Meet Our Pastor, Staff, and Church Board
We believe in team leadership!
It's our conviction that a church is best led by a plurality of leaders who work together to accomplish its mission and vision.
By relying on consensual agreement, the River aims to create healthy checks and balances and to foster deep partnerships in building the church together.
Our pastor oversees the general direction of the church with regular input from the staff, lay leaders, and an oversight board.
It's our conviction that a church is best led by a plurality of leaders who work together to accomplish its mission and vision.
By relying on consensual agreement, the River aims to create healthy checks and balances and to foster deep partnerships in building the church together.
Our pastor oversees the general direction of the church with regular input from the staff, lay leaders, and an oversight board.
ALISON NOLL | lead Pastor
Alison grew up in Southern California and graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Politics and Dance. Her love of reading led her to relocate to New York City in 2012 and to begin working in book publishing. Realizing that she wanted to work directly with people, Alison enrolled in a dual-degree program at Union Theological Seminary and the Columbia School of Social Work. Alison graduated in 2020 with her MDiv and MSW and is Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of New York. Alison is grateful to have been part of the River community for over 12 years and a member of the staff team for 9 years. Alison lives with her husband in Queens.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
AmeLia Cunard | RiverKids Director
Amelia couldn’t have imagined that her Architecture and Design degrees from the University of Nottingham (UK) and Parson School of Design (NYC) would eventually lead her to designing the children’s program at The River. However along the way she discovered that her training and experience inspire her to combine critical thinking and creativity in her lessons. She finds walking with children as they seek to walk with God to be an honor and joy. Amelia grew up in Indonesia, moved to Singapore and the UK, before eventually settling in Queens. She now lives with her two children and their dog.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Kevin Chin | Operations Specialist
Kevin oversees a myriad of important details that make the River run! He is a native New Yorker whose curious nature spurred him to a Ph.D. in Basic Medical Science. Before joining the River staff, he started a small business enterprise that imports coffee from farmers in Guatemala for the HOPE Bible Mission. He and his wife live in Manhattan with their two children. In his spare time you may find him getting his caffeine buzz at various espresso bars around the city.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Maddie Abbott | Ministry Assistant
Maddie grew up watching her mom transition from the corporate world to ordained ministry. She never thought she'd do the same! After graduating from Dartmouth, Maddie embarked on a winding career path through Hollywood, middle school math classrooms, political campaigns, and multiple tech companies. Her journey sparked a number of spiritual questions that eventually led her to the River. She's now pursuing an MDiv at Princeton Theological Seminary and writes about the intersection of faith, politics, and corporate culture.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]
Caroline Park | Pastor emeritus
Caroline Park was born in New York City and raised in South Korea. She is a founding member of the River and served as one of the pastors until 2020. As one of her main responsibilities, Caroline created and led the River's children and youth programs with a vision to raise young people who are connected to God, themselves, and others. She is currently pursuing her PhD degree in the Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary. Caroline and her husband Charles have three children and live in Battery Park City.
Charles Park | Pastor Emeritus
Charles emigrated to the U.S. from Korea at age 14. He later went on to receive degrees in Computer Science and Economics at Stanford, and a Ph.D. in Economics at M.I.T. After striving hard to achieve the American Dream, he found getting tangled up with the story of God much more interesting and unpredictable! He's been involved in ministry for over 20 years, including helping plant the Reservoir Church in Greater Boston. He and his wife Caroline moved to Manhattan in June 2004 to start the River. They live in Battery Park City and have three children.
Contact: charles@riverNYC.org
Contact: charles@riverNYC.org
The River Board
The current River board members are Donjiro Ban, Peter Eavis, Anthony Mariani, Molly McGregor, Alison Noll, Emily Noto, Munib Raad, Jonathan Shorter, Neysa Yoon-Cho. Click here for more information about the board.
Contact: [email protected]
Contact: [email protected]