PASTORS

Matt Cohen

Lead Pastor

Matt is a California native who has come to love Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Penn State and Southern Seminary and teaches Preaching at Grimke Seminary. A former collegiate gymnast, he now prefers spending time outside hiking with his wife Andrea or sport spectating with their children. Matt guides the overall vision and teaching of Citylight Church and The Citylight Network.

Tim Shutes

Executive Pastor

Tim is a native of State College, PA where he went to Elementary, High School and 4.5 years of college at Penn State.  Tim majored in piano performance at Penn State and loves music, sports and technology.  He met his wife Sarah at Penn State and they now make their home in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia with their children Felicity, Clara, and Nora.  At Citylight he oversees the many leaders, teams and operations that represent the inner workings of Citylight.

Paul Fuller

Pastor of Care (Manayunk)

Paul is originally from Foxborough, MA and graduated from Nyack College with a bachelors in Youth Ministry. He married his wife, Shanell, in 2005 and they moved to Philadelphia in 2013 so Paul could pursue his Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. Paul and Shanell together lead the Mt. Airy Citygroup. He’s an avid Boston sports fan, enjoys playing music, hiking, and biking.

Mark Giacobbe

Teaching Pastor (Manayunk)

Mark, originally from Staten Island, NY, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary, from which he holds a PhD in Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation. He oversees several ministries related to the life of our church, including Christian education, gathered worship, and international missions. He also preaches and leads worship on occasion. Mark loves reading, hiking, music, and word-smithery.

Tom Mathew

Elder

Tom, born and raised in Philadelphia, has always called the city “home.” He received an Information Technology & Sciences degree from Penn State University and worked in the IT services space for 10 years before transitioning to the non profit world.  He and his wife, Blessy, also a Philly native, married in 2012 and  have been a part of Citylight ever since. They live in the Huntingdon Valley area with their kids, Esher and Karis. Outside of his 9 to 5, Tom enjoys graphic design, home improvement projects, and quality time with family and friends.

Gordon Pfeil

Elder

Gordon is Philadelphian through and through.  Born and raised in the city, he received his Music and Education degrees from the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts and uses neither of those degrees in his current career in office furniture sales. He and his wife Karen married in 1984, have three children and now call the Phoenixville suburb of Philadelphia home.  The Pfeils joined Citylight shortly after it launched and have been investing in us ever since. When Gordon isn’t passing on sage wisdom to our young church, he enjoys playing music and spending time with his family. Gordon serves Citylight as a lay pastor, praying for us and helping lead us toward healthy discipleship.

Nick Dastalfo

Elder

Nick was born and raised in Downingtown, PA and attended Penn State University where he received both a bachelors and masters degree in Architectural Engineering. For the past 7 years he has been working as a structural engineer for a small but growing firm in the Philadelphia suburbs. Nick and his wife, Kristi, were married in 2016 and live in Abington with their two children, Marley and Jesse. In his spare time Nick enjoys spending time with his family, running, hiking, and watching seasons of The Office over and over again. Nick and Kristi joined Citylight more than 6 years ago and Nick serves as a lay pastor and a Citygroup leader.