About

Pastor Winston Dookram was ordained by the Metropolitan New York Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at Ascension Lutheran Church, Deer Park, NY, on June 16, 2017.  His approval for ordination was through the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP).  He graduated at the 150th Commencement at LTSP on May 20, 2014.  Prior to his formal education at LTSP, Pastor Win completed Diakonia as an active member of Ascension from 2010-2012.

On March 12, 2017, Vicar Winston was called to serve as the Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church Commack (HCLC).  He was then installed at HCLC on June 17, 2018.

Pastor Win is a fourth generation Lutheran whose faith started to develop during his youth in Guyana, South America.  Family history influenced his growth in the Lutheran faith.  His great-grandfather was cared for in a Lutheran orphanage in India and when he immigrated to British Guyana, he continued practicing his faith, teaching and serving God, as a catechist.  His grandparent’s generation had many catechists and parish workers and pastors.  Pastor Win’s mother was very active in the Lutheran church in Guyana, exposing young Winston to leadership skills, knowledge of the Lutheran faith, theology and his belief in the tribune God.

Having grown up in a multi-religious Guyanese community where Christians rub shoulders with Muslims and Hindus, and Christians were a melting pot of mostly Lutherans, Episcopalians, or Catholics, Winston saw the opportunity for acceptance of multi-racial and multi-religious peoples.  This was the beginning of his evangelism.  Now as a pastor at HCLC, Pastor Win hopes to step out of the confines of the physical church and bring the church to the community in a modern way that strengthens fellowship and faith.

In short, Pastor Win plans to live the mission statement of Holy Cross:

“Centered in Christ, we seek to bring the church to the community and the community to the church.”