Mark Gedcke, Minister

Mark Gedcke graduated from Knox College in 1989, with a Master of Divinity. He served as a minister at St. Lawrence Church in London, Ontario from September 1989 to February 2000. In March 2000, Mark became the minister at Calvin. Mark plays the guitar and piano. He enjoys singing and writing songs! Mark also likes to ride his bike, walk, swim and read a good book! Mark is married, with two children. Email Mark at mgedcke@calvinchurch.ca

Elizabeth Hackett, Music Director

Elizabeth is the Music Director at Calvin. She began as organist in October, 1996 and became music director in January, 2001. She plays organ and piano in services and directs the Senior and Junior Choirs as well as the Praise Team. The Senior Choir sings every Sunday except the last Sunday of the month when the Praise Team leads the service. The Junior Choir sings for special times of the year, usually around Christmas and Easter. Elizabeth received a B.A. with a major in French from Waterloo Lutheran University and a B.Mus. degree in church music from Wilfrid Laurier University. She has a B.Ed. from University of Toronto and the A.Mus. degree in piano from the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music. Her career is a varied one, consisting of teaching French, music, and classroom at the elementary level, teaching private piano and voice lessons, as well as serving as Director of Music at Olivet United Church in Kitchener and Waterloo North Presbyterian Church. As an organist, Elizabeth belongs to the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO), and serves as secretary of the local branch. Elizabeth enjoys being a member of Menno Singers. One of the highlights was performing Bach’s B Minor Mass at St. Mary’s RC Church in Kitchener a few years ago. More recently, she has started to learn Scottish Country Dancing and is enjoying practicing the many patterns and steps as well as making new friends. Email Elizabeth at music@calvinchurch.ca

Leanne Knechtel, Christian Education Coordinator

Leanne comes to Calvin with an education from Emmanuel Bible College. There she studied the Bachelor of Theology program, majoring in youth ministry. Leanne was very active in her church throughout her life. She helped lead Sunday school, Jr. Church, VBS, Jr.Youth, and many other programs. She has also completed two co-ops at her home church where she was even more involved: speaking, going on visitations and helping out in many different areas of the church. Leanne has played the drums, sung on many praise teams, and loves music. During her time at Emmanuel, she was involved in chapel teams, led a traveling youth ministry team and was the Special Events co-ordinator. Leanne has a heart for kids and youth, and is really excited to be working in the role of Christian Education Coordinator here at Calvin Presbyterian, starting June 2011. She would love to hear from you, Email Leanne at leannek@calvinchurch.ca.

Margaret Woods, Office Administrator

Margaret has a social service background with secretarial experience from working in local schools. She came to Calvin Church in 2008. Except for a two year stay in Huntsville, Alabama, she and her family have lived in Kitchener for many years. Margaret loves to travel, read, and do crafts. She is a member of Knox Presbyterian Church in Waterloo and is an active volunteer in the children’s ministries. At Calvin, Margaret provides administrative support to all the ministries of the church. If you need information about any of Calvin’s programs or would like to place an announcement in the bulletin, please contact Margaret. Her normal office hours are: Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Email Margaret at calvin@calvinchurch.ca.

Jake de Wit, Custodian

Jake is our custodian. He works in the mornings Monday to Friday. He started working at Calvin in January 2011.