Staff

CLERGY AND STAFF INFORMATION

The Rev. Jim Ward, Rector:

Jim is in his thirteenth year as Rector of St. Stephen’s. A native San Franciscan, Jim graduated from Lick-Wilmerding High School, Yale College and the Berkley Divinity School at Yale where he serves on the National Advisory Council. He was ordained at St. Andrew’s, Saratoga, where he served as youth minister. Before being called to Belvedere, he was minister of youth and education at St. Stephen’s, Orinda, and vicar and then rector of St. Cuthbert’s, Oakland. He has also served as Director of Field Education at CDSP. Jim is active in Kairos Prison ministry at San Quentin, tutors with his wife for Bridge the Gap Tutoring in Marin City, and enjoys square dancing with his wife as a member of Tam Twirlers. Jim and Janet have three children, Erik, Steven, and Karen. He is also the father of two grown daughters and has four grandchildren.

Email: jimward@ststephenschurch.org

Tele: 415-435-4501. Ext. 11

Recent Sermons

The Rev. Elaine Reichert, Associate Priest:

Elaine grew up attending All Saints Episcopal Church in San Leandro where she was baptized and confirmed. She has an A.B. in Philosophy from San Francisco State, an M.S. in Educational Psychology from Cal State Hayward, and an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley.

She served as Pastoral Associate at St. Peter¹s San Francisco and as Associate Rector of St. Francis Novato. At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic she was a volunteer priest at St. John the Evangelist in San Francisco which was hit hard by the epidemic. She then did couples counseling with Rev. (now bishop) Jim Jelinek at St. Aidans San Francisco.

Her ministry specialties include church growth and renewal, senior needs and concerns, dream work, grief work and pastoral care.

Elaine is also a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist in private practice in San Rafael and San Francisco.

She is married to Art Reichert and they live in Santa Venetia with two cats and a large garden.

Tele: 415-472-6143

John Karl Hirten, Director of Parish Music:

John Karl Hirten has over twenty-five years of experience as a church musician, having served at Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City, St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn, and Old St. Mary's in San Francisco. He is currently Director of Parish Music at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Belvedere. He also has been organist at the Fordham University Chapel (NY), Temple Beth Israel Judea (SF), and an adjunct faculty member at the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary (Mill Valley). His varied background in church music has led to him being described as an "ecumenical wonder" (GIA Quarterly).

A highly regarded composer, John has published over twenty compositions. For more information on John’s compositions and his other professional work, visit his website at www.hirten.com.

Email: johnkhirten@ststephenschurch.org

Tele: 415-435-4501. Ext. 17

Go to John's website*

Go to Music @ St. Stephens*

Sylvia Miller-Mutia, Pastoral Assistant for Youth and Family Ministries:

Sylvia holds a BFA in ballet performance from the University of Utah and an MA in Liturgy and the Arts from Pacific School of Religion. At St. Stephen's Sylvia is responsible for shaping the Spirituality & the Arts outreach programs (Arts Camp and Peace Planet) as well as overseeing the spiritual formation programs for children, youth, and parents at the church. In addition to her work at St. Stephen’s, Sylvia is an adjunct faculty member at the Graduate Theological Union in the area of Sacred Dance. She lives in Richmond with her husband, Donnel, and their daughter.

Email: sylvia@ststephenschurch.org

Tele: 415-435-4501. Ext. 14

Betsy Menzel, Bookkeeping and Accounts:

Betsy was baptized, confirmed, and married at St. John's Episcopal Church in Elkhart, Indiana. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Betsy moved to Chicago where she earned her MBA at Northwestern while working in a management training program at The First National Bank of Chicago. She and her husband Walter moved to the Bay Area in 1983 and settled in Tiburon a year later. Betsy worked in the municipal bond business both in trading and sales until her 1990 when she took time off to raise her children. Betsy is currently the Business and Accounting Manager at St. Stephen’s Church.

Email: betsy@ststephenschurch.org

Tele: 415-435-4501. Ext. 15

Office Hours: Mon Tues Thurs Fri 900 - 100 pm

Katharine von Fischer, Premarital Consultant:

Email: kvf@well.com

Tele: 415-435-4501. Ext. 48

Anne Brown, Events Coordinator:

Email: kitchen@ststephenschurch.org
Tele: 415-717-3402

Barbara Berling, Altar Guild Coordinator:

Email: berling1@pacbell.net

Tele: 415-435-4501. Ext. 46

Linda Benson, Accounting Consultant: