Pastor: Rev. Dawn Morello
Pastor Dawn Morello began her first call in ministry at The First Lutheran Church of Throggs Neck in July 2021 after graduating with a Master’s of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and being ordained in June of 2021. She earned her Bachelor of Science in accounting from Fordham University. Prior to attending seminary, Pastor Dawn was a CPA for many years, working in the private sector and running her own consulting business.
Pastor Dawn is married to her husband Mark and has three grown children. She was raised in Queens, lived in upper Westchester, and is now back in the Bronx.
Office Administrator: Synod Deacon Deborah J. Burke
My name is Deborah J. Burke and my family moved into the Throggs Neck area in 1958. We became members of First Lutheran Church in 1959. My sisters and I attended the Sunday School program until we were confirmed.
I was married at First Lutheran and raised my daughter as part of the FLC family. In 1996 I accepted the position of the church’s Parish Administrator, a position I still hold today and am blessed to do so.
In 2014 I attended the Diakonia program and became a Deacon in 2016. I continued with my education in the program and in 2018 was set apart as a Synodical Deacon, and was called to First Lutheran as their Synodical Deacon.
I am honored to be a member of this family and for all the opportunities it has afforded me. Thank you. Live Jesus in Our Hearts Forever.
Minister of Music: Dr. Fred Brandt
Fred was one of the first children to be baptized in the present sanctuary in 1942 and became Organist and Choir Director of First Lutheran in 1968 after his discharge from the Army and service in Vietnam. He holds Master's Degrees in French, Spanish, International Relations and United Nations Studies, Special Education, and a Doctorate in Learning, Literacy, and Language from Fordham University. He taught Foreign Languages for over thirty years in the New York City Public Education System and later became Chair of the Special Education Departments at Mt. Saint Vincent’s and Manhattanville College. Fred conducts staff development and workshops throughout the country. He was on the Editorial Review Board of the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and writes journal articles for the Titanic International Association and presents at International Conferences. Fred and his wife, Johanna enjoy traveling and have visited over one hundred countries throughout the world and presently divide their time between their house in Florida and the Bronx. Fred continues to play the organ here at First Lutheran, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Hobe Sound, St Thomas in Nyack, and at the Chapel of Manhattanville College.