• Head Pastor Matt Peeples  

    Pastor Matt, as he likes to be called, is originally from Annapolis, Maryland. He received his Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in 2009. He began training in church planting immediately after seminary. This culminated in the launch of The Point church in August, 2010. Pastor Matt enjoys speaking on the topics of outreach, social media & ministry, and preaching about the unchanging gospel to an ever-changing culture in the Digital Age. Pastor Matt loves spending time with his family. One of Matt’s greatest joys is getting to have spiritual conversations with people outside the church while doing any of the activities he loves. He says it is the joy of bringing the church to people before they ever walk in the front door. His Bible life verse is Ephesians 2: 8-10. Pastor Matt and his wife Liza are excited to be a part of the Bethlehem church family, and church planting in the New Jersey district. “Bethlehem has a long history of outreach to the community. and I am humbled to be a part of Bethlehem's next season, as we move forward together to see people connecting to Christ.”

  • Associate Pastor Casey Kegley  

    Pastor Casey was born and raised around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior to entering pastoral ministry, Casey studied theological languages at Concordia University Wisconsin and later earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Sacred Theology from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. His favorite passage of Scripture is Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Casey is married to Beth, his high school sweetheart, and they have three amazing children: Boaz, Adah and Eliana. They love spending time outdoors, eating good food, and making new friends.


  • Rebecca Koehler, Communications Coordinator  

    As the Communications Coordinator at Bethlehem, Rebecca enjoys her work with the members of the congregation and being a part of their mission: "Connecting People to Christ.” Her Favorite Bible Verse is: Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths smooth” 

  • John Davis, Youth - Director of Christian Education 

    John is a born and raised Texan from Katy, TX. He graduated with a Bachelors in Religious Education from Concordia University in Austin,Texas in 2017. He is very excited to be working with the Youth at Bethlehem with his wife Sarah and in the community around. In his free time he loves to watch sports, mainly his hometown teams from Texas, and play a round of disc golf or two. He is very passionate about music and playing and leading worship with his brothers and sisters in Christ. His favorite bible verse is John 14:12-13, which speaks about the wonders that we can do as followers of Jesus not because of our own power, but through the power and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He looks forward to helping in the mission of “Connecting people to Christ” here in Ridgewood and beyond.

  • Sarah Davis, Children’s Ministry - Director of Christian Education

    Sarah Davis, a born and raised Texan, graduated in 2018 from Concordia University Texas with a bachelors degree in Religious Education. Sarah is the Director of Christian Education here at Bethlehem. She loves working with kids and seeing how the Lord works through each child He created. Sarah loves being at the beach, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. One of Sarah’s favorite verses is Romans 15:13 which says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with the hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Sarah is grateful and excited to be on this adventure with her husband John as they join this community and see people connected to Christ. 

  • Diane Mitchell, Minister of Music  

    Diane Berkoben Mitchell came to Bethlehem Lutheran in 2001 as the Minister of Music. She began his musical career in local clubs, the Sheraton chain and the Grand Ole Opry, with many steps in between. Her early training was a classical pianist. After an accident caused her to lose the full mobility of two fingers, God opened the door to singing and songwriting in the contemporary music field, as well as in teaching music. Diane studied music at Fairleigh Dickinson University and worked for several publishing companies and ad agencies in New York and Nashville as a writer, jinglist, studio musician and back-up vocalist. Diane has performed her original Christian music at testimonial concerts throughout the United States. Diane lives in Westwood with her husband, Russell, and sons Billy Ray and Jackson Lee and Angel, the Wonder Dog. Diane has many Bible verses she loves but the one that brings a smile to her face is Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy and with my song I praise Him."

    Diane has several hymns of praise that melt her heart; they are "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand", "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "It is Well".