Leadership & Staff

Rev. Sean Bendigo

Senior Pastor

We are elated to announce Rev. Sean Bendigo as the new Sr Pastor at First Church in Wenham.
Rev. Sean was voted in with a strong unanimous vote of the members and will begin his position on January 22nd.
Great thanks is extended to our hard working, dedicated search committee.
Search committee: Sue Brown, Shelby Thompson, Rev. Judy Proctor, Bob Imlach, Deirdre Pierotti, Don DeBlock, Andrew Hankinson, Naomi Cottrell, Claire Veenema, Sarah Oakley.

Rev. Judy Proctor

Associate Pastor for Family Life

Reverend Judy Proctor is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and has served the First Church in Wenham since 2017. Her love of children and passion for teaching have found a good home in a church that is inclusive and values families and children. 

Over the years, Judy has served local churches in a variety of leadership roles, including over 20 years of experience leading small groups and training leaders. Her ministry focus seeks to develop spiritual vitality and includes serving families of all expressions, providing faith formation, leadership development, and a dynamic approach to organizational process. She loves leading worship, both in the traditional Sunday morning setting and in smaller contemplative services.   

Judy holds a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School and a Juris Doctor Degree from George Washington University. She has completed other professional training programs on contemplative leadership, the spiritual nature of leadership and organizations, spiritual direction, and life coaching. Judy has served on boards and committees for the United Church of Christ. All the training was great, but what best prepared her for parish ministry were the years spent at home raising three children. 

Janet Glasser

Choir Director

Janet Glasser Janet was raised in the UCC faith and brings over 30 years of experience in church music to FCW. She directs the Senior Choir, Youth Choir and Chime Choir and curates some of the special music events held at the church. She has a private voice and piano studio from her home studio in Wenham with students of all ages from all over the North Shore. She is the accompanist for several local schools and freelances as a Music Director and pianist/keyboardist in the Greater Boston area. Janet enjoys all types of music and has fun as the keyboardist for the Psychedelic Relics, a classic rock cover band. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Joe Stroup

Organist and Pianist

Joseph Stroup has been the organist and pianist at First Church since 1986. During this time, until 2011, he maintained a career as a Systems Analyst and computer programmer in the Financial and Insurance fields. For over 20 years he has been a collaborative pianist and Music Director in the Greater Boston area, working with many local performers, orchestras, and community theaters, and several colleges and high schools. A major high-light of his tenure was the opportunity to participate in the selection of the Schantz Organ Company and to advise on the tonal design of the church’s 2-manual instrument, which was installed in 2004. He is a past contributing editor of the Boston Singers Resource website and was briefly on the faculty of The Landmark School in Beverly. He is a graduate of the Oberlin College School of Music with a degree in Organ Performance.