LEADERSHIP & STAFF
Pastor Marlon Simpkins, Interim Pastor
Pastor Marlon Simpkins is serving as interim pastor at Salem Covenant Church. He also serves fulltime as a chaplain at Regional Hospice in Danbury, CT. Pastor Marlon is a compassionate, principled, and relational minister serving God’s kingdom. His life’s mission is to administer God’s love to the brokenhearted. He strives to embody who Henry Nowen terms a “Wounded Healer.” And he is passionate in proclaiming the Good News through storytelling and making empathic human connections.
Pastor Marlon is fortified by the love of his wife, Valerie, and three growing children: Manasi, Micahia, and Mishael. As a former college basketball player at Yale University, he is passionate, too, about discipling young people through sports, faith, and academic enrichment.
In addition to earning his Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary in New York City, he completed 4 units of clinical pastoral education at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. Prior to full-time ministry, he had a ten year career in corporate sales. His hobbies are trail walking, star gazing, coaching sports, and breaking bread.
Email: pastormarlon@salemcovenantchurch.com
Susan Anthony-Klein, Music Director
Susan has her Bachelor of Music Performance degree from The University of Connecticut and her Master of Music Performance degree from Ithaca College in New York. She has been the music director at Salem Covenant Church in Washington, CT since 1989. There she conducts and accompanies the choir as well as leading the music for services.
Susan was the accompanist for The St. Cecelia Chorus in New York City under the direction of David Randolph. She performed with that group at Carnegie Hall for five years in a total of seven performances including major choral works of Bach, Haydn and Orff. Susan toured throughout the United States with the Norman Luboff Choir and the Robert deCormier Singers.
Susan worked at Western Connecticut State University doing vocal coaching, accompanying the opera program and working with vocalists and instrumentalists for performances. She is accompanist for The Waterbury Chorale and has accompanied The Naugatuck Community Choir, The Newtown Choral Society, Danbury Chorus, The Connecticut Choral Society and The Ridgefield Chorale. Susan has played for many choral-intensive weekends at Mohonk Mountain, New York and Saugerties, New York. She also works with vocal and instrumental soloists in the Connecticut and New York area in preparation and performance of recitals.
Email: kandsklein@att.net
Office Administrator
The Office Administrator position is currently open. While we are working to fill the position, different members of the church are stepping up to cover key responsibilities.
Email: office@salemcovenantchurch.com (Although the position is open, this email is being monitored.)
Stephanie Shaw, Nursery Care Provider
Stephanie Shaw, from New Milford, CT, comes from a large extended family. Thus, she has always had babies and young children in her life. During her high school and college years, Stephanie worked in a daycare/pre-school, ultimately becoming a teacher.
After graduating from Western Connecticut State University, where she majored in communications, Stephanie embarked on a business career. In her day job, she works for an HVAC company. She is glad to work on Sunday mornings taking care of our youngest children, as she no longer has that as an element of her day job. We in turn are delighted to have had her in charge of the nursery for many years!
Stephanie holds a third degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art based on karate, and enjoys photography and travel.
Housekeeping
Salem has partnered for many years with Region 12’s community based transition program, Shepaug Valley Partnership, to help with our housekeeping needs. This program is for students 18-22 years old who have met their academic requirements to graduate but continue in a structured program to develop their vocational and independent living skills.