Pastor: Rev. Dr. Martha M. Cruz
Pastor Martha M. Cruz is Interim Pastor of First Lutheran Church of Throggs Neck in the Bronx.
Pastor Martha was born in La Habana, Cuba and raised in New York City. She was educated in parochial schools of the Archdiocese of New York; attended New York University (B.A.1976, M.A. 1978); received her Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School (1983); has a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fordham University (2018).
Pastor Martha was ordained in the American Baptist Churches in 1983. She was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA in June 2021. She has completed training for intentional transitional/interim ministry through the Lutheran Transitional Ministry Association (LuTMA).
Pastor Martha is a member of Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rye Brook. She served her internship at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in White Plains from 2018-2019. Prior to First Lutheran, she served interim pastorates at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Central Nyack (2019-2021); Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx (2022-2023); and Saint Barnabas Lutheran Church in Howard Beach (2023-2024). She continues to serve as Coverage Pastor at Saint Barnabas.
Pastor Martha and her spouse, Synod Deacon Philip E. Jenks, live in Port Chester, New York with their two rescue dogs. They are the parents of a blended family of six adult children, and enjoy being Nana and Grandpa to their six grandchildren.
Office Administrator: Synod Deacon (On Leave from Call) 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 currently on leave from call.
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.