Our Staff
Meet the staff teams who work together to plant gospel-centered, compassionate churches in overlooked areas.
Ministry Team
Our ministry team consists of Pastors, Church Plant Team Members, Women's Disciplers, Church Planting Apprentices, and others who are directly involved in planting and sustaining churches among New England's poorest communities.
Jonathan Lugo came to NEU Church Planting just as NEU was beginning and at a time when COVID threatened to slow our church planting efforts. Yet in God’s Providence, Jonathan and his family were able to visit New England and Central Falls in July 2020. Having done so, he and his wife Tere sensed God leading them to move from their home in Puerto Rico and plant a church in New England.
Prior to moving, Jonathan had planted one church and pastored another for five years in Puerto Rico. Jonathan, Tere, and their three children moved in May of 2021. He began a two-year pastoral apprenticeship while starting to build relationships in Central Falls, RI. By the fall of 2023 Iglesia Cristiana Centrados en el Evangelio was born. NEU is thankful for the Lugo's hard work, not only in planting a church, but also in establishing a pattern for how NEU plants churches across New England.
Tereangeli Lugo was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico and earned a degree in Elementary Education, graduating in 2006. Tere also worked in the financial aid office of the Mayaguez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
Now, since moving to New England to plant a church with Jonathan, Tere is using her education degree in Central Falls, RI as she teaches children and reaches out to families. Tere has been called on to lead seminars with school Moms, has led Bible studies with women in the city, and since the founding of Iglesia Cristiana Centrados en el Evangelio, she now serves as a deaconess at the church. Tere and Jonathan have two sons and one daughter.
Elizabeth Berry serves NEU on Central Falls Church Plant team as a Women’s Worker, and also as a staff writer. Elizabeth has a Bachelors in Social Work from Florida State University and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. Having served at her home church in Florida and then overseas, Elizabeth is passionate about discipleship relationships. She also enjoys writing and filmmaking and is an advocate of foster care and adoption.
Christian Michael is a Virginia native now living in Nashville, TN. He and his wife, Cassie, have been married for six years and they have a young son, Frankie. Christian is a veteran who served in the United States Army. He has been involved in social work for the past five years, specializing in homeless services in the greater Nashville area.
Christian is a student at Grimké Seminary studying Urban Ministry and will graduate with a Bachelor of Divinity in the fall of 2025. Christian is eager to be a pastor for the least, the last, and the lost in New England and to plant a church in the inner city. They hope to relocate to New England in the Spring of 2025.
Support Staff
Our support team exists to enable and expand our church planting through executive leadership, care, development, and more.
Tim Zulker is the Executive Director of New England Urban Church Planting. In 2003 he founded what would become NEU Church Planting with a vision to see the church in New England grow through evangelism and church planting. He was one of the planters of Godspeed Church in East Providence, RI in 2005. Prior to founding NEU Church Planting, Tim had been in campus ministry, serving with Princeton Christian Fellowship at Princeton University from 1983 to 1994 and then with Cru at Brown University from 1994 to 2003. Tim holds degrees in English Literature (MA) from Boston College and Christian Thought (MA) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Rich Fulton joined our staff in 2007 and serves as Associate Director. Rich has lived in New England all his life, graduating from Castleton State College, VT with a degree in Business Administration. Rich worked for many years in business management, then participated as a founding elder in Godspeed Church, East Providence, RI, where he continues to serve.
Susan Fulton joined our staff in 2006 and currently serves as both co-Director of Coaching and Care, and as administrative manager. Susan graduated from the University of Hartford with a BA in Sociology and from St. Joseph’s College with a Bachelors in Social Work. Susan has also completed studies with the Professional Christian Coaching International.
Matt Anthony joined our staff in 2024 and serves as the Director of Staff Development. Matt served in pastoral ministry in five churches ranging from the early stages of church planting to young/growing to healthy/thriving to revitalizing/replanting. He and his wife, Ashley, are originally from the Midwest, and are excited for life and ministry in New England along with their four children. Matt holds an M.Div. in Pastoral Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary.
Administrative services is one way we seek to support and serve our church planting team members. Healthy infrastructure, or "trellis," is a way to love and care for staff. So we are blessed to have Sara McLaughlin serve our team as a bookkeeper. Sara works remotely from her home in Texas and came to us at the recommendation of our partner church, Stonegate Church.
Sara grew up in a Christian home and recognized her need for Christ at age 12. After graduating from Texas A&M, she was an upper elementary teacher for six years. She then changed to working in church communications for CHRIST Church, Irving, and most recently for Stonegate Church as a Kids Ministry Associate. Sara and her husband live in Midlothian, TX and have two children, Liam and Hazel.
-compressed.webp)
Todd Rains serves as Managing Editor for NEU Church Planting. A graduate of Bethlehem College & Seminary with a B.A. in the History of Ideas, he oversees NEU’s publishing of written, video, and podcast content in order to promote the mission of planting churches among New England’s urban neighborhoods. A native of Idaho, he lives in Rhode Island with his wife, Emma.