Staff
Rev. Laurie Manning, Church Pastor
(510) 531-8212
Contact Rev. Laurie by Email
Please click on here to learn more about our pastor.
Joshua Feltman, Music Director
(631) 371-9488
Contact Joshua by Email
Biographical Statement:
Joshua Feltman is a multi-faceted musician working in such diverse environments as education and curriculum, artistic administration and entrepreneurship, orchestral editing and production, and theater and choral direction. His compositions have been performed by orchestras, wind ensembles, and chamber groups and recorded on a major label. In New York he served multiple roles with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas and as co-director of Classical Revolution NYC. He led the Contemporary Ensemble at the Graduate Center for five seasons and ConTempo at Brooklyn College for two while completing his PhD at the City University of New York. Joshua has served as music director for two churches prior to his arrival at Skyline and is an accomplished pianist with a creative streak when it comes to playing hymns on the organ.
I would like to invite anyone who likes to sing to join in the choir at Skyline. Incorporating all levels of musicianship is important, and worship at Skyline will benefit from your energy no matter what your skill level. Participating in musical worship as a group is more important to me than the style or quantity of music performed. I would like to highlight the educational opportunities, positive group dynamic and confidence-building aspects of choral singing above all else. In my own playing I strive to create the right mood for worship even if the choice of music is not inherently connected to the liturgy or the season, but choir selections will usually be integrated into the liturgy in a way which enriches the musical experience for both participant and audience.
Matthew Brandon, Children & Youth Director
(415) 786-6364
Contact Matthew by Email
Matthew Brandon came to Skyline seeking opportunities to combine his study of meditation and prayer with his passion for nurturing leadership and curiosity in youth. Matthew has a BA in philosophy from UC Berkeley and maintains a private practice in San Francisco helping adult professionals integrate their spiritual needs and gifts with their day to day lives. He brings a sense of humor and engaged curiosity to his work with children and youth.
Naomi Schulz, Seminarian
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Naomi is a first-year Master of Divinity student at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. During the spring semester of 2012, she is doing field-education as Intern Associate Pastor at Union Church in Berea, Kentucky. At Union Church, Naomi is assisting with all elements of church worship and pastoral care, leading workshops in Bibliodrama, and developing an “Images of God” workshop series for exploring how people’s conceptions of the divine shape our lives and relationships.
Naomi was born in Zambia to Catholic missionary parents, and raised in rural southwest Ireland where her parents were handweavers. She came to the US in 1993 to begin her undergraduate studies at Berea College in Kentucky. Naomi’s intrinsic compassion, along with her early experiences of loss and illness, inform her commitment to caring for others. On an interpersonal level, Naomi’s warmth, delight, and skill in listening often leads others to disclose their lives in ways they never have before. On Greyhound buses or airplanes, at grocery stores or academic conferences, complete strangers share their stories with Naomi. Naomi’s life-long struggle with chronic illness – exacerbated by industrial toxins – not only informs her empathy for others, but also shapes her commitment to social justice. Naomi has worked as a patient advocate in hospitals and spent a decade working with the movement for the safe disposal of chemical weapons. She has mentored underprivileged students of all ages in literacy and writing, and founded support groups focused on writing and art for stay-at-home parents.
Naomi has won many fellowships and awards for her academic work, and this summer she was honored to be chosen as the United Church of Christ intern for the Chautuaqua Institution summer program in New York. Naomi feels a profound sense of belonging in ministry where caring for the “whole person” allows her to use her gifts and life experience in ways that give her deep joy.
Sarah Halverstadt, Office Administrator
(510) 531-8212
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Sarah is a licensed acupuncturist who recently moved to the East Bay. She loves quilting, sci-fi novels, and making bone-stock soups. She is curious about the nature of reality, human culture and ritual, and the changing notions of health. She enjoys hiking and backpacking with her man, Scott Phillips, and together they explore California’s outrageous beauty.
Catherine Moore, Website Manager & Graphic Design
(510) 432-2130
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Catherine has been with Skyline since 2004, first serving as Skyline’s Office Manager then transitioning to the Website Manager and Graphic Artist in 2009. Catherine holds a BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco and works as a graphic artist and illustrator for a variety of clients. Her paintings have shown in Oakland and San Francisco.
Ninni Yilma, Childcare Provider
