Staff


  • rEV. William R. Kroeze,  Pastor

    The Rev. William Kroeze, a native of Modesto, California, graduated from California Lutheran University with a B.A. in History in 2003.  While an undergraduate, he began his love affair with church music as a member of the University Choir, which took him on tour throughout England and the Southwestern United States.  As an active member of campus ministry, Pastor Will further discerned a call to ordained ministry, leading him to The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary) where he graduated with the Master of Divinity in 2008. Academically, his focus has been on liturgy and the arts, Lutheran confessional theology, and global ecumenism, including studies at the Ecumenical Center in Geneva, and the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland.

     

    Following his ordination in 2008, Pastor Will served as Associate Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Stamford, CT until 2014, and from 2014 to 2018, he served as Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church, Hauppauge, NY.

     

    Outside the parish, Pastor Will has been a key member of the Worship Committees of the New England and Metropolitan New York Synods, taking a central role in the 2017 commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and serving as Director of Worship for the Metropolitan New York Synod Assembly.  He has been a regular participant at the Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University, and is in demand as a teacher in the Metro New York Diakonia program, where he has taught courses on Lutheran confessional theology, the history of Lutheranism in America, lay preaching, and wisdom literature in the Bible.  Additionally, he has been on faculty twice at Pinecrest Lutheran Leadership School, where he has taught courses on the theology of the body and body image, and “Lutheranism 101”

     

    Pastor Will and his husband Steven have made their home in the East Village along with Joey, their golden retriever puppy.  In his free time, he enjoys sailing, travel, museums, concerts, and sharing food and drink with family and friends.


    Email: Pastor@TrinityLowerEastSide.org

    Phone: 212-228-5254 x11

  • PAUL STAROBA, PIANIST

    Paul is originally from Northern California and now works as a music director, conductor, and pianist in the New York theater, on and off Broadway.


    "Playing the piano at Trinity was my first steady job when I moved to New York, and it quickly became much more than just another gig.  To me, it is a place of welcome, joy, warmth, and inspiration."


    Email: PaulStaroba@hotmail.com

  • ALEX LAWRENCE, CHOIR DIRECTOR

    Alex was born and raised in Fresno, California. After college, he moved to NY with his now husband, Cody. An amateur orchid enthusiast, Alex also enjoys playing piano and guitar and cooking. He is also proudly a "Chopped Champion" having won on behalf of Trinity's Services And Food for the Homeless.


    "I feel so blessed to be a part of the Trinity family as choir director. Trinity is such a welcoming, open place where I can feel truly at home."


    Email: alex@safhnyc.org

    Phone: 212-228-5254 x10