Message from the Pastor


The Reverend Melodee Bottari was born in Manhattan and has lived in Brooklyn, Queens and Hunter Mountain, NY before returning to New York City and moving to Staten Island. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from the College of Staten Island in 1996, graduated New York Theological Seminary in 2007, was ordained on March 29, 2009 and became the designated pastor of Pompton Valley Presbyterian Church in Pompton Plains, New Jersey.  She has been trained in Gestalt Pastoral Care by the Reverend Tilda Norberg and utilizes this training by ministering to homeless persons, incarcerated individuals, ex-offenders, substance abusers and people with HIV and AIDS. 

 

Rev. Bottari enjoys working closely with the Building Bridges Coalition, the Staten Island Council of Churches, and Project Hospitality. Pastor Melodee and the Olivet congregation hold ecumenical and interfaith efforts close to their hearts and seek to proclaim God's message of love and peace and tolerance amongst all people regardless of their faith tradition.

 

Rev. Bottari is married to Gregory Piwinski, a Substance Abuse Counselor with Richmond University Medical Center.  Reverend Bottari is blessed to have in her life Gregory’s six children, and eleven grandchildren, ranging in ages 2-17.  Rev. Bottari and Greg enjoy camping and have a campsite at Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania. Together, they have traversed the United States no less than four times by planes, trains and automobile. Collectively, they have visited 43 out of the 50 States in the U.S.A. Rev. Bottari and Greg are blessed to share their home with three cats, Laverne, Shirley and Squiggy.  In addition to being an animal rights activist, Rev. Bottari is an avid reader and aspiring author.
 
Rev. Bottari celebrated one year at Olivet on January 1, 2012. She states that "serving Olivet has brought such joy and light in my life and serving God in this wonderful congregation is proving to be an incredibly fulfilling experience."