Board of Directors

American Baptist Churches – Rochester Genesee Region

Rev. Dr. Richard Myers

The Rev. Dr. Richard Myers is Pastor Emeritus of Immanuel Baptist Church of Rochester.  He is the American Baptist Churches of the Rochester/Genesee Region representative on the Board of the Greater Rochester Community of Churches and serves as chair of the Spirituality Team of the Board.

RevRMyers1@gmail.com

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – Finger Lakes Conference

Rev. Doug Stewart

Pastor Doug grew up on a 12-acre farm in East Montpelier, Vermont. After graduating from Roanoke College in Salem, Va., with his BA in Political Science, Doug received his Master of Divinity from Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary and was ordained in June 1994.  Doug has served as pastor of The Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, since May 2005.

Rochester Friends Meeting (Religious Society of Friends-Quakers)

Madeline (Mattie) Schmitt – Secretary

Madeline (Mattie) Schmitt is a retired nurse-sociologist faculty member at the University of Rochester, School of Nursing. She has been a member of Rochester Friends Meeting (RFM-Quakers) since 1974 and has served in many roles in her Meeting, including as Clerk. She is currently a member of RFM’s Ministry and Worship Committee and Earthcare Committee. She also serves as Treasurer of the New York Yearly Meeting of Friends Indian Affairs Committee.

madelinehschmitt@gmail.com

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Marcus Ebenhoe

Marcus Ebenhoe is the Director of Advocacy and Parish Social Ministry at Catholic Family Center. He has been on the GRCC board since 2019, but was also on the MICAH board in years previous. Before coming onboard at Catholic Family Center, he worked in the Maplewood and Edgerton neighborhoods as the Social Ministry Coordinator at the Cathedral Community and has worked as a chaplain at various local hospitals. Along with his wife, Elsbeth, he is the proud father of two young children.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Bernard Grizard

Bernard Grizard is a native of France and lives in the USA since 1987. He obtained a Master degree in Theology from the Jesuit University of Paris and taught several years in Cameroon, Africa. He received a certificate in Cultural anthropology from the CERM, Paris in 1984 and studied in the University of Chicago and Catholic Theological Union where he obtained a Master degree in Urban studies in 1991.  Bernard has been working for the Diocese of Rochester since 1993; First he worked as Director of Faith Formation for the Hispanic communities of Rochester for several years. He is presently Diocesan Director for  the department of Pastoral Services; He oversees multiple diocesan offices: Resources and Pastoral Planning, Ecumenical & Interfaith affairs, Liturgy, Campus Ministry, the Office of Cultural Ministries, Migrant Ministry, Urban Ministry, Rural Ministry, Asian Pacific Ministry, Black Ministry and Translation services. He is married and has two daughters. Bernard is a parishioner of Saint Kateri, Irondequoit NY.

Episcopal Diocese of Rochester

David Prener

David Prener has been one of the Episcopal Representatives at GRCC since 2019.  He is a member of St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Fairport, NY. David is a retired primary care Nurse Practitioner, having worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for nearly 40 years.

dprener@rochester.rr.com

(585) 298-0053

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Rev. Marilyn Cunningham

Rev. Marilyn Cunningham is Senior Pastor of Graves Memorial CME Church in Rochester. A graduate of RICE Bible Institute, she currently serves on the executive boards of  UCLM, the GRCC, and REAL, and on the Edu Taskforce for UCLM and Roc/Acts. 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

David L. Cook

Dave Cook has been involved from the very early days of the creation of the Greater Rochester Community of Churches. He assisted with the creation of the legal framework when GRCC was formed in order to expand the reach and mission of its predecessor Genesee Ecumenical Ministries. He currently serves as the General Counsel and as a denominational representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has served in the LDS community in a variety of leadership roles both at the congregational level and regionally. He and his wife, Kathleen, presided over a mission of the Church in Santiago, Chile from 2013-2016. Kathleen, served on the GRCC board prior their service in Chile. Dave is a practicing lawyer and a partner at Phillips Little, LLP. In the community Dave has served on a wide variety of community organizations and was the early leaders in Flower City Habitat for Humanity.

(585) 857-8853

dlcohs76@gmail.com

Sisters of Saint Joseph

Sr. Beth LeValley, SSJ

Entered Sisters of St. Joseph in 1964 and became involved in many committees/causes of the congregation; elected to the Council (leadership body) in 1975 followed by becoming head of our order from 1983–1991.

Before leaving leadership Sr. Beth started becoming involved in the return of Upper Falls Supermarket and getting to know the wider community.  Another community organizing process resulted in the first low income credit union in Rochester, Progressive Neighborhood FCU.
Since then she has served on various boards: she has continued with the St. Joseph’s Hospital board, Elmira and joined the RGH board (she now serves on their Advisory Committee). She recently termed out of the Foodlink board (and currently serves on the Advocacy Committee); serve on WNY Law Monroe county board, serving the vulnerable.  She also currently serves on several SSJ committees.
In 1991 while leaving leadership she joined the transition committee from GEM which became GRCC that same year. She is the longest serving member (maybe not the oldest!), has served two terms as president, and serves on the Executive Committee.

Member at large

Rev. Lewis Stewart

Member at large

John Kapusta

John Kapusta is a member of the Social Ministry Committee of Saint Anne/Our Lady of Lourdes in Rochester. He is a musicologist at the Eastman School of Music, where he also advises the Eastman Newman Community.