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Meet the Staff Greetings from the Pres House Staff! Let us introduce ourselves… Mark Elsdon, Campus Co-Pastor/Executive Director
As a pastor I continue to find that God is bigger than me or my attempts to talk about God. And that excites me! Jesus Christ is more than a concept, more than an idea, more than an image on the cover of a magazine. He is the living Word of God, constantly challenging me to live a love-filled, grace-filled life. He is an event, an experience, a person. And he is bigger than my doubts and questions. Which is why I am free to voice and ask them. It is my hope that Pres House is always a place where God challenges our small conceptions, where we freely question and seek, and where we experience God anew whether we have known God for years or are simply wondering... " Mark has served Pres House since 2004. Born in the Midwest to immigrants from England, Mark has also lived in the southern, western, and eastern parts of the United States. He is married to Erica and they have two daughters. Mark has a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Erica Liu, Campus Co-Pastor
"Until I entered college, I thought Christianity was mythology and that Christians were weak-minded people. But I ended up sharing my dorm room with a Christian and to my surprise, we became friends. During that year, I was challenged to examine what I believed about life and community. What I discovered was that the love and power of God brings radical transformation within people and the world. God's call for our lives goes way beyond what we can imagine--it's much riskier, bolder, and fulfilling than the plans we make. I hope you will join that adventure with the community at Pres House."
Michael Hillestad
Hey there! So here I am at Pres House! What an honor and delight.You see, I grew up in the greater Madison area, I would often pass by the impressive building we know as Pres House on my way to music lessons on campus. I would think to myself "what an incredible place". Well that was years ago and after a couple of international tours, lots of hard work, studies, and life in general the opportunity came for me to come inside. WOW was about all I could say. While I have grown up in the church, spent most all of my life in the church, I seem to think I know a lot about "church", but Pres House isn't "church". It's a community of encouraging believers. Never before have I ever felt like I really belonged and are truly welcomed just as I am. That sense of belonging inspires me to use the gift of music God has placed on me to lead the music program here. Digging deep into not just notes on a page, but the meaning of the music and how that impacts our lives. I've studied many styles and types of music, and we explore them all. I am excited to be here at Pres House where there is such life, growth, and vitality. See you in worship!
Christy Strickland – College Chaplain Intern
Hi y'all! A little about where I'm coming from: I grew up in Atlanta and graduated from the University of Georgia (so I know all about huge schools that love their football team). I spent every summer during college working at a Christian camp, where I slowed down long enough to truly meet God for the first time and came to know myself as a beloved creation. My journey since then has been in pursuit of questions like, Where do I fit in God's story? How does God want to use my gifts, relationships, and time to reveal a bit of beauty and meaning to the world? I don't yet have all the answers, but I'm having fun asking the questions. I just finished my most recent adventure as an Americorps volunteer in North Carolina, where I worked in a non-profit crisis center. Being in Madison and working at Pres House is really exciting and something I never could have predicted. I'm always down for some good conversation, and my greatest hope is that I would be someone who offered genuine acceptance to others and created space for people to express themselves. I can often be found making art (painting, etc.), journaling, searching for thrift store treasures, or creating embarrassing moments. I would love for you to join me in any or all of these, and I look forward to building friendships and living life in and around Pres House!
Mary Yeater Rathbun - Communications Coordinator
This time my path has taken me into the Madison nonprofit world. Before joining the Pres House staff in August 2009, I worked simultaneously for the Tenant Resource Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County and the Keep Wisconsin Warm Fund. Although I have lived in Wisconsin since 1986, I only moved to Madison in 2006. Before that I lived on an Iowa County “hobby” farm. We raised Highland cattle and direct marketed naturally fed, chemical-free beef to Madison consumers and sold quality breeding stock throughout North America. Within weeks of moving to Madison, I began attending Christ Presbyterian Church, where I now serve on the Board of Deacons. Although raised in a Congregational Church-going family in Ohio, I moved away from all of that when I left for college and grad school back East. I did not have anything to do with organized religion again until I was 30 and starting my own family in central Illinois. Since then my spiritual path has led me to incredible places, ranging from walking the 450-mile Camino de Santiago in northern Spain with my son, who was then 17, to teaching Centering Prayer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These examples probably come to mind because they involve travel. Cross-cultural experiences of all kinds are right up there with conversation, community, music, art, movies and the ocean as things that make my heart sing. But without my spiritual journey, there would be no heart to sing. Brandon Donkersgoed CPA, Accounting and Finance Manager
Thomas Schwei, Chief Financial Officer
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"I entered college very sure of my faith. That was both good and bad. I found that my image of God, though strong, was actually quite small. Spending time in the dorms talking with friends and on the streets talking with homeless people opened up my perspective on faith. I found that God was in fact much bigger than any of my conceptions.
After making a midlife career change into journalism from historical consulting, I worked at Wisconsin newspapers for 10 years. When The Capital Times ceased print publication in April 2008, I retooled again.
I grew up in Hammond, WI and graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in accounting. I currently live in Marshall with my wife Natalie and three sons, three-year-old Tyler, one-year-old Logan and new-born Austin. I love playing, watching, and talking sports (especially football and baseball). I golf as much as possible and spend lots of time with my family.| About Pres House | Calendar | Student Housing | Worship | Groups | Pub/Café | Hospitality | Supporting Pres House |
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