Staff & Leadership
Pastor Mark Ott
Lead Pastor
Pastor Mark Ott has lived in South Jersey all his life, and has been a pastor for almost 20 years. He lives in Clayton with his wife Dana. Pastor Mark and Dana were married in 1991, and they added their four children to the family between 1993 and 1999.
Show More
There is no lack of energy or activity in their home or in their lives. Pastor Mark was part of the group that began Hope Christian Fellowship in 2004 and has been our pastor since the start. His style of ministry is Bible centered and emphasizes the need to depend on God’s power through the Spirit. He is our main teacher, and he serves as the focal leader and shepherd for Hope.
Mark began his professional life as a Mechanical Engineer, but was called into youth ministry after only a few years. He has held many roles in ministry including youth pastor, college group director, worship leader, kid’s ministry director, assistant pastor, and now, senior pastor. He has been in ministry for over 35 years and is looking forward to many more years serving the Lord with the wonderful church family at Hope.
Church Staff
Gregg Buzzelli
Assistant Pastor
Show More
Gregg returned to his home state of New Jersey in April 2026 after spending 20 years in Maine. He and his wife, Denise, now reside in Woodbury and have been married for over 31 years. Together, they have faithfully served in ministry for more than three decades. They are proud empty-nesters, grateful for their two adult daughters and a son-in-law they deeply cherish.
From the moment Gregg began his walk with Christ, he sensed a clear calling to ministry. Over the years, he has served in a variety of roles, including preacher, teacher, youth pastor, interim pastor, and director of outreach ministries. During his time in Maine, he led weekly classes, facilitated small groups, and—alongside Denise—co-led the Marriage and Family Ministry, supporting premarital couples and walking with families through challenging seasons. The Buzzelli’s have also had the privilege of speaking at marriage conferences and have witnessed God perform miracles of healing, reconciliation, and restoration in couple’s lives.
Gregg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Theocentric Psychology. At the heart of his ministry is a deep passion to see people reconciled to God and to one another. He considers it one of the greatest honors of his life to serve as Assistant Pastor at Hope Christian Fellowship. You will regularly hear him say, “I don’t have to serve God and His people, I GET TO!”
Daniel Lein
Youth Director
Show More
Kara May
HopeKids! Director
Show More
Kara May was born and raised in South Jersey and has attended Hope since our very beginning in 2004. From the time she was young, Kara has had a passion for working with and serving children.
As our HopeKids! Director, she helps to train our team members, encouraging them to become leaders and role models for all of our children. Kara’s outgoing and warm personality makes adults and children alike feel welcome and comfortable at Hope.
Kara and her husband, Tanner, look forward to seeing God continue to move in our church as well as in their personal lives as they raise three children, Bentley, Hayden, and Paisley.
Dana Ott
Worship Director
Show More
Dana Ott was born in Nashville, Tennessee and grew up in Salem, Oregon. Anyone who knows Dana realizes how fitting it is that she was born in such a musical place. She serves at Hope with her musical abilities each week, leading dozens of people in our worship team ministry.
As our music director, she also oversees the music ministry as a whole, and fills many other roles as our pastor’s wife. Her sweet and gentle spirit coupled with an understanding and compassionate heart is a great blessing to Hope. She can generally be found striking up conversations with new folks or catching up with some dear friends.
When she married Pastor Mark in 1991, she moved to New Jersey and has been here ever since. She loves to bake and cook (and we love that too!) and her artistic eye often shows up in the things that happen at Hope. She has ministered in worship and music ministry for well over 35 years and loves serving the Lord here.
Kylie Austen
Assistant Worship Director
Show More
Kylie Austen has lived in South Jersey her whole life and has been a part of Hope since its beginning. She graduated from Camden County College in 2013 in Dental Hygiene and worked for 10 years as a pediatric dental hygienist part-time. She set that aside in 2023 to raise her four kids and give more attention to her role serving on the worship team at Hope. She married her high school sweetheart, Matt, in 2014 and their children, Emmett, Macy, Kade and Adelaide, bring life, joy, and craziness to their home in abundance!
Music has always held a special place in Kylie’s heart. She grew up surrounded by extended family who would sing and play music at gatherings. Unsurprisingly, music is one of the primary ways Kylie connects with our Heavenly Father. She started writing her own music in middle school and naturally stepped into leading worship in school and youth services at Hope.
As assistant worship director, she plays a vital role in preparation for Sunday services as well as leading worship on a regular basis. God has given her a passion to lead God’s people into His presence through worship. She brings life and energy (and probably coffee!) wherever she goes!
Emily Dilorenzo
Communications Director
Show More
Emily DiLorenzo has been a part of Hope since 2004, when she began attending as a teenager. Since then, she’s served in multiple areas such as worship team, online communications, and young adults, among others. Outside of ministry, she worked as an executive administrative assistant for eight years.
God created a “more than we could ask or imagine” opportunity for Emily to combine her passion for Hope with her administrative skills. She began officially working for the church in summer of 2017 as Pastor Mark’s administrative assistant. Over the years her role has evolved and she is now the director of communications, overseeing nearly all of the information that goes out to our Hopers through the website, social media, announcements, newsletters, etc.
Emily and her husband, Drew, serve together on the worship team. When they aren’t at church, you can find them enjoying time with their son Maverick.
Kelli Rehm
Assistant HopeKids! Director
Show More
Kelli Rehm became a part of Hope in 2014 as a teenager and has been a part of the Hope family ever since. She graduated from Rutgers University with her bachelor’s degree and went on to work as a cardiac nurse for four years. She married her husband, Elijah, in 2021 and shortly after, they welcomed their son, August. Becoming a mom changed her outlook on church, serving, and her faith.
So with a heart for children and a desire to serve, she decided to join the WonderZone Team volunteering in Nursery 1 and eventually becoming the team lead. God then opened the door for her to step into this new role as Assistant HopeKids! Director, where she is able to combine the skills she learned throughout her years in nursing with a calling to help lead parents & children closer to Christ. She has a passion for creating an environment where children feel loved, known, and excited to learn about Jesus.
When Kelli and her family aren’t at Hope, you can find them exploring new places together, trying new recipes, or visiting a favorite coffee shop. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve families at Hope and looks forward to seeing all that God continues to do in the lives of the next generation.
Our church is under the spiritual guidance and authority of a Leadership Team, primarily comprised of the men who have been appointed as elders. Our elders strive to seek the Lord’s direction in every decision and to be faithful in serving the church family. This is because they take the ultimate responsibility as leaders of our church and are accountable to the Lord as described in Hebrews 13:17. The qualifications for these men are found in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5. We are grateful for these men who God has placed as our spiritual leaders. Reach out to them with any questions and concerns you may have about our church:
