Servant Leadership

Mother Susan has served as Associate Rector since 2013, with responsibilities that include leading worship, preaching, Christian formation, and pastoral care. She was ordained in 2009 after graduating from Union Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and General Theological Seminary with a Master of Sacred Theology. She devotes much of her ministry to walking with others on their spiritual journeys, helping them find meaning and how the Divine is present in their lives. In addition to her part-time position at Church of the Holy Apostles, she offers individual spiritual direction, companioning laypeople and clergy of many different denominations as well as seekers. She also teaches regularly at Union Theological Seminary.

Mother Susan grew up moving around the country with stops in Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia, but since moving to Manhattan in 1987, she considers herself a New Yorker! Upon graduating from Haverford College with a B.S. in Biology, she embarked on a career in Finance. She worked at Bank of New York and then earned an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School. After spending eleven years in Healthcare Finance at Standard & Poor’s, she took a sabbatical that eventually led to seminary and a call to ministry.

Tim Pyper was named Director of Music at Church of the Holy Apostles as of January 2019; originally joining the staff as the Interim Director of Music in 2017. From 2010-2015, he was Director of Music at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in Calgary, Canada; while there, he conducted two nationally-broadcast recordings and toured with the choir to the UK. His previous church appointments include tenures as Assistant Organist at St. James’ Cathedral, Toronto and Organist of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, New York.

An accomplished recitalist, Tim Pyper has won First Prize in numerous regional and national organ competitions including the Arthur Poister Memorial Competition and the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ National Competition. He has been a featured performer and presenter at RCCO National Conventions and was described by The American Organist as possessing “effortless technique and sensitive musicality.” His solo recitals have been aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and by National Public Radio’s Pipedreams. Tim holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Cornell University where he studied with Annette Richards and David Yearsley. He received his B.M., M.M. and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music as a student of David Higgs and he holds the Fellowship diploma from the Royal Canadian College of Organists. He is also an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique.