Clergy, Staff and Volunteers

The Rev. Blake Sawicky

George Emblom

Director of Music, Organist, and Parish Administrator

George coordinates with the clergy for the music life of the parish. He also manages the parish office and administrative needs.

Joel Contreras

Sexton

Joel Contreras, sexton, came to the Bay Area in 1989 from Zacatecas, Mexico. In 1999, his son Oscar was born and he also began to serve Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, a position he held until 2014. In 2008, Joel began serving at St. Mark’s where he works with volunteers, helps to keep the property safe and clean, and facilitates the many groups and non-profit organizations who use the space. Joel is always willing to help, has a smile to share, and makes great coffee!

Kat McEachern

Volunteer Coordinator, Hot Meals for the Hungry

Kat McEachern serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for Hot Meals for the Hungry, a free meal for the on the third Saturday of every month. Kat loves cooking (and eating) and is grateful for the Hot Meals community to get to spend time cooking good food with others to feed our community. She and her husband, Ian, began volunteering with Hot Meals in 2015. To volunteer with Hot Meals or learn more about the program, email her here.

The Rev. Michael Hiller

A native Angeleno, Michael T. Hiller spent his childhood living in the west where his father, a Lutheran Pastor served congregations in California, Colorado, and New Mexico, and taught at St. John’s College in Kansas.  Following in the family tradition of priestly service, Fr. Hiller studied at St. Paul’s College, Concordia, Missouri; Concordia Sr. College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana; and at Concordia Seminary. St. Louis, Missouri.  In May of 2021, he received the Doctor of Ministry degree in Congregational Development from Bexley-Seabury Seminary in Chicago. Ordained in 1971, he then served at The Lutheran Church of the Way in Taunton, Massachusetts (LC-MS), The Lutheran Church of Saint Ambrose (ELCA) in Pennsville, New Jersey, and then at Saint Francis Lutheran Church (ELCA) in San Francisco.  While serving at Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco, he was received as a priest of the Diocese of California in 2008.  Fr. Hiller served as Interim Rector at St. Mark’s, Berkeley (twice) and at St. Mark’s. Santa Clara.  Fr. Hiller is the author of a blog on the lectionary, “Break Open the Word”, that can be found at http://www.breakopenword.blogspot.com. Fr. Hiller lives with his husband, Arthur M. Morris III in San Francisco. His daughter, Anna Hiller lives there as well with her husband Mark Pritchard.

The Rev. Kenneth Schmidt

A volunteer priest at St. Mark’s since early 2019 after serving as the Rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in San Francisco for thirty years, Kenneth attended Houghton College in upstate New York and received M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Before moving to the Bay Area, Kenneth worked in parishes in Princeton and New Brunswick, NJ, and Philadelphia, PA, where he also taught theology at St. Joseph’s University. During his time at All Saints’, he served in several diocesan ministries, including teaching Anglican theology at the School for Deacons.

At St. Mark’s, Kenneth assists with the Sunday and weekday liturgies and is  a member of the Social Justice Committee, which coordinates the monthly InAsMuch appeals. He lives in El Cerrito with his husband John Roberts, Professor Emeritus of Music and former Head of the Music Library at Cal.

The Rev'd Canon Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller

The Rev’d Canon Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller is a professor of liturgical studies at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago and canon precentor for the Anglican Diocese of Huron. She was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood for the Diocese of Los Angeles (18 years ago!), earned her PhD at the GTU, and has taught in Los Angeles, at Notre Dame, the GTU and in Canada. She is the author/editor of four books (fifth in progress) and numerous articles on liturgical history, sacraments, and sacramental theology. Most importantly, she’s been at St. Mark’s before as part of an interim team and is enjoying her sojourn among this wonderful community once again!

Contact Mtr Lizette