Our Clergy
Rector
On the 1st Sunday in Advent of 2019, we joyfully welcomed The Reverend Samuel Kirabi Ndungu as the 19th Rector at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Phoenixville. Our congregation was so happy to welcome Father Sam, his wife, Sylvia, and her daughter Leah!
Father Sam previously served as Assistant Rector at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas for four years. He is excited to work with the members of St. Peter’s to promote our missions.
In Father Sam’s words, “I strive not to be a ‘by-stander’ as I minister to others. I feel a strong inclination toward pastoral care. It is at the heart of my ministry. I bring my deep faith in God, in God’s love and God’s presence with us, and I journey with people in their pain.”
Click here to email Father Sam.
The Reverend Andrea Gardner became the Deacon at St. Peter’s in February 2026, following the retirement of Deacon Joe Dietz in October. She is concurrently assigned to both St. Peter’s and to St. Augustine of Hippo (Norristown), having ended her assignment at Christ Church Old Swedes (Bridgeport) in February 2026.
Having served 10 years in the U.S. Navy in data, systems, communications and coordination roles, and then 8 years at Lockheed Martin as a Systems Engineer, Andrea brought leadership and a positive, practical, communicative, can-do engineering mindset to her positions at both the Diocese of Southern Virginia and Diocese of Pennsylvania.
Her open mind and humble, open heart led her to serve in a wide variety of roles in the Diocese of Southern Virginia until 2018, including vestry, Lay Eucharistic Minister, altar guild, lector, acolyte, diocesan convention delegate, and eventually as Executive Council member under Bishop Herman Hollerith, based in Newport News, VA.
In October 2019, Andrea was granted postulancy to become an Episcopal deacon in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, expanding her opportunities to use her leadership experience. At St. Peter’s Phoenixville she is looking forward to meeting and getting to know the St. Peter’s family, while knowing Deacon Joe has left her some big shoes to fill. Throughout her lifetime, Andrea has been a courageous, advocate of highest integrity, invariably seeking to speak the truth, even if risky.
She is most grateful for knowing that God has always helped her through difficult times. Andrea is also grateful for her two very spoiled cats, Tigger and Riley, and for her four grandsons who have a piece of her heart and affectionately call her “Memaw” (MEE-maw).
Click here to email Deacon Andrea.
Deacon Joe Dietz was ordained to the vocational diaconate in October 1994. He served at St. Peter’s for nearly 5 years under the Rev. Thomas Wand and came back for a few years as deacon assistant under the Rev. Marie Swayze and the Rev. Robert Miller. In his most recent term, Joe has been serving St. Peter’s as deacon assistant since 2011 and as of October 2025 has served 31 years at St. Peter’s, having officially “retired” in late 2025, but can still be seen helping out in various capacities.
Click here to email Deacon Joe.
Prior to serving as a priest at St. Peter’s, David Hyatt was the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church Gulph Mills (King of Prussia). Nowadays he is well cared for by his daughters Lynn and Sarah, and lives in Phoenixville with his two cats, Duke and Ginger.
Our Staff
Katie Druckenmiller joined the staff at St. Peter’s in October 2022 as the Director of Family Ministries, a part-time position where her primary role is to lead and coordinate the Youth Group, Godly Play, and Children’s Chapel programs. As an active, dynamic parishioner at St. Peter’s since 2001, Katie has served on the Vestry and Capital Campaign Committee, led the Youth Group, and volunteered in many areas. She graduated from Ursinus College in 2002 and has also completed the Education for Ministry program. She continues to work in the Donor Relations profession. Katie lives in Royersford with her husband Peter and their two daughters, Hannah and Grace, who are all active at St. Peter’s.
Click here to email Katie.
Our Office Administrator is Elaine Blackburn, who has been at St. Peter’s since March 2026.
Our sexton is Jessica, who has been at St. Peter’s since 2025.
Our Vestry
Judi has been a member of Saint Peter’s since 1979, when she moved to Phoenixville. She and her husband Don were married in Saint Peter’s and her children were baptized here. She lives in North Coventry Township in Chester County with her husband, Don, and daughter, Ashley. Her son Drew is married to his lovely wife Jess, and they make their home in Douglassville, PA. Judi is a retired Speech/Language Pathologist and enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time in Cape May Point.
During her time as a parishioner, she has chaired and participated in several ministries, including the Evangelism Committee (now known as the New Member Ministry), Greeters, taught Sunday School, and worked on the Community Lunch Program for several years.
One of her core beliefs is to serve others wherever and whenever it is possible. She has previously served on Vestry for four 3-year terms, with four years as Junior Warden and two years as Senior Warden. As a vestry member, she will work to ensure that the Vision and Mission of Saint Peter’s are fulfilled.
Click here to email Judi.
As a former commercial banker in corporate cash management, it is a blessing to have Dennis as our Accounting Warden. He is a Fishtown (Philadelphia) native and graduate of La Salle College High School and La Salle College, where was in ROTC program, leading to his commission as an officer in the United States Army and two years of active-duty. Dennis then started his 33-year banking career, working for Girard, Mellon, and Citizens Banks. He married Karen in 1982 and they lived in Lansdale for 37 years. They were members of Holy Trinity, Lansdale until 2000, then at Trinity Church, Ambler until 2019. In both churches, Dennis served on the Vestry and was the Accounting Warden for many years. In 2019, Dennis and Karen downsized and moved to Royersford.
“We immediately started a search for our new church home, and after visiting several local churches, our search brought us to St. Peter’s on the Ash Wednesday prior to the pandemic. Following that service, specifically hearing Father Sam’s sermon, both Karen and I decided that St. Peter’s would become our new church home. During the pandemic we participated in many Friday night Zoom meetings with Father Sam and many others from the congregation, enabling us to get to know many church members.”
When the pandemic restrictions were relaxed, the Reids volunteered in the Saturday morning Pantry until it was closed, and now volunteer in Saturday morning breakfasts. Karen is the ministry leader for “The Order of the Daughters of the King” and is a member of the Gardening team.
Click here to email Dennis.
Todd Jackson lives in East Vincent and has attended St. Peter’s for more than 15 years. He has been married to Jyl Harrington for more than 40 years, and together they raised daughters Eryn and Rachel. Todd was co-chair of the discernment committee that called Fr. Sam to St. Peter’s, working closely with the Vestry. He actively supported the food pantry, producing the state and federal reports of pantry clients served. He was part of the Godly Play staff and the pastoral care committee, and now serves as the liaison to The Free Clinic, housed in the former Rectory at 143 Church Street.
Todd retired after 42 years in the nuclear power industry, having completed 30 years as a health physicist and project engineer for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He also served as Chemistry Manager at the Limerick Generating Station, and as an emergency responder at
Three Mile Island and in Tokyo, Japan after the 2011 earthquake.
Click here to email Todd.
Robert Gauthier joined the Vestry in 2023, and he seeks to increase St. Peter’s Outreach network, involvement, and partnerships. He is the Executive Director of the Campolo Center for Ministry of Eastern University and Palmer Theological Seminary. He has lived in or near Phoenixville since 2009 and is proud dad to Ella, a Phoenixville Area HS senior headed to Colby Sawyer College (New London, NH) for the fall 2023 semester. At St. Peter’s, Robert has been involved in Gardening, spiritual seeking with The Order of the Daughters of the King, as an usher and is involved with Stewardship that leverages his professional fundraising experience.
Robert loves cooking, reading, arts and culture, and the freshwater lakes, mountains, and maple syrup of New Hampshire, where he grew up and visits as often as possible. He is grateful for the “family” of St. Peter’s and humbly honored to serve the church and community through the Vestry.
Click here to email Robert.
Doug and I were looking for an inclusive, diverse and welcoming church when we attended St Peters in the summer of 2018. After we attended that first Sunday, we believed we had found our home church.
Since that first Sunday, I have been involved in the food pantry program, leader of team 2 breakfast program, choir and Eucharistic Minister. These ministries have given me the opportunity to use my gifts in serving others.
Before I retired, I was the Director of a Hospice program. My responsibilities included staffing our program, marketing, maintaining Medicare Regulations and profit and loss. We have a grown son and two grown grandsons.
Click here to email Gretchen.
My wife Sarah and I have two daughters, Adeline and Lucy. We have lived in Phoenixville for almost eight years, after moving from Philadelphia. We started coming to St. Peter’s during the pandemic and were happy to find a church that was welcoming, diverse, and service-oriented, especially as more people returned to in-person or joined.
Sarah sings with the choir, and I participate as an usher. Outside of church, I work at the pharmaceutical company GSK (Glaxo Smith Kline), using data analysis and statistics to help scientists discover new medicines. Being a parent takes up most of my free time, but I do enjoy lawn and board games, getting outdoors in nature, and watching movies.
Click here to email Andrew.
Natalie Famous
For as long as I can remember, I have been a member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. My parents, Ronald and Donna Famous, joined when I was a child and my five sisters and I grew up attending Sunday services and enjoying time in Sunday School and then Youth Group. The old stone hallways felt like a second home to me as a child, and I loved being here.
My husband, Steven De Prado, joined me in attending services around 1998, and then more than a decade later we welcomed William and Clara and carried them into this beautiful church. We have had the pleasure of watching our children spend Sunday mornings in the same pews and receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation here at St. Peter’s. Our children are teenagers now, and I still manage to convince them to join me for Church on some Sunday mornings. That is a blessing.
In my professional life, I am an attorney with Fox Rothschild, a national law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers. My practice is mostly in Chester, Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Click here to email Natalie.
I first came to this area when I chose to go to Ursinus College. While at Ursinus I met my future husband Frank. My first position after graduating was as teacher in Boyertown Area School District. Frank and I got married in 2010 and moved to Phoenixville.
My time at St. Peter’s started about 13 years ago when Frank and I were looking for a church. I can remember the first time we came to St. Peter’s and how welcome we felt right from the start. We knew it was the church where we wanted to raise our family. We went on to have our three daughters Charley, Lilly and Bethany baptized here. We have regularly attended services and worked to support the mission and congregation of St. Peter’s.
Throughout my time as a member of St. Peter’s I have worked with different ministries, especially the Children and Youth ministries. Pre-pandemic, I led Children’s Chapel. Currently, I volunteer as a doorperson in the Godly Play classrooms and work with the Youth Group. Over the past two summers, I have been able to travel on both a pilgrimage and a service trip with the Youth Group. It has been a privilege to spend time with the youth of St. Peter’s and support them in their spiritual growth. Moving forward, I appreciate the opportunity to serve the congregation of the church as a member of the vestry.
Click here to email Caitlyn.
Michael Yake and his family (wife Connie, and children Christopher, Peter and Molly) have lived in the Malvern PA area since 1994. Christopher and Peter are now married, and Molly continues to live at home.
Michael was employed as a Software Engineering and Program Manager with Lockheed Martin Corporation. He retired from Lockheed in 2023 and now enjoys volunteering with a West Chester based food cupboard and Nemours Hospital.
The Yakes transferred into St. Peter’s parish shortly after the pandemic in 2021. Prior to that time, Michael was a parishioner of Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA and All Saints in Wynwood, PA. Michael was involved with vestry at both churches. At Good Shepherd, he was the Accounting Warden and general vestry member involved in a search committee. At All Saints, he was a general vestry member. Michael is currently involved with the Property Committee at Saint Peter’s Church.
Click here to email Michael.
Tine hails from Germany (hence the unusual spelling, pronounced like Tina and short for Christine) and came to the U.S. to marry Craig in 1985 after finishing her education to be a foreign language teacher. Her first career was being mother to their three children: Vincent, also a member at St. Peter’s, Marcus (who lives with his family in Germantown), and Sonia who has lived in Germany for about 10 years now. After moving around with the military stations during Craig’s service and attending a variety of churches, they started attending St. James Episcopal Church in Springfield MO, where Craig was the Assistant to the rector while attending seminary. They moved to Phoenxiville in 1996 to work at the Valley Forge Christian College. They have been active members at Washing Memorial Chapel in VF and the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli since 2003 and found their Phoenixville home at St. Peters a few years ago.
Tine just recently retired from her career as a German teacher after 17 years at the High School here in Phoenixville. She looks forward to having more time to learn more about gardening, to do small projects around the house, to enjoy sewing, knitting, cooking, and other crafts, and especially spending time with her baby grandson. She became Clerk of the Vestry in 2024.
Click here to email Tine.