St. John Ministry Staff Team
Pastor Scott Maxwell, Senior Pastor, SeniorPastor@sjlc.org
Prior to ordination, Pastor Scott was a member of the management team for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, living in various areas of the United States, including New Orleans, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Notwithstanding his successful career in the hospitality industry, he could no longer ignore God’s call that he had felt since the 6th grade. Pastor Scott entered the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) and was awarded a Masters in Divinity (M.Div.) and ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1999.
Prior to being called to St. John Lutheran Church, Pastor Scott served congregations in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. His passion is to empower and equip those he leads for the work of ministry in the community. Striving to always be relevant, his weekly preaching seeks to relate the ancient stories of the Bible with the challenges we face today. His favorite Bible verse guides his service in ministry: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).
Pastor Scott reflects on his ministry, “I believe that God -- through Jesus Christ, Scripture and the means of Grace -- meets us and desires to be in relationship with us. I believe that I am called to bring people to Christ in order that their lives be transformed. I answer this call by using the Word of God to help people live differently in the world, build community where Christ is present and challenge and empower them to live out their vocation as witness to the transformative power of Christ.”
Residing in nearby Catonsville, Maryland, Pastor Scott shares life with his wife and best friend, Candy. Together, they enjoy being grandparents, exploring the local area, savoring unique cuisines, watching the top 100 movies of all times and being taken on walks by their two golden retriever rescue dogs, Jackson and Axel.
Bryan Peterson
Executive Directorfor Administration and Family Faith Formation MInistries
Execdir@sjlc.org
Bryan manages the day-to-day operations and Family Faith Formation Ministries at St. John, St. Christopher’s, and St. Christopher’s Foundation. He sees this as another way to carry out his long-time desire to help people become captivated by Jesus and his way.
Bryan grew up in a Christian family of small business owners. While a student at Grove City College, he sensed God leading him into Christian ministry. He earned a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois and went on to serve as an assistant pastor and senior pastor in Western Pennsylvania.
For nearly 13 years, he was Pastor of Children, Facilities and Global Engagement at Cedar Ridge Community Church in Maryland. In addition to leading children’s ministry, Bryan managed a variety of unique projects and a humanitarian partnership in Guatemala.
Bryan is particularly guided and inspired by two texts of Scripture: “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith" (Heb 12:2), and “Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us…” (Eph 5:1-2).
Bryan met his wife Sue in college, and they were married in 1991. They have five adult sons and currently live in Laurel, Md. In his free time, Bryan enjoys walking outdoors, playing pickleball, following Pittsburgh sports (sorry, folks), and watching shows with his family.
Alina Antonenko, Music Director, MusicDirector@sjlc.org
Alina was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of five. She began studying piano under her grandmother’s instruction, making her a fourth-generation musician in her family. In undergrad, she had the honor of studying with the late Reynaldo Reyes at Towson University, where she received her Bachelor’s in Piano Performance in 2013 and graduated from Shenandoah University in 2019 with a double Master’s in Vocal Performance and Voice Pedagogy. She has served as music director at Ferndale United Methodist Church as well as St. Christopher’s Episcopal. In addition to working with the wonderful people at St. John, Alina currently teaches private piano and voice lessons and accompanies dance classes in nearby universities and schools.
Outside of music, Alina’s other loves are cooking, baking, hiking and re-watching old TV shows with her brother and her husband Ethan (whom she married at St. John in 2021!!), gardening, yoga, practicing Reiki, and sharing tea and chocolates with loved ones.
Margaret Stalsberg, Bookkeeper, bookkeeper1@sjlc.org
Margaret Stalsberg grew up in Rockville, MD and moved to Anne Arundel County in 1991. She was raised in a Christian home and made her decision to make Jesus Christ her savior in 1968.
Margaret has worked as an Accountant for 45 years and has a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting. While living in Edgewater, MD she volunteered at her local volunteer fire department as an EMT and the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for several years.
Margaret and her husband Bruce moved to Linthicum, MD in May of 2015, they started looking for a church in the area and visited St. John’s in 2016 and decided it was the church God lead them to, becoming members June 19, 2016.
Margaret felt God leading her to apply for the part-time bookkeeper position at St. John’s and accepted the position, starting April 1, 2017. Margaret feels her life has been truly blessed working and attending St. John’s.