The Rev. Elizabeth E. Ekdale, Lead Pastor, graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree in 1987 from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. 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 has served parishes in Oregon and New York before coming to St. Mark’s.

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 in the Bay Area, she finds it a delight and privilege to serve a congregation in San Francisco.

Pastor Christian Jennert  graduated with a Master of Divinity degree 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.  Pastor Jennert, a native of Hanover, 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 at Creator Lutheran Church in Clackamas, Oregon in 2001. 

In January 2004, Pr. Jennert received the call to be the Associate Pastor at St. Mark's.  This has been an exciting call opportunity for him to serve in this beautiful and diverse urban church in the heart of San Francisco.  Pr. Jennert enjoys working in a team setting along with Pr Ekdale, St. Mark’s staff and the many lay leaders.  His ministry interests include outreach to people new to the church, the catechumenate process, pastoral care and healing ministry; he also coordinates St. Mark’s Senior Center and young adult ministries such as the SMART group. 

I began my church music career as a cherub, one of several actually, in the Cherub Choir of the First Presbyterian Church in Fresno, California.  My older brother and sister were already cherubs, and I was thrilled to join them. My only recollection is that of being confused by how the words to the hymns seemed to jump all over the page rather than moving from one line to the next like they did in regular books.  Music notation was a complete mystery. Soon, I began piano lessons, and I hope I became a better cherub as a result. I wasn’t much older when I realized two things: that music was, for me, a means by which I could express things I felt inside for which I had no words, and that what I thought I was expressing was not necessarily what people perceived.

That is what still excites and fascinates me after all these years about music in worship.

Jun Ranches, Director of Church Administration and Operations, manages all business affairs for St. Mark's Lutheran Church and the Urban Life Center.  He is in the office Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

A pastor's son, Jun was born and raised in the church.  So influential was his Christian upbringing, Jun graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in Illinois.  He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  For over seven years he served as Youth Minister at United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations in Chicago, IL and Sunnyvale, CA.

Originally from Chicago, Ann holds a B.A. in history with a Spanish minor from Marquette University, and completed graduate coursework in English at San Francisco State University. She is also certified in library technology.

She worked for years in incentive travel and event planning before becoming a full-time mother of two boys. She has contributed to a variety of non-profit groups, producing newsletters, brochures, and flyers, and managed school hot lunch and other fundraising and service programs.