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Raised by Christian parents first in the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) and then the Episcopal Church, Peter converted to Christ on the 8th of October in 1971, during the heyday of the Jesus Movement. Dissociating from denominational churches and finding companionship, solace and direction in churches inspired by the ministry of Watchman Nee of China, he devoted himself to the study of the Scriptures, the Church Fathers, the early Plymouth Brethren and the Keswick Movement, the Reformers and the Anabaptists, the Nonconformists and Puritans, and the Evangelical Movements of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He majored in religious studies at Empire State College and eventually obtained the degree of Master of Divinity at the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Upon graduation he was given the Hitchcock Award for the best work in the field of Church History, especially for his Master Thesis on the ecclesiology of the churches inspired by the ministry of Watchman Nee and Theodore Austin-Sparks.
A year later he was accepted as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Early Church History. He mentored students in this field and in the field of Medieval and Reformation Church History. His interest was on the development of the doctrine of the Trinity and on Christology (focusing on the influence of the church in Alexandria in the fifth century, and how rhetorical education affected Biblical interpretation), and on the spirituality of the desert. This led to a growing interest in monastic and mystical spirituality. After seven years, however, he did not finish his doctorate because of his time constraints as a pastor and the unexpected death of his advisor.
While in seminary, he worked as a student intern at the First Presbyterian Church of Far Rockaway, Queens (1990-1991). He continued to work there as an assistant to two pastor and eventually as the sole pastor (stated supply and then interim) for seven more years. After earning his Master of Divinity degree, he became a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), eventually becoming a candidate for the ministry, and finally becoming ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in 1999. Since Peter remains very uncomfortable with the institutional “church,” his feelings are ambiguous about this “career” development, but it is how he thought the Holy Spirit was leading him at the time.
In 2000 Peter left the church in Far Rockaway and became the half-time pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Ridgefield Park and at the same time the half-time pastor of Christ Lutheran Church of Ridgefield Park. In 2004 the Lutheran Church closed and he became the full-time pastor of the Presbyterian Church. During his stay in Ridgefield Park he has worked hard teaching the Bible to a small group of people and trying to implement the New Testament principles of the church. In 2010 he will again become a half-time pastor.
Peter is married to Lorna McKenzie and has two daughters, Jessie and Shani. Jessie majored in Philosophy at New York University and is currently working on her Master’s degree at the Columbia School of Social Work. Shani is in high school.
Peter is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, receiving his teacher’s training with Brook Boone of Holy Yoga Ministries. He teaches yoga and contemplative prayer at the church.
He enjoys wilderness backpacking, hiking and canoeing, and believes that humanity’s destruction of the environment is one of the most pressing concerns facing civilization. It is symptomatic of the growth of our institutions and the loss of “personalism” in the face of modern technology. He therefore strongly supports the Transition Towns movement, especially in the United States (also see the blog).
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