Tim Ives
Minister
The Rev. Dr. Tim Ives came to Scarborough in 2008. He was born in Minnesota, and earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and American Studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. After College, Tim moved to New York to attend Union Theological Seminary, from which he received his Masters of Divinity. After Seminary, Tim helped found the Westside Youth Ministry in Manhattan. He then served as Associate Minister at the Presbyterian Church in Tenafly, New Jersey. Moving to Westchester, he served the Congregational Church in Chappaqua for sixteen years as senior minister. During his time at Chappaqua he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University, where he focused on homiletics, the art and of writing and preaching sermons (story telling). He also studied and worked with Dr. Edwin Friedman through the latter's seminars for clergy and church leadership. Friedman is well known for his work in family emotional systems. Most recently Tim pursued training as a psychoanalyst at the Westchester Institute in Bedford Hills, completing classes in the spring of 2007 and is a New York State Licensed Psychoanalyst with a small private practice in Bedford Hills. For the year prior to joining Scarborough, Tim served the Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale in a temporary minister role.
Tim is married to Dr. Ann Guerra, who has a pediatric dental and orthodontics practice in Briarcliff. Tim and Ann have two grown children, Conner and Abbie. Tim likes to be active: running, playing golf, paddle tennis, and skiing. In his inactive moments, Tim likes to read, mostly history, church history and psychology.
The Rev Dr. Kirk Bingaman
The Rev. Dr. Kirk Bingaman was approved as Parish Associate by the Session at the March 2016 session meeting. A Parish Associate is a non-paid position often filled by clergy who have non-church ministries. Kirk is professor of mental health counseling and spiritual integration at Fordham University. He is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in New York, a pastoral psychotherapist with Lutheran Counseling Center of New York, and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 2021, Kirk was appointed editor-in-chief of Pastoral Psychology (Springer Publishing), one of the most well-established academic journals in the field of psychology and religion/spirituality. In 2022, he was a visiting scholar at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in Milan, Italy as well as the Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education, and Applied Psychology at the University of Padua, Italy. In 2023, Kirk was selected as a participant of the Faculty Research Abroad Program at Fordham University, working with faculty of the Ateneo De Manila University while in the Philippines.
Kirk is the author of several books, including Freud and Faith: Living in the Tension, and Treating the New Anxiety: A Cognitive-Theological Approach. His current research focuses on applying neuroscientific findings to the practice of pastoral/spiritual care and mental health counseling, which is the focus of his book, The Power of Neuroplasticity for Pastoral and Spiritual Care. Kirk’s 2018 book, Pastoral and Spiritual Care in a Digital Age: The Future Is Now, explores the present and potential future impact of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) on human development and human spirituality, giving special attention to the double-edged nature of social media. An avid trekker, Kirk has done multiple-weeks trekking in the Himalayas, including the Dolpo and Mt. Everest regions of Nepal, as well as several prominent volcanoes in the Philippines (Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Mayon). In the summer of 2024, he will be trekking for several weeks in East Greenland, around the Arctic Circle. Kirk’s daughter, Annie, a graduate of Fordham University, is an LCSW in New York.
Kirk preaches, writes for the newsletter, does adult education Sundays, and is involved with Pastoral outreach.
Eric Thomas Johnson
Music Director
Eric Thomas Johnson is an award-winning composer, music director, and pianist whose works have premiered across the United States and abroad. His musical dark comedy, The Hills Are Alive! (book & lyrics by Frankie Johnson) played at the Pershing Square Signature Center during the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is a recipient of the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust grant and a Bronx Council on the Arts (NYSCA) grant for his work, and he was winner of the 2006 Emil Beyer NFMC National Composition Competition for Best Song Cycle (“Lieder der Geliebte”). He has also written music for many plays and film.
As a music director, some favorite credits include: Chicago, Into the Woods, Crazy For You, Singin’ in the Rain, Always, Patsy Cline, Closer Than Ever, The Cradle Will Rock, The Last Five Years, and Nunsense!, among others. As a pianist, he frequently performs in cabarets and concerts in and around NYC, has toured with Shades of Bublé, and accompanies auditions, classes, rehearsals, and all that jazz.
He is a member of the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and the Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts in NYC. He holds a Masters Degree in Music from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Bachelors Degree in Music from Vanderbilt University and is a proud high school alumnus from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Katya Montelbano
Children's Center Director
Katya Montelbano followed her childhood dream and received a Bachelors Degree and Masters from NYU in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and the Leadership Program in Infant and Toddler Education. She has continued on her life's path by bringing her educational philosophy, as both teacher and director, to pre-schoolers in Manhattan and South Salem. Her philosophy is to provide children and parents with a developmentally appropriate program and a secure, nurturing environment that encourages children's natural curiosity and fosters a healthy respect for themselves, for others and for their surroundings.
Natalie Carr-Harris
SPC Office Manager
Natalie Carr-Harris handles publications and finances, and manages the buildings and grounds, at Scarborough Presbyterian Church. Originally from Elmira Heights, N.Y., she has been living in Pleasantville and Briarcliff Manor for the last 30 years, where she raised four children (Gabriel, Rachel, Rebecca, and Andrew) and has been active in the church. Previously, she worked with our minister, Tim Ives, at the Chappaqua Congregational Church. She received a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from the University of Rochester, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and did doctoral studies at Columbia University. She worked for the Village of Ossining in the water department, and then for the Ossining schools while obtaining a Master of Science in Education degree from Mercy College and becoming a certified high school math teacher. She enjoys the variety of responsibilities at the church, but is most excited about the people she has met and the relationships she has formed since becoming a part of the Scarborough family.
2024 Session Members
Tom Davis (Clerk of Session) John Dauer, Jim Simmons (Treasurer), Betsy Guardenier, Marijean Cray,
Michele Croft, Bryan Wong, John Leslie, Gary Bartolacci, Joel Cambron, Will Ingraham and Jake Troutman.
Not Pictured: Connie Curran