Our Pastors
Gary A. Grindeland is the lead pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Bayonne and Trinity Lutheran in Jersey City.
He grew up in Iowa, receiving a degree in English from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and Masters of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He also worked for two years on a PhD in the College of Education at Iowa State University. He has held a variety of ministry positions, including CEO of Seafarers International House in New York City and vice president of Church and Program Development for Lutheran Social Services of WI & Upper Michigan, as well as being the state coordinator of Lutheran Disaster Response for Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
Pastor Gary has served congregations in Ames, Iowa, Prairie du Chien, Brookfield, and Delafield, WI, along with supervising some 12 interns.
Pastor Gary is married with two grown children. His wife, Sherri resides in a suburb of Milwaukee, and he regularly commutes to see her.
Dianne L. Lewis is the intern pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jersey City, and Grace Lutheran Church in Bayonne. She grew up in Washington, DC. Dianne’s zeal to have a deeper relationship with Christ led her to The Order of Saint Stephen Deacon, a three-year program of spiritual development in word and service in the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Dianne was side-apart as a Saint Stephen Deacon on October 24, 2014. As a Deacon she led adult Bible study, and she continues to provide the group a daily inspirational message. Dianne holds a B.S. in accounting with a minor in business administration from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). She is a seminarian pursing a Master of Divinity (MDiv) at United Luther Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Serving the adult community is important to Dianne; she currently serves on the board of directors for Advocates for the Aging of Frederick County (AAFC). Dianne served two terms as Chair on the Frederick County Commission of Aging. She volunteered five-years with the Department of Revenue, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program preparing tax returns and providing tax counseling for the elderly. She also volunteers as a Certified Driver Specialist for AARP.
Dianne has a son and granddaughter she adores. In her leisure time, she enjoys spending time with her mother, traveling and spending time with her sorority sisters and sister-friends.
“We must be comfortable sharing and showing people who Christ is, and how Christ still lives - and that's in all of us. We must be willing to take the ministry outside of the church into the community where Christ is not visible, where he may be made visible.”
Trinity Leadership
Aretha Richardson - Congregation Council President
Jonique Mosley - Congregation Vice President
Janet Walker - Congregation Treasurer
Charles Blue - Congregation Secretary
Valerie Slack - Congregation Capital Fund Secretary
Doris Ervin - Congregation Financial Secretary
