Meet the Staff

Greetings from the Pres House Staff! Let us introduce ourselves…

Mark Elsdon, Campus Co-Pastor/Executive Director

"I entered college very sure of my faith. That was both good and bad. I spent more time at church than I did in class. That too was both good and bad. As a student at UC Berkeley 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.

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. So I do. Again and again."

Born in the Midwest, Mark has also lived in the southern, western, and eastern parts of the United States. Born to English immigrants he lost his British accent when he entered kindergarten, but he still uses words like blimey. Mark enjoys numerous hobbies including cycling and making home movies, but spends most of his time dancing with his two beautiful daughters Emma and Sophie. Mark has a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.

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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. I stopped saying what I knew about the church, and started listening a little more.

That was about a decade ago but I am still listening, as well as sharing what I have found to be true. God’s love and power transforms lives and brings healing, redemption, and reconciliation. I am looking forward to seeing how this truth will be embodied in the community at Pres House."

Erica is a second generation Taiwanese-American who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. During her years at Berkeley, she became a Christian in spite of her best efforts not to—she now finds herself serving as Campus Co-Pastor at Pres House. When she’s not eating popcorn and watching movies, she can be found running after her daughters Emma and Sophie, and laughing with her husband Mark. Erica has a BA in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.

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Read an article about Campus Pastors Mark Elsdon and Erica Liu published by Princeton Theological Seminary.

 

Sarah Iliff – College Chaplain Intern

I have felt called to ministry since I was a child growing up in Wheaton, IL at the First Presbyterian Church. That calling developed at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. I majored in Religion, English, and Spanish. For three years I worked as a peer minister for the college chapel. There I was encouraged to form my adult identity with God as a focal point. After graduation I earned a Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2009.

At Pres House I am grateful for the opportunity to worship, serve, and learn with the young adults in Madison, WI. Student leadership is always welcome as we work as a faith community. Long conversations over coffee bring joy to my soul. Some of my favorite activities include running, singing, reading, golf, and laughing. I am always up for adventure in the name of fellowship!

Currently, I am on the road to ordination with the Chicago Presbytery. God’s love encourages me onward. Every individual is at a different stage in faith and life and I am eager to share the journey. The diverse work that can be done with Pres House welcomes everyone at any point in the voyage.

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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!

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Mary Yeater Rathbun - Communications Coordinator

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.

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.

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Brandon Donkersgoed CPA, Accounting and Finance Manager

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 two sons, three-year-old Tyler and one-year-old Logan. We are expecting a third child in May 2010. 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.

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