ANCHORED IN SCRIPTURE; SHARING LIFE IN CHRIST
PASTOR MARK METZE
Pastor Metze began his ordained ministry with Annapolis Evangelical Lutheran upon completing a year of internship with Annapolis Lutheran. Pastor Metze studied history at the University of South Carolina before graduating from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA with a Masters of Divinity. Before beginning seminary, Mark worked as a youth minister and camp counselor at a Christian summer camp known as Lutheridge. During seminary, Mark was trained in chaplain ministry by completing a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. In his spare time, Mark likes to play guitar, read theology/ history, and ride his bike. He and his wife Rebecca have two sons.
BILLIE JO FISCH
Hello! My name is Billie Jo Fisch, and I’m the new Youth Director!
I was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and spent my life there through graduate and undergraduate school at Slippery Rock University. I am a die-hard Pittsburgh Pirates fan and also enjoy watching the Pittsburgh Penguins. I have also been known to root for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I don’t often admit that living in Raven’s Country.
In 2012, I moved to Northeast Ohio to teach special education. I taught for the Streetsboro City Schools at both the high school and middle school level until May 2021, when I moved to Alexandria, VA to be with my husband, Bob. For those who say that nothing good came out of the pandemic, Bob and I see it differently, as we met via a virtual Christmas Party, hosted by a mutual friend, in December of 2020. We began dating over Zoom and hit it off. Bob and I got married in June of 2022, and moved to Glen Burnie, MD in March 2023. We do not have children yet but hope to in the future. We do have a 2-year-old dog, named Timon, who we adopted from a shelter when he was just 10 weeks old. He’s very active and keeps us on our toes!
I am currently in seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary and will be pursuing ordained ministry upon graduation. More importantly, I’ve really enjoyed my time at Annapolis Lutheran, thus far, and I’m looking forward to working with you all in the future and getting to know everyone!
If we’ve not met, please come and say hi! Bob and I would love to meet you!
DR. DIMITAR NIKOLOV
Dimitar Nikolov, a versatile conductor, pianist, and educator, has conducted choirs and orchestras in the United States and Europe. Audiences have been impressed by his ability to energize the ensembles he conducts and to produce a unique sound within large dynamic range. He has held conducting positions in the US and his native country Bulgaria, including his current positions as Music Director/Conductor of the Baltimore Philharmonia Orchestra and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. Dimitar has served as Music Director/Conductor for church, community, and university choirs, among them the Washington International Chorus, the women’s chorus of the Waldorf University, the Burgas Opera chorus, and the Unity Center of Light chorus. He has conducted concerts in some of the most prestigious world concert halls such as The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The National Theater, Mozart Hall (Vienna, Austria), and The National Palace of Culture Concert Hall (Sofia, Bulgaria).
As a pianist, Dr. Nikolov has performed many piano recitals, chamber music recitals, and appeared as a soloist of orchestras in the US and Bulgaria. Dimitar has significant experience as a church musician. Before becoming the Music Director of the AELC, he worked for the First Baptist Church of Kent Island, Stevensville, MD; The Unity Center of Light, Bowie, MD; The First United Methodist Church, Lincoln, NE; and the St. Nicholas Christian Orthodox church, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Dimitar Nikolov has a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Catholic University, a MA in Music from the University of Northern Iowa, and a BM/MM from the National Academy of Music, Sofia, Bulgaria. Currently, he works as a piano teacher for the International School of Music, as well as in his own piano studio (Dr. D’s piano studio), in addition to his jobs with the AELC and his two orchestras. He lives in Annapolis with his wife Nicole and their dog Mecho (a very energetic American Eskimo).
WAYNE MACCRORY
With more than a decade and a half of leading worship music, Wayne brings passion and energy to our contemporary worship service. He has a genuine desire to share the Gospel message with our community through songs of praise and adoration. Wayne, along with his wife, Joyce, serve our congregation in leading our Easter Sunrise service, bring special music to our worship services and sing in our traditional choir.
As a part of the larger community of Lutheran worship leaders, Wayne has learned to adapt traditional hymns to a contemporary band setting, and endeavored into writing and recording original music. Wayne's hope in serving as a song leader is "that every worshiper leaves each week with an ear-worm of hope that sustains them through-out the week".