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OUR STAFF
Michael Kytka
Pastor
Michael was raised in New York City in a Roman Catholic home. Searching for the meaning of life, the key to unlock the mysteries of life, he found himself in a state of creative discontent after his local parish priest could not keep up with his questions about faith and spirituality. Nevertheless, Michael continued his journey until a pivotal turning point came in a college American history class where a Jewish history professor asked a question of the class that proved critical in Michael's conversion at age 19. Just a year later, in the same school, Michael found his call to the ministry in Philosophy 101 when his professor, tiring of this new Christian's challenges, asked him to a class debate (extra credit!) on David Hume's position on religious knowledge. Nervous but excited for the opportunity, Michael enjoyed the experience of advocating for the Christian worldview in the marketplace of ideas and soon afterward responded by pursuing a call to the ministry.
In the almost twenty years since those formative experiences, Michael served churches in four of the five boroughs of the City, along with a church in St. Louis, where he lived for four years while earning a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary. Prior to his time in St. Louis, Michael studied at Westminster Seminary, where, as a young Christian, he developed his worldview thinking which he honed into a series of courses that he eventually would teach at New York School of the Bible (Manhattan).
Michael is now an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He is happily married to Roseann (almost 17 years) and has two children, Michael, Jr. and Alexandra. He enjoys his three cats - Woody, Bavinck and Calvin. Besides his passion for encouraging people to find life in Christ, Michael loves visiting cities and baseball landmarks, along with listening to his extensive collection of blues, jazz, and rock music.
A St. Louis artist and illustrator writes an interesting account of his encounter with Michael:
The Saint
The Saint II
Roseann Kytka
Childhood Education Director
Community Relations
A native New Yorker, Roseann has taught in regular and special education classes in both private and public schools from preschool through high school in NYC and St. Louis, MO. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Studies from St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights and Masters of Elementary Education from the College of Staten Island. Roseann takes this wide range of educational experiences to serve the church and the Forest Hills community.
The daughter of second generation Italian-Americans, Roseann was brought up with a great awareness of Jesus as God. However, the historical story of Christ did not seem practically relevant to her teenage life in urban modern society. Encouraged by a high school classmate, she explored the pages of the New Testament and at 15 years of age discovered that the biblical Jesus desired to impact her heart in personal, practical and eternal ways. Through this initial reading of the gospels and epistles coupled with a tangible expression of God's love she experienced at a local Bible church, Roseann became inspired by this life-changing gospel message. She finally began connecting the dots between the God originally defined by her Catholic upbringing with the Jesus of the Bible who, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals His longing to know His people intimately and completely.
Roseann, Michael and their two children, Michael II and Alexandra returned to NYC from St. Louis in 2004 to embark on the creation of a new local church in Forest Hills, New York with Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan. Roseann oversees AscensionKids, and encourages both Sunday School teachers and students alike to grow in the knowledge, wisdom and love of Jesus personally and corporately. The coordination of Ascension's annual summer Vacation Bible School offered to children ages 3-13 is one of the highlights of her work. Roseann also coordinates EasterFest and ChristmasFest, which are community events for our neighborhood.
Roseann enjoys making and meeting new friends, leading bible discussion groups, going to concerts, exploring the nooks and crannies of this great city, swimming and scrapbooking. With one child in high school, she is bemoaning the day when her second surpasses her in height.
Joanne Lu
Administrator
Joanne was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Curious about spiritual matters, she questioned whether the gods on the Daoist altar of her house could hear and answer prayer. At age 10, her 15-year-old sister explained to her God's redemptive plan through his son Jesus. Her school, which had missionary roots, and her subsequent attendance of church, laid a gradual but strong foundation in her understanding of spiritual matters and its relevance in everyday life.
While attending college, she became involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and also attended First Baptist Church of Flushing. Upon graduation, she was on Volunteer Staff with Campus Ministries of Campus Crusade. Her understanding of vision for the city was sharpened while attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church in her dating and early married years with David, her now husband.
Her family moved from Manhattan to Forest Hills in 2003, shortly before the birth of their second child. A Redeemer church plant was in the works around that time, now named Ascension Presbyterian Church.
David and Joanne were married in 1997 and have two children, Kara and Jason. Joanne describes herself as a Jack of all trades but master of none. She was a software developer for 13 years before taking on the role of Administrator at Ascension. She is a web and graphic designer, and enjoys cooking, music, sewing, a good meal and trips to various corners of the world.
Sunday Services
10:30am
P.S. 101, 2 Russell Place
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Phone
718.575.0024