LARRY J. WESTERVELD, Pastor
Larry was born into a Christian home in Ontario, Canada. He moved to Philadelphia in 1997 to begin studies at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he earned the MDiv (2001) and ThM (2006) degrees. Pastor Westerveld was introduced to Trinity Church in 1999 when he served as Summer Intern. He would stay on to become Youth Director and was ordained and installed as Associate Pastor in 2002. Pastor Westerveld has been serving Trinity Church as its pastor since July 2008. He has been married to Diana for twenty-seven years.
FILIPE SCHULZ, Associate Pastor
Filipe and Marianna, his wife, were born in Brasília, Brazil, were married in 2014, and moved to the US in 2019, as Filipe began his studies at Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv). After less than a week on American soil, they were already in love with Trinity OPC. They thought they would be in the US for four years. Yet, here they are: after graduating from WTS, Filipe accepted Trinity’s call to be their associate pastor after serving in many different capacities here (from ruling elder to janitor, from Summer Bible Camp teacher to electric bass player). In 2022, they welcomed their daughter, Elizabeth, and in their (very small windows of) free time, they enjoy doing crafts together and taking time to discover all the different food, drink, architecture, entertainment, and cultural experiences you find when you move to another country.
ELDERS
Dave Briggs, Elder
David and his wife Meghan have been part of the Trinity family since 2001. After serving as a trustee at Trinity Church, David became a ruling elder in 2022. Together with their son, Meghan and David reside in the Ambler area. David is a union filmmaker in the NYC metro and Philadelphia, having been trained at the University of North Carolina, School of the Arts. He and Meghan co-own a boutique film lighting rental house. The Briggs have also been in the process of adopting a child from a large Asian country and look forward to bringing him home. David enjoys relaxing near water, road trips, a hot bowl of noodles, and biking.
Wes Brown, Elder
Wes has been attending Trinity since 2007. In March of 2010 he was elected as a ruling elder at Trinity, after having previously served as an elder in the PCA. Wes is currently the Youth Director at Trinity and works with both the Junior and Senior High teens and their families. Together with his wife, Michele, he has four children, Nathaniel, Zachariah, Danielle and Elijah.
Dave Drake, Elder
Dave and his wife, Katie, joined Trinity Church in 2020. They've been married since 1984 and raised their two sons in Doylestown. Their sons and their wives live in the Greater Philadelphia area and have blessed them with three wonderful granddaughters.
Dave has served for many years as a ruling elder in the OPC and PCA and was ordained to the office of elder here at Trinity in 2022.
Along with two other Christian business partners, he owns an insurance & benefits practice that serves both private and corporate clients. In his spare time he collects guitars and sources them for musicians. He also enjoys reading mysteries.
Sean Gregg, Elder
Sean has been attending Trinity since 2003 when he returned to Pennsylvania after several years of living in Minnesota. He was ordained and installed as a ruling elder in 2008. He is married to Heather, and they have three children.
Jonathan Rockey, Elder
Jonathan is a retired Latin teacher at local public high school. He is a graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia), and has a master's degree from Villanova University. He is married to Elizabeth, a retired middle school English teacher, and is the father of two grown daughters. Jonathan enjoys reading, spending time with his family, and outdoor activities of all kinds.
Tom Tomer, Elder
Tom Tomer and his wife Janice have been members of Trinity since moving to the Philadelphia area in 1976. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren. Tom was ordained to the office of ruling elder in 1974 and has served on the session of Trinity since 1978. He has served on the presbytery committees of Home Missions and Church Extension and Ministerial Oversight, and on the Candidates and Credentials Committee.
Jeremy Venter, Elder
Jeremy and his family (Kathleen, and homeschooled children Daniel, Maria, and Nancy Elise) joined Trinity in 2003. They participate in a number of ministries at the church including nursery, Pioneer Club, and teaching Sunday School. Jeremy was ordained to the office of elder in 2008.
George Vonhof, Elder Emeritus
George grew up in a Christian home in Western New York State. In 1971, after completing graduate school, he and his wife, Shirley, moved to the Philadelphia area and became members of Trinity. He became an elder in 1973 and served on the session until the fall of 2015. He has also served in positions at Phil-Mont Christian Academy and in the Presbytery of Philadelphia. George has three children and six grandchildren. The congregation of Trinity Church adopted a Resolution of Thanks on October 31, 2015, in honor of the Vonhofs.
DEACONS
Harvey Allen, Deacon
Harvey began attending Trinity Church in 2018, and became a member in 2020, after many years of service as treasurer, home Bible study leader, and pre-school SS director / teacher, all while at Chelten Baptist Church. He was ordained to the office of Deacon here at Trinity in 2022. Born and raised in Philadelphia, father of 4 and grandfather of 9, in 2022 Harvey married Kären Mansor. He remains self employed part-time as a legal courier. Harvey now enjoys vacationing with Kären, the competition of racquetball, horseshoes and cornhole, and the hobbies of genealogy,(re)reading works by Charles Williams and Meredith Klein, and listening to WRDV.
David Askey, Deacon
David and his wife, Lisa, have been attending Trinity for over 40 years. The Askeys have three daughters all of whom were raised and married at Trinity. David has been a Deacon since 1984 and also serves as the head of the sound enhancement and recording committee. David enjoys building, rebuilding, soccer, family gatherings and all things computer and technology related. David was recognized at our annual meetings for his years of faithful service with this Resolution of Thanks.
Joel Bacon, Deacon
Joel has been a Deacon at Trinity since 1983. He also serves as the church organist, and, together with wife Janet, sings in the church choir. Joel is a retired teacher of chemistry and physics at a local Christian school. His hobbies include birding, gardening, tropical fish, astronomy and weather-tracking. The Bacons have three sons; Nicholas, James, and Nathaniel.
Nick Bacon, Deacon
Nick is a lifelong member of Trinity Church, and has been a Deacon since 2022. He also spent 12 years as a Trustee, where he served as both Secretary and President. Nick works in IT, and he and his wife Cindy have 2 children.
Jack Swann, Deacon
Jack and his wife Vickie began attending Trinity in 1989 after relocating to the Philadelphia area from Garden Grove Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Southern California. He was ordained a Deacon some 40 years ago and except for a 10 year hiatus, has been serving the church for almost 30 years. Jack is father of 3 and grandfather of 5. Jack retired in 2014 after working for the Raytheon Corporation for over 30 years as a Software Engineer. He enjoys learning to play the guitar, building and flying RC model airplanes, fixing things, and genealogy.
Brian Tilton, Deacon
Brian has been serving on the Board of Deacons at Trinity for over 10 years. He currently fills the position of secretary. Brian and his wife Linda have been members of Trinity since 1984, and they have three children. Brian has experience and expertise in the areas of business and insurance.
Paul Van Rheenen, Deacon
Paul has attended Trinity for more than 25 years. He has served as a Deacon for over 10 years and is currently the treasurer. Prior to becoming a Deacon, Paul served as a Trustee for six years, during four of which he was the head of Buildings and Grounds. Paul is married and has three children.