Clergy and Staff

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector
(215) 247-7466 ext. 101 |

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel was educated at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He was ordained Priest in 1995 in Danville, Pennsylvania where he worked as a Hospital Chaplain and a Head Start teacher. Pastoral positions followed at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Flossmoor, Illinois, St. Paul and the Redeemer in Chicago, and then Rector at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Park Ridge, Illinois. After following his wife, the Rev. Dr. Alison Boden, to her new position in Princeton, New Jersey, he was called to be the Executive Director of the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County. The largest food pantry and the gateway agency for Homelessness Prevention services in Mercer County, the Crisis Ministry also runs a Welfare to Work program and an innovative free farmers market. Jarrett became Rector of St. Martin’s in February 2011. He formerly served as the co-chair of Philadelphians Organized to Witness Empower and Rebuild (POWER), is a board member of Teen Uprise, and is active in Heeding God’s Call, a gun violence prevention organization. He is an Adjunct Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary where he co-teaches a regular class on Faith Based Community Organizing, Theology and Practice. Jarrett has been published in Sojourners, the Huffington Post, Yours the Power, and the Journal of Public Theology. He is the father of two children, Timothy and Martha.

The Rev. Anne Thatcher

Associate Rector
(215) 247-7466 ext. 105 |

Anne is a native Westerner, having spent her childhood years in Oregon and Colorado. She follows in the footsteps of her great-grandfather from Wales who was an Anglican priest and her uncle who was an Episcopal priest. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Whitman College, a M.Ed. from Western Washington University, a graduate certificate in Leadership and Camp Ministry from Wheaton College (IL), a diploma in Anglican Studies from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and an M.Div. from the Yale Divinity School.

An experienced ropes course facilitator and wilderness trip leader and trained to work with traumatized communities, Anne believes in the power of conflict resolution and peace making through mediation. She has recently spent time with a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation to Israel/Palestine and attended a human rights training with Cristosal in El Salvador.

Anne currently serves as the secretary of the Diocese of Pennsylvania’s Clergy Compensation and Benefits Commission, the Chair of the Diocese of Pennsylvania’s Central American Refugee Commission and Chaplain to both the Welsh Society of Philadelphia and the St. George’s Society.

The Rev. Barbara Ballenger

Associate for Spiritual Formation and Care
(215) 247-7466 ext. 102 |

Barbara joined St. Martin’s as the Associate for Spiritual Formation and Care in 2014. In June Barbara’s family moved from State College to Philadelphia, where her husband works at Drexel University. They’re excited to be a part of St. Martin’s vibrant faith community. Barbara’s family includes her husband, Jess, adult son, Jesse, and high school-aged daughter, Hannah. Non-human family members include Tara the rat and Oakley the dog.

Barbara hales originally from northeast Ohio, where she grew up and went to school. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Ursuline College.

Barbara’s ministry background is based largely in the Roman Catholic Church where she worked for more than 17 years in a variety of faith-based positions, including parish faith formation director, campus minister, newspaper reporter and program coordinator for Catholic Relief Services. She also worked for eight years in a performing arts ministry as a retreat leader, songwriter and storyteller.

Most recently Barbara worked for Episcopal Relief & Development as a training coordinator in US Disaster Preparedness and Response. She joined the Episcopal Church in 2010, with the long-term goal of priestly ordination.

Woven through her work in ministry is a passion for social, economic and environmental justice. Over the years, Barbara has worked on issues of peace and non-violence, cultural understanding, global and domestic poverty, sustainability and environmental stewardship.

For fun Barbara loves to read, make music, and turn broken things into mosaics. You’ll probably also see her riding her bike around West Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill. She might even stop and ask you for directions.

Barb began seminary in the fall of 2017. Read more here.

In June 2019, Barb was ordained a Deacon in the Episcopal Church, on her path to full priestly ordination later in the year. Read more about becoming a deacon here.

Erik Meyer

Music Director
(215) 247-7466 ext. 104 |

Erik grew up across the river in Collingswood, NJ, where his parents still live. His family is very musical - his mother is the choir director at Haddonfield High School and his father is the assistant librarian at Curtis Institute. Erik began playing the organ in church when he was thirteen and studied with the Rev. J. Bert Carlson, who was also his choir director in the Academy Boys Choir of South Jersey. Carlson became a strong influence in his teenage years and pushed him to pursue a career in church music. Erik then attended the Peabody Institute of Music, where Donald Sutherland was his teacher and mentor. Erik also met his wife, Anna, at Peabody, where she was studying flute. After graduation they married and moved to Erie, where Erik served at Luther Memorial Church, an active downtown parish and school, and taught at Mercyhurst College.

Erik has played over 100 organ recitals through the east and Europe, both solo and duo with Anna. He also composes music, primarily of the sacred choral variety, and has some pieces published. Anna was 2nd flute with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, principal flute with the Erie Chamber Orchestra, a regular substitute with the Erie Philharmonic, and instructor of flute at Mercyhurst.

Outside of the church walls, Erik loves to read, especially 19th century literature. Erik is a beer brewer and was named the #1 homebrewer in Erie in 2009 for a schwarzbier made with Starbucks. Erik loves late 19th century opera, programmatic symphonic works, and movies from the 1930s. He also claims to be a gardener (vegetable), though not an especially good one; but, Erik has learned a lot about humanity from cultivating plantlife! Erik has a daughter, Lydia, and a son, Lukas.

Natalee Hill

Associate for Communications and Administration
(215) 247-7466 ext. 106 |

Prior to St. Martin’s Natalee Hill worked for the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia for nearly eight years, starting as the Administrative Intern and moving up most recently to Communications Manager. Natalee is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA from which she graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with concentrations in Stage Management and Performance. There, she worked as a Stage Manager for both college productions and the professional Summer Music Theater, and also held a work-study position assisting the Director of Marketing & Development in the Department of Theatre & Dance.

Natalee grew up in Connecticut a member of the UCC, where she was an active member in her church, participating in the choirs, Youth Fellowship, and teaching at Vacation Bible School and for Sunday School. In 2003, upon moving to the Philadelphia area for work, Natalee joined a United Methodist Church. There she sang with the church choirs and volunteered with the youth program. In 2006, Natalee and her husband took over the Youth Director position part-time. They led the program until 2011, including a yearly summer mission trip on Appalachia Service Project and events and fundraisers throughout the year. She travelled to Haiti in 2012 with UMC Volunteers in Mission to witness and assist with continued rebuilding after the 2010 earthquake.

Natalee joined St. Martin’s staff in 2011. Since then, she has earned her certificate in Church Management from Villanova School of Business. She and her family joined the Episcopal Church in 2017. Natalee is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Swarthmore where she sings and leads the children’s ministry. Natalee serves on the Board of Episcopal Communicators. She lives in Delaware County with her husband Nathan and two boys, Liam and Ezra.

The Rev. Carol Duncan

Deacon
(330) 705-4795 |

The Rev. Carol Duncan attended the Shipley School and William Smith College in Geneva NY, majoring in English Lit. After school, she moved to Canton, Ohio to run the remnants of a family business.

She married her husband Bob, who was Vice President Smyth Systems, a data processing firm specializing in country club and golf tournament systems. Their daughter Christie was born in 1968, Kate in 1973.

At St. Paul’s Canton she served on the vestry and as a church school teacher. With the Diocese of Ohio she served on the Peace and Justice Commission. She received the Betty Leo award for outstanding social justice work.

In 1988 she became the Housing Development Coordinator of ICAN Housing Solutions, a non-profit that developed permanent supportive housing for the homeless living with mental illness. She served as president of the board of Coalition for Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), a nationally respected homeless advocacy organization.

She was ordained to the Diaconate in 1996. Her first parish was Trinity Alliance. In 2000 she returned as Deacon at her home parish St Paul’s where she served until 2011. Bob died in 2009. She retired from ICAN and moved to Philadelphia in September 2011. Her daughter Christie Duncan-Tessmer is General Secretary of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

Carol is Co-Chair of the Economic Dignity Team of Philadelphians Organized to Witness Empower and Rebuild (POWER). Its primary campaign is to create Philly solutions for Philly Poverty. A main thrust is to raise the minimum wage to $15 while supporting local businesses. Carol also serves on City Council’s Living Wage Committee and on the boards of Deaconess House Foundation, Teen UpRise, and Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library.

Mary Button

Office Assistant
(215) 247-7466 ext. 115 | Mary is a student at United Lutheran Seminary where she will be working toward an MDiv and ordination in the Lutheran church. Mary has spent the last decade working in faith communities both as a liturgical artist and a mission developer. She comes to Philadelphia by way of Memphis where she spent the last seven years working in churches and eating as much soul food as possible. She is an avid sewer and reader, and dog mom to a cuddly and neurotic pit bull named Pumpkin.

Mike Wolford

Parish Accountant
(215) 247-7466 ext. 108 |

Mike lives in Malvern, PA. He has been married to Betsy Wolford since 1990. They have a daughter, Molly, who attends college in Maryland, and an adorable Bichon Frisé. Mike was received into the Episcopal Church in 1993 at Christ Church in Reading, PA after being raised Lutheran. He and his family have been members of Good Samaritan in Paoli since 1998.

James Kent

Sexton
(215) 247-7466 ext. 107

James worked as the

weekend Sexton for many years at St. Martin’s assisting with set-ups, special

events and Sunday Hospitality before being hired on full time in December 2011.

James lives with his wife Avis and dog, Baby. Their adult son Joshua also lives

in Philadelphia.

Lacy Powell

SUPPER Community Engagement Coordinator

Lacy Powell is a Midwest girl living in a Philly world. She grew up in the rural Missouri Ozarks & graduated from Drury University with a degree in Psychology & Education in 2008. She has been married to her husband Daniel for 7 years and they share one son together, Jaxon. Lacy is an is an Army spouse, a passionate communicator, an energetic doer, and an open ear. She grew up in an area where food insecurity and poverty were mainstays for a lot of people. Unable to do much as a child, SUPPER brings her the welcome opportunity to get her hands dirty & work towards a solution as an adult. She’s passionate about meeting the physical, spiritual, and communal needs of our friends and neighbors as we grow and invest in the SUPPER community. When not working, you can find Lacy doing urban beekeeping, making stained glass windows, or cooking up a storm.

Connie Haggard

Coordinator of Liturgical Ministries
(215) 247-7466 ext. 116 |

When St. Martin’s Church welcomed volunteer singers into the adult choir in 1981, Connie volunteered. She is still singing, and the choir has grown from nine to 35. Her St. Martin’s journey has included choir librarian, three soup kitchens, board of Women of St. Martin’s, outreach committee, book room (now out of circulation) reorganizer and coordinator, clerk of the vestry and, her favorite, playing Peppermint Patty in St. Martin’s production of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown in 1986. Currently she works alongside over 100 parishioners as liturgical coordinator, with hopes that many more will come on board. A graduate of Cornell University with a major in English, Connie taught in Ithaca High School and in the Wissahickon School District for 17 years. She and her husband, Dick, a retired research chemist, have lived in their Fort Washington home for 46 years where they raised three sons. They are fortunate to have three grand-daughters who live nearby. When Connie and Dick are not busy at St. Martin’s, they enjoy musical events, visits with family and friends, and travel, near and far.