LaMP's Pastors
The Rev. Becca Seely
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Becca is one half of the dynamic duo that provides pastoral leadership for LaMP.  In addition to serving as LaMP's co-pastor, Becca serves as Director of The Vine NYC Campus Ministry Network and Executive Director of Lutheran Ministries in Higher Education.  She was not raised in church and first began to explore questions of faith when she was in college.  As a result, she is particularly passionate about working with young adults who are asking questions about God and what gives our lives meaning and purpose.  In her free time, Becca enjoys running and biking in Central Park, hanging out with her wife, Abby, planning elaborate theme parties and attempting absurdly complicated craft projects.  She holds a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University. Becca is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  
The Rev. K Karpen
​Pronouns: he/him/his
K serves as the co-pastor of LaMP, as well as the senior pastor of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church.  He has served that progressive congregation since 1984. He served for 15 years as a chaplain to Columbia University and is excited to be working with students on a regular basis once again. He is currently in his second term on the New York Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. He serves on the Board of Directors of West Side Campaign Against Hunger. He has taught at Drew Theological School and Union Theological Seminary. Prior to seminary, K served as a Fellow of the Council on Economic Priorities. He is passionate about interfaith work, ministry with the poor and marginalized, and the possibility of an inclusive church. He holds degrees from Cornell University (BS) and Union Theological Seminary (MDiv, STM, PhD).  K is a pastor in the United Methodist Church.
Email Becca and K at info@lampnyc.org.

Artist-in-Residence

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Timothy Wotring
Pronouns: he/him/his
Timothy is honored to lead worship for the LaMP Community through the use of a variety of musical styles. From a young age, Timothy was interested in music and has learned to play the drum set, guitar, and piano. Alongside his role as Artist-in-Residence with LaMP, Timothy holds a few other jobs including a pastoral internship at Broadway Presbyterian Church, as the volunteer coordinator for Broadway Community's soup kitchen and homeless shelter, as an adjunct professor of World Religions at St. Francis College, and the NYC Young Adult Volunteer site coordinator for the Presbyterian Church. In his spare time, he consumes all that is pop culture and loves reading theologically dense books. 

Student Leaders
​2017-2018
While all LaMP students are encouraged to take on leadership, each semester three LaMP students serve as Student Leaders who commit time and energy to helping support and nurture our community's life together.  Each Student Leader offers general support to the ministry and coordinates activities in one of three areas: outreach, peer ministry and education & justice.

​For 2018-2019, LaMP's Student Leaders are:

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Michelle Goff, outreach.  Michelle is a senior in Columbia College majoring in Creative Writing. Originally, she hails from Idaho Falls, Idaho, loves everything outdoorsy, reading, writing, all things spooky, and anything related to dogs, elephants, or, most recently, eggs. Michelle has worked as a professional ghost tour guide, and owns about 30 pairs of socks.  
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Aurora Celestin, peer ministry.  Aurora is a junior at Columbia College double majoring in Religion and Creative Writing. She is also (tentatively) on the pre-law track. She loves reading and writing both poetry and fiction, and hopes to use her writing to increase representation and to uplift the voices and experiences of the marginalized. Aurora was born and raised in New York, New York in the Lincoln Center area, and has enjoyed playing the piano and violin and dancing ballet since she was little. She is also one of those weird morning people who doesn't drink coffee.
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Eva Farkas, education and justice.  Eva is a junior at Columbia College studying Chemistry and Hispanic Studies. Outside of LaMP, she works on community health and educational outreach projects. Eva is looking forward to LaMP in the coming school year and working to expand service and learning opportunities for LaMPers.