About

Our Team

The reverend Dr. Dennis S. Ritter is the Executive Director of LCS. Prior to coming to LCS in 2004, he served as a pastor in two congregations for a total of 27 years. Pastor Ritter received his Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and his Doctor of Ministry from Drew Theological School. He has extensive experience in parish administration, service/advocacy issues and stewardship. In addition, he is a member of the Association of Lutheran Development Executives, and a member of the LAMPa Policy Council.

The reverend Dr. Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen is the Director of Ministries. Previously, she served as the Associate for Worship Resources for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and as Associate Pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Springfield, PA. She holds a Masters of Divinity, a Sacred Theology Masters in New Testament and a Doctor of Ministry from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. She edits various publications for the wider church in the areas of worship and music, and works with congregations and leaders in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod to strengthen their ministries and sense of mission.

The reverend Kerry W. Smart is the Coordinator of Congregational Services in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. As a United Church of Christ pastor, he served three congregations in Pennsylvania and Ohio prior to coming to LCS. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary. He has served on various committees in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Church of Christ and on the Board of Phoebe Ministries, Allentown.

Ruth Doty has been the Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Coordinator in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod since 2005. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with specialization in critical incident response and family life education. She holds a Master of Science from Purdue University and a Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. She serves as an on-call responder for the Crisis Care Network, and is a member of the Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD).

Julia Menzo has been the Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Coordinator in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod since 2007. Since 2009 she has also been the Coordinator of Liberty Serves, a volunteer program of Liberty Lutheran. She is the chair of the Lansdale Planning Commission and has been actively engaged in her community, particularly in regard to issues involving justice and fairness. She is the first President of the Southeastern Pennsylvania VOAD.

Katherine M. Reyher is the Administrative Assistant at LCS and has been with us since 1989. She serves on the planning team and as treasurer of the Parish Secretaries’ Seminar. She coordinates the Background Checks ministry of the agency and focuses on concerns of congregational support staff. In addition, she provides support services for the staff as needed.