Staff
A native of greater Pittsburgh, Chris' work in Methodist ministries took him to more than 50 nations before leading him to Morrow in July 2010. He became a minister at age 19. After serving at ten different churches, he moved to the Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministries, where he helped run GBGM’s global music ministries before he was promoted to associate general secretary for marketing and communications. He is a guitarist and music editor.
Chris answered a call to return to pastoral work after aiding in relief efforts following the earthquake in Haiti in early 2010. At Morrow, he is working to broaden the base of members who actively participate in church leadership, further bolster our civic outreach to the Maplewood community, and step up our contributions in areas like environmental protection, a critical component of the Methodist Church’s emphasis on "creation care".
Chris' passions include a blindingly colorful collection of chalices from around the world and a weakness for bluegrass, a gift from parents raised in West Virginia. He also collects degrees, with a masters in divinity from Drew University and another in corporate communications from Duquesne University. He lives in Maplewood with his wife Kimberly, a physician and fellow native Pennsylvanian.
Read Pastor Chris' blog here.
Brenda came to full-time ministry after a 15-year career in marketing and public relations. Brenda’s background working with both for-profit and non-profit organizations on the cutting edge of education reform helped fuel her passion for bringing the best practices and thinking in secular education into religious education. She answered her call to ordained ministry to pursue this work fully in the church. She returned to Drew University for her theological education, having attended Drew as an undergraduate and then receiving a master’s in business from Johns Hopkins University.
Brenda paired her desire for the highest-quality religious education with her burning desire to help people live out their faith when she began serving as Morrow’s director of educational ministries in 2003. She was appointed as associate pastor for children, youth and education ministries in 2006.
At Morrow, Brenda supports the youth ministry and education programs that immerse adults, children and youth with a faith built on service, worship and learning and spiritual practices.
Brenda loves stories and is pursuing her doctorate in narrative theology at Wesley Theological Seminary. She firmly believes that when we share the stories of who we are and whose we are we come closer to each other and come closer to becoming the body of Christ.
Brenda lives in Maplewood with her husband Bill and their three children. She loves attending the musical performances, sports events and other special moments of her children – all 200 of them – who are part of Morrow Church.
Read Pastor Brenda's blog here.
Holland joined Morrow in September 2010, bringing a background in classical music and a developing interest in how world music adds to the eclectic ways Christians express their faith. A doctoral candidate in choral music at Yale University, Holland joined Morrow from Cornell University, where he was assistant director of choral ensembles. He began his path toward a career in sacred music by playing piano and organ at masses in his native Vermont beginning at age 13.
At Morrow, Holland oversees programs for children and adults, and is developing musical opportunities for the Church’s teenagers. Giving youth the opportunity to offer their burgeoning talents in worship is a top priority for the music ministries at Morrow. For children, his goal is to build programs that complement both their school music classes and the religious grounding they get from Sunday school. With adults, his fuses the skills of a congregation that includes a large number of arts professionals with the passion and energy of talented amateurs who do the majority of the singing and playing each Sunday.
Holland’s office at Morrow is decorated with his Bach bobblehead and by his American Staffordshire Terrier mix, Olive, who climbs on Holland’s lap for tummy rubs as he works. He lives in West Orange with his partner Nicholas Clarey, a stage director, designer, and actor.
