Josh Ferris
Pastor Josh accepted a call to serve at Immanuel beginning in July 2018. He was born and raised in New Tripoli, a small rural town in eastern Pennsylvania. Before coming to Immanuel, he served at his home congregation and at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church outside of Philadelphia.
While in seminary, Pastor Josh married his wife, Annie, who is way out of his league and currently works as a vascular neurologist at UMass. Togther they have two children: Penny, who is an avid reader and loves to watch "Is It Cake?" and Caleb, who is currently enrolled at Immanuel Lutheran Nursery School and is a whirlwind of joy and building projects
Pastor Josh loves rowing on his erg, meeting new people, getting outside, and serving with his hands. He’s an unashamed science fiction nerd, a passionate Eagles fan, and still doesn't talk about Bruno.
Sarah Barnes
Pastor Sarah started serving Immanuel in November 2020. She first felt called to ministry while she was in confirmation class at her home congregation of Grace Lutheran Church in Naugatuck, Connecticut. For this reason, Pastor Sarah is passionate about children and youth ministry, knowing that faith formation and transformation occurs at all ages.
Before serving Immanuel, Pastor Sarah served St. Luke in Gales Ferry, CT. She also spent a year in Montana serving as Intern Pastor at Valley of Christ in Frenchtown and serving parttime in campus ministry. Her husband, Burton Barnes, works as a design supervisor at Electric Boat. Pastor Sarah, Burton and their daughters, Madeline and Hannah, enjoy spending time with family and friends, cooking together, and exploring New England with day trips to small towns and historical places. Pastor Sarah occasionally plays guitar and ukulele but only for very forgiving audiences!
Jen Greene
Jen is still relatively new to the area, after moving from Chicago with her husband, Josh, in 2015. She has a BA in Political Science from Northern Illinois University and most recently worked as an in-house IT Project Manager for ten years until welcoming her daughter, Emilia in 2018. Jen has been assisting Immanuel with live stream services since 2021, and joined the staff in 2022. She is a member of the choir and helps with baptismal blankets.
In February 2026, Jen also began serving as Immanuel's interim parish administrator, which means she keeps all the trains running on time. She'll continue in that role until a permanent hire is made.
Jen enjoys exploring New England with her family, learning the correct pronunciation for various words (like "Wusta"), hiking, rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers (yes, the Steelers…), and cheering for the national soccer teams.
Claire W. Paquette
Claire holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the College of Fine Arts at Boston University, a Master of Music Degree from the University of Connecticut (Storrs), and has done graduate work at Assumption College and the New England Conservatory of Music. She is currently the music specialist for a number of preschools in the area and serves as Music Director/Organist here at Immanuel.
Don Roberts
Kristine Whittemore
Kristine has been the Director of Immanuel Lutheran Nursery School since December 2011, after having previously served as Assistant Director and full-day Preschool Teacher since 2002. She attended Anna Maria college where she received a bachelor’s degree in human Growth and Development/Elementary Education. Kristine also holds her Director 2 certification from the Department of Early Education and Care. Kristine’s sons and daughter are graduates of ILNS, and her youngest is currently enrolled. She loves to spend weekends with her family at their camper in Connecticut.
Amy Drzik
Amy is the Director of Christ Lutheran Nursery school. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Westfield State University, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Anna Maria College. She is also Director and Lead Teacher certified from the Department of Early Education and Care. Amy has been married to her husband, Joe, for 10 years, and they have two children together, Avery and Grant.