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The
Rev. Elizabeth E. Ekdale, Lead Pastor,
graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree in 1987 from
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She received her
Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University
in 1983, majoring in Sports Medicine. She was ordained
on March 5, 1988, and called to serve as Associate
Pastor at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Salem, Oregon.
In 1991, Pastor Ekdale received a call from the Oregon
Synod to specialized ministry, and served as interim
pastor in three congregations in the Portland area.
In the fall of 1993, Pastor
Ekdale, along with her husband, the Reverend Hans Hoch,
moved to New York City when Pastor Hoch was called to
serve as Federal Prison Chaplain at the Metropolitan
Correctional Center in Manhattan. In June of 1994,
Pastor Ekdale accepted a call to St. Peter's Lutheran
Church in Huntington Station, Long Island where she
served for four years as one of the two pastors on
staff.
In January 1998, Pastor
Ekdale was called to St. Mark's, San Francisco, to serve
as Co-Pastor along with Pastor Womer. On January 26, 2003, the congregation affirmed her call as Lead Pastor of St. Mark's. Having grown up on
the Peninsula, she finds it a delight and privilege to
serve a congregation in San Francisco.
Her ministry interests
include team ministry, evangelism and outreach, domestic
violence issues, social ministry, pastoral care, worship
and preaching. She currently serves on the Sierra
Pacific Synod Candidacy Committee, the board of Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary and the San Francisco
Interfaith Council. She co-chairs the Bay Area
Organizing Committee, a broad-based organizing group in
San Francisco and San Mateo counties.
Pastor Ekdale enjoys
outdoor activities on her days off. She has run one
marathon and climbed Mt. Rainier. She enjoys snow
skiing, biking, and running. She grew up in Menlo Park,
California, and met Hans in seminary. Pastor Hoch grew
up in San Jose and currently serves as Federal Prison
Chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institution in
Dublin, California. They live in the Mission District
with their daughter Grace. |
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The
Rev. Christian Jennert, Associate Pastor,
graduated with a Master of Divinity from Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California in
2003. He previously studied at the School of Protestant
Theology at the University of Tuebingen in Germany where
he also worked as research assistant for the Chair of
Ethics in Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree
in 1997 from Kirchliche Hochschule Bethel (Bethel Church
Divinity School) in Bielefeld, Germany. Pastor Jennert,
a native of Hannover, Germany, received the Adelsberger
Scholarship from St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in San
Francisco for bilingual ministry in 1999. His time at
PLTS and the Graduate Theological Union convinced him to
finish his degree in the United States. He interned in
Clackamas, Oregon, a suburb of Portland in 2001. Pr.
Jennert returned to the Bay Area in 2002 to finish his
senior year in seminary while also providing support
ministry at St. Mark's. In January 2004, Pr. Jennert
received the call to be associate pastor at St. Mark's.
He is excited about this new chapter of ministry
together in the heart of San Francisco. He enjoys
working in a team setting with Pr. Ekdale and the many
lay leaders at St. Mark's. His ministry interests
include preaching and worship, evangelism and outreach,
healing ministry and Christian spirituality, as well as
young adult ministry. Pr. Jennert is currently living in
the Glen Park area of San Francisco with his dachshund,
Wilhelm. He enjoys music, playing the oboe, reading,
movies, traveling, and dachshunds.
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Jun Ranches,
Director of Church Administration and Operations,
manages all business affairs for the church and
the Urban Life Center. He is
in the office Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Jun graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL in 1995 and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He served as Youth Minister at several United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations in Chicago and at the Filipino-American UCC in Sunnyvale, CA. His experience also includes over eight years of administrative, human resource, and managerial experience at companies such as Sony, BetaSphere, and Seneca Center. Jun is very excited to be at St. Mark's. He enjoys computers, comic books, spending time with family and friends, and working in the garden and on his house in Fremont.
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Ann Dayton joined St. Mark's in May of 2005 as our Administrative Assistant.
She produces our church publications, including our
bi-monthly newsletter, the Evangel, and works on our website. She can be
reached in the church office Monday through Thursday
mornings. |
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Duc Huynh, Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds, is practically an institution at St. Mark's, having been
with the organization for nearly 15 years.
Duc keeps the
operation running smoothly by setting up for events and
meetings, keeping the facility clean and in working
order, and offering a helping hand wherever needed. Duc
is here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. He
can be reached through the Church Office.
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Cheryl Garcia is our part-time Bookkeeper. She comes to St. Mark's with many years of church-related Bookkeeping. She can be reached at the church office Monday afternoons and Friday mornings. |
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