He joined the church in 2004 and has served on the Board of Christian Outreach and as a Deacon, Moderator, and Clerk. He and his wife, Neville, have two children - Dan and Jenn - and four grandchildren - Gray, Sid, William, and Henry.

Dileep Chandran, Maintenance Manager
Dileep was born and raised in India. He earned a bachelor's degree from UCONN and is currently working on an MBA in international business at UCONN. He joins us a a member of Premier Property Management, LLC.

Ellen Dickinson, Director of Children's Choir and Youth Handbell
Ellen is the Artistic Director of Music on the Hill in Wilton, CT. She holds a B.A. in music from Yale College and a Master of Music in Organ Performance from the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music. She is College Carillonneur at Trinity College in Hartford and director of the carillon program at Yale University.