Meet Our pastors and staff

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 our 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.

Kevin Chin  |  Operations Specialist

Kevin is a native New Yorker whose curious nature spurred him to a Ph.D. in Basic Medical Science. After taking a short break from New York City to finish up his post-doctoral studies in Cincinnati, he returned to the city and worked for an online brokerage firm startup before resigning in 2012. Before joining the River, 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: kevin@riverNYC.org

Ameila Cunard  |  Ministry Assistant

Amelia was born and grew up in Indonesia until the age of 15. She moved to Singapore and then to the UK to pursue her Architecture degree from the University of Nottingham. In 2015 she continued her study in Product Design at Parsons School of Design, New York. What started out as creating props for storytelling as a Sunday volunteer evolved into leading the Preschool Group at The River. Amelia lives in Queens with her husband Jonathan, and her two children, Noah and Leah.

Contact: amelia@riverNYC.org

John Furste  |  Pastor (Worship and Spiritual Development)

As part of the pastoral team, John oversees Sunday services, communications, and leadership development. John is a gifted musician, leading the music teams at the River and also pursuing his own music projects. Before entering the ministry, John taught high school Spanish in Colorado. He and his wife Sara live in downtown Manhattan and have two grown kids: Zachary and Emily.

​Contact: john@riverNYC.org

Sara Furste  |  Pastor (Community and Spiritual Direction)

As part of the Pastoral Team, Sara focuses on providing spiritual direction, relationship classes, and supporting volunteer leaders with the goal of creating a vibrant and healthy church community. Sara loves to inject fun into everything she does, from creating welcoming environments to helping people grow in their spiritual lives. Sara studied Spiritual Direction at General Theological Seminary and has spent over 20 years combining her skills of event planning, interior design, and church ministry. Sara is also a certified Gottman Educator and completed the Level 2 course in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. In her spare time she enjoys going for walks and throwing dinner parties. Sara and John live in lower Manhattan.

Contact: sara@riverNYC.org

Lina Krakue  |  Kids Ministry Assistant

Lina is a native New Yorker. She has a Masters in Education and a Jewelry Design degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She loves kids (including three great ones of her own!) and enjoys serving families by helping little ones grow in their knowledge and experience of God's great love.

Contact: lina@riverNYC.org​

Alison Noll  |  Kids and Youth Ministry Assistant

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 at HarperCollins Publishers. Now, Alison is enrolled in the dual degree MDiv/MSW program at Union Theological Seminary and the Columbia School of Social Work. When not at school or the River, Alison can be found visiting the city’s amazing theaters and museums.

Contact: alison.noll@riverNYC.org

Caroline Park  |  Pastor (Kids and Families)

As part of the Pastoral Team, Caroline's main areas of responsibility are kids and families. Caroline was born in Manhattan and raised in Korea from the age of two. She studied Mathematics in Pohang University of Science and Technology. Later she returned to New York to get an MBA at Columbia Business School. She was reluctant to marry a pastor, much less become one! Yet, she has found that pursuing God has expanded her life in ways that she did not imagine before. She lives in Battery Park City with her husband Charles and their three children, Clara, Ariel and Caleb. 

Contact: caroline@riverNYC.org​

Charles Park  |  Pastor (Teaching and Outreach)

As part of the Pastoral Team, Charles spends the majority of his time on teaching, preaching, outreach programs, and the Blue Ocean Faith church network. 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 full-time ministry for over 15 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 with their three children: Clara, Ariel, and Caleb.

Contact: charles@riverNYC.org

​Jamie Young  |  Administrative Assistant

Jamie grew up in Birmingham, AL and moved to New York with her husband Eric in the summer of 2011. She loves using her administrative background to assist the River NYC staff. She and Eric live in Astoria with their feisty kitty Joanna.

Contact: jamie@riverNYC.org

Pastoral Team  |  Caroline, John, Sara and Charles

We believe in team leadership!  Charles, Caroline, John & Sara work together in overseeing the general direction of the church with input from the Staff, lay leaders and an oversight board.