Meet The Team

Pastor Melanie Enfield

Senior Pastor

Melanie has strong ties to Newington and the Church of Christ, Congregational. Melanie was ordained here in 1991 and then served as our Associate Pastor for 4 ½ years. During that time Melanie forged additional ties to Newington when she met her future husband, Newington native Jonathan Tinkham, married and started her family. We now count this native Oregonian and graduate of the Yale Divinity School as one of our own. Melanie’s calling to serve others was apparent in her next position as the Director of Pastoral Care at the Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital’s mental health network. She loved her work at the hospital but parish ministry kept calling her back. We are fortunate that Melanie returned to her Newington “roots” at the Church of Christ, Congregational when her calling brought her back as Associate Pastor in 2008. In May 2013 she became our Senior Pastor! She feels blessed to work within this congregation and to serve God in this way. She and Jonathan Tinkham have three children: Sam, Kelly and Zachary. When Melanie has time, she loves the outdoors, reading and scrapbooking.

Peter Niedmann

Organist & Director of Music

Peter Niedmann has served as our Organist and Director of Music for over 30 years. He leads our multi-generational choral ministry, known for its excellence and adventurous programming. Peter is also Artistic Director of our Concert Series, which presents performers of national stature. He was a prize winner at the 1992 AGO National Competition in Organ Improvisation in Atlanta. Peter is also an acclaimed composer, recently winning the international Fyfe Competition. His music has been heard at The White House and a Papal Mass for Pope John Paul II. In the Ending of the Year was singled out by American Record Guide magazine as best new piece on Harvard University Choir’s Carols from the Yard CD. The American Organist magazine has praised his music as “thoughtful, well-wrought, and appealing.”

Peter Niedmann was twice awarded conducting fellowships with Sir David Willcocks (King’s College, Cambridge). He was a member of the faculty of the Hartt School, University of Hartford. Peter was Dean of the American Guild of Organists – Hartford Chapter, and holds the AGO Associate and Choir Master certificates. He studied organ with Bach specialist Christa Rakich at the University of Connecticut, and piano with Anne Koscielny at Hartt School of Music. His choral and organ music is published by several major companies, including Augsburg-Fortress, Theodore Presser, and MorningStar. Peter has been commissioned to write music for many ensembles and artists. The United Church of Christ commissioned Peter to compose a hymn and a set of psalm antiphons for The New Century Hymnal.

Tobey Aubert

Program & Outreach Coordinator

Tobey joined our church staff in February of 2024. His life can best be described as developing in three stages. In the first stage of his adult life, he spent thirteen years as a minister to adults and youth in CT and MA performing relationship-based ministry in predominantly conservative middle and upper middle-class communities. Mentoring, crisis intervention, and leadership training as well as community relations, special events and public speaking were all part of the ministry that he loved. The second stage of his life took a dramatic turn. For five years he walked away from a comfortable lifestyle and from success to discover an expanded worldview of compassion, inclusivity, and diversity working with everyday people of various social class, ethnicity, and faith/no faith traditions. He continued his stage of discovery with a specialized education component. Obtaining an MA of Interfaith Action degree, he sought to better connect people of various backgrounds in common values and causes of acceptance, compassion, and social justice. In the third stage of life he returned to church ministry, in an intentionally progressive environment, using the variety of past experiences and education to develop community-based family programming that bridges gaps between church life and the community. His desire is to inspire people to discover their immense, intrinsic value as ones unconditionally loved by God, through relationships and personal faith formation that is authentic as well as practical compassion that meets needs in the real world. Tobey has three children, loves New England’s coastline and trees, is a want-to-be mystic, and ardently believes being a barista is a magical calling.

Glenn Casey

Sexton

Bob Pinard

Sexton

Mary Jane DiPaola

Financial Secretary

Mary-Jane has been a part of the church staff since 2012. She handles all member and non-member contributions, pledges, benevolence disbursements and accounts payables. She supports the financial needs of committees and board members maintaining budgeted fiscal accountability. She is also involved in the stewardship of the church, supporting the yearly campaign efforts that help keep the church financially sound. She works closely with the Pastor, Office Manager, Treasurer, and staff in all interoffice financial matters, data, policies, and procedures.

Mary-Jane enjoys biblical studies, discovering the significance of the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and the healing power of his word.

Mary-Jane has 3 children, and 2 grandchildren, as of this writing, with a 3rd grandchild on the way.

Bria Shaw

Administrative Assistant

Bria joined the church staff in October of 2022. She provides administrative assistance support to the Senior Pastor, Choir Director and provides backup coverage in the Office Manager’s absence. She handles Church Bulletins, Church Email Newsletter and any other administrative tasks that need to be done.

Bria is a Believer and follower of Jesus who is striving to be more like Him every day. She is a photographer and entrepreneur, She loves music and is learning to play the bass, loves spending time with her loved ones, and loves traveling.

Michelle Dixon

Office Manager

Michelle, hired August 2023, has over 9 years of experience as the Executive Director and Office Administrator at a church in California. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this position. Michelle handles the church building maintenance, rentals, and overall logistics of the church.

Michelle and her family recently relocated to Connecticut from California with her husband and young adult daughter. They are enjoying being on the East Coast. Michelle loves gardening, cooking, and enjoying art and music. Her husband is a musician and her daughter is a model. She has two older children who are still in California and a granddaughter who just turned 18, also in California.