Rev. Stephen Michie became pastor at our church on in September of 2004, having served for 10 years as Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Northport (Long Island), NY. Rev. Michie's prior pastoral service was in churches in Rochester, NY, and Bryn Mawr, PA. A native of Illinois, he spent two years studying in Germany and was graduated from Boston University and Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

His wife Joan Huenemann Michie, a Wisconsin native, and a children's librarian and storyteller, is the Lower School Librarian at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. Their daughter Julia (27) earned a Masters Degree in Public Health in 2007 from Columbia University and is a medical student at Downstate Medical Center (SUNY) in Brooklyn, planning on a practice in pediatric public health; their son Jonathan (23) will graduate in May 2008 with a Masters Degree in Voice Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

Rev. Michie has said this about his style of ministry: "A constant objective is to help individuals link their personal faith with life experiences, so that persons may celebrate the joys and cope with the struggles of everyday life. Our individual efforts at discipleship, added together, give the Christian community its shape and substance. That community in turn welcomes all beyond its circle who would join in the vital Christian task: challenging each person to join in serving others, in Christ's name, with comforting compassion and healing grace."

He is excited about helping Huguenot Memorial grow: in spiritual nurture and theological integrity; in mutual mission partnerships; in outreach to our neighbors which stresses justice, inclusiveness, and life-sustaining fellowship.

Our Director of Music Ministries: Ms. Kathryn Jones

Ms. Kathryn Jones was raised in the Presbyterian tradition. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in piano (magna cum laude) from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and then went on to the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where she received both a Bachelor and Masters degree in organ. Her teachers included Vernon deTar, Jon Gillock, and Gerre Hancock. She also studied choral conducting with Dr. Richard Westenburg, founder/director of Musica Sacra, and Director of Music at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.

Kathryn was organist and choirmaster at the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Vernon during the late �80's and early 90's, and most recently served Roman Catholic and Episcopal parishes in lower Westchester. She has also been appointed Dean of Music Education at the Mt. Vernon Music Academy (a satellite of the Hoff-Barthelson Music School), which provides music training for hundreds of children and adults.

Kathryn and her husband, Larry, live in Westchester, with their six-year-old son, Andrew.

Our Director of Christian Education: Ms. Jean Tischler

Jean DeGraff Tischler has been involved in the Presbyterian Church her entire life. Her grandfather was a clergyman in the Dutch Reformed Church and her father was a Presbyterian minister. Born in Albany, New York, Jean's childhood and teen years were spent in West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo.

After graduating from Hope College, Holland, Michigan, Jean earned a masters in education from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. While a graduate student, Jean began to attend the Tabernacle Presbyterian/UCC Federated Church near the U. of Penn campus. As a Church member she was a leader in a young adult group and was ordained an elder. Through her involvement at the Church she met her husband, the Rev. Bruce Tischler, a Presbyterian clergyman.

Jean's first "real" job was at the Philadelphia Center for Older People where she was initially employed as a community worker and later directed a federally funded program. While working for the Center, she enabled clergy and laity from eight Center City congregations to develop a neighborhood drop-in center for older people named the Coffee Cup.

When Jean was the mother of two young children and the family was living in the hard coal region of Pennsylvania, she worked part-time as the Director of the Older Adults Project of Northwest Ministry of Lehigh Presbytery. When Bruce accepted a call as an associate executive for the Maumee Valley Presbytery and the family moved to Findlay, Ohio, Jean wanted to use her teaching background and began work as a substitute teacher. She became active at the First Presbyterian Church in Findlay, a congregation of 1100 members, where she taught in the Sunday School and was elected to the Session. In 1990 she was encouraged to apply for the position of Church School Director. For 9 years she managed a large Sunday School and developed curriculum and educational programs for children, youth and adults.

Jean and Bruce are the parents of two adult children: Anna and James. Anna earned a Ph.D. from the Sackler School for Biomedical Research at Tufts U. Medical School in Boston and is now a microbiology research scientist at Rockefeller University in New York City. James graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in graphic design and is employed in Manhattan by the clothing retailer, the Gap, as a graphic designer in the boy's wear department. Bruce is the Regional Presbyter for Congregational Transformation for Hudson River Presbytery and Palisades Presbytery.

Our Director of The Huguenot Nursery School: Barbara Klein

Barbara Klein has been the director of Huguenot Nursery School since its inception in 1993. She has a B.S. and M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education, as well as post-graduate credits in Early Childhood Program Planning and Administration. Barbara has worked in the early childhood field since 1972 and has been an assistant teacher, lead teacher, parent, school board member and finally, director. You might say Barbara has worn every hat available in pre-school!

Meet our Support Staff

Floyd Tolliver has been at Huguenot for 21 years. A native New Yorker, he served in the Navy after graduating from Mt. Vernon High School. In addition to keeping the building neat and clean, Floyd also knows nearly all of the idiosyncrasies of our historic buildings. He is a computer maven who is setting up a local area network (LAN) to make full use of the new cable Internet connection. Floyd and his wife Prudence live in Mt. Vernon with their two children Toni (age 9) and Floyd Jr. (age 4).

Dolores Sanchez is Bronx born and raised, and came to us from a part-time position at Spotlight Gymnastics. She is the mother of two children - Janice and Felix. Dolores is always there on Sunday mornings with a cheerful good morning and likes to spend a few minutes in worship. She has also participated in the Midnight Run, helping to distribute food and clothing to the homeless in Manhattan.