

St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church ​
Trenton, New Jersey
St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church is a community of believers that is rooted in God’s unconditional grace and love, striving to share God’s light of hope and salvation to scatter the darkness wherever it is found, through word and deed.

"Little church with a BIG heart!"
Staff and Leaders

Pastor Erich Kussman
Pastor Erich is unabashedly Christian, but his message is full of hope, faith, revolutionary social justice, combined with piercing insight into the power of radical love. He served time in prison and has graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Brandon Plantier
Vice President/Musician
_JPG.jpg)
JO-ANN SCIARROTTA
Music Administrator
Jo-Ann Sciarrotta is a collaborative pianist, music director, and award-winning educator. She has performed at major venues including the White House, United Nations, Amato Opera, and Atlantic City Casinos, and has accompanied Broadway and Metropolitan Opera stars. A graduate of The College of New Jersey with a Master’s from Boston University, she has taught at TCNJ and other schools, earning honors such as the Governor’s Teacher Recognition Award and Hamilton Township Teacher of the Year. She currently serves at St. Bartholomew’s Church and works with the Central Jersey Choral Society, Trenton Children’s Chorus, and St. Paul’s Children’s Choir. Jo-Ann and her husband, Nick, are Gold Card Members of the American Federation of Musicians and live in Chesterfield, NJ with their son, Christopher.

Chris Rivera
Council President
​

Debbie Formoso
Council
​

Cindy Percak
Office Administrator
Cindy, a Chicago native, moved to Cinnaminson from Racine, Wisconsin in 2020. She holds a B.A. from Lawrence University and an M.S. from the University of Illinois. For 36 years, she worked in public libraries before co-founding Arabesque, a nonprofit on Arab culture, where she managed a touring music ensemble inspired by a sabbatical in Jordan with her late husband, Steve.
Since moving to South Jersey, Cindy has enjoyed hiking local trails, frequenting coffee shops, and supporting the arts. She also edits manuscripts for independent authors and has volunteered extensively in animal rescue. A lifelong Christian, she has been a devoted Lutheran for nearly 20 years, serving in church office roles at congregations in Chicago, Racine, and now St. Bart’s in Trenton.

Jackie Prekop
Secretary
​

Virginia McNulty
Council
​