|

Tom Collins Pastor: Tom has been
our pastor for over 30 years, long enough for him to see just about every church in Scranton change pastors.
A native of New Jersey, Tom began his work at Hickory Street in November, 1979. He was educated at Rutgers College,
Princeton Seminary, and Drew University. Over the years he has served on the Boards of Lackawanna Prison Ministeries,
Safety Net, Bread Basket, Geneva House, and Yokefellows Ministries. In 1983 he organized the first Scranton CROP Walk
for the hungry. Through his leadership Hickory Street Church has remained active in the community while compassionately
caring for the members of the congregation. Tom moderates the Session of 18 elders and works closely with 12 members
of the Board of Deacons. He has been married 36 years to the former Leslie Ann Mullen, a woman he knew when she
was 4! They are the parents of two sons, Eli, born in 1979 and a chef in NYC, and Levi, born in 1981 and a graduate
student in history at the University of Georgia, and one grandson, Coleman Levi Collins, born on October 3, 2009.
Tom can be reached at 570-344-1406 or Rut66tc@gmail.com.

Ed Peterson D.C.E.:
Ed joined the
staff as Director of Christian Education in February, 1991. Prior to that, he was the youth minister at Edgewood
Presbyterian Church in his native Pittsburgh, PA. A 1976 graduate of Maryville College in Tennessee,
Ed's ministry to our young people and to the overall Christian Education program of our church has been marked by his
astounding creativity and devotion to Christ. Young people flock to him, and even the adults are touched each week by
his children's sermons. He spends much of his time on the road with the kids, whether it be a day trip, a week-long
summer mission project, or a weekend retreat to our presbytery-owned camp in Vosburg, PA. He has one married daughter,
Kate Snyder, and three grandchildren. The newest, Haydon Mackenzie, was born on July 26, 2008. His wife Thea almost
always works with him. They live in the Hill section of Scranton.
Ed can be reached at 570-344-1488
or pearball@yahoo.com.
|