Rector
The Reverend Dr. Pamela Dolanfelt that she was coming home when St. Martin’s called her as rector in 2017. Although she has lived in Hawaii, Seattle, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Missouri, she has a special love of northern California, where she was born and where five generations of her family have lived.
Pamela describes her path to ordained ministry as “a long story–in a good way!” She was spending her junior year abroad at the University of St. Andrew’s in Scotland when she first articulated a call to the priesthood; given that this occurred in the midst of a meeting of the Catholic student group, it came as a bit of a surprise. Upon graduating from UCBerkeley the next year, she applied to divinity schools in the hope of better understanding what God was asking of her. This led to a master’s degree in theology from Harvard and, nearly 15 years after that, to ordination.
In the years between Divinity School andordination, Pamela spent a lot of time in bookstores and libraries, worked on a doctorate (unfinished) in English at New York University, and was a regular contributor to the religion column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also held professional positions in the areas of Communication and Christian Formation in parishes in California and St. Louis. More recently, she received her Doctorate in Ministry from the School of Theology at Sewanee, the University of the South.
Pamela and husband John have two young-adult daughters,a very friendly pit bull, and two adorable guinea pigs. One of the first things people always learn about her is her fondness for goats, as well her love of the outdoors, laughter, and her family. Pamela’s first book,Contemplative Gardening,was published by Morehouse in April of 2022.
Associate Priest
The Reverend Ernie Lewis, MD,felt called to ordained ministry after a rich and fulfilling career as a physician and medical educator.Ernie was sponsored by St. Martin’s for ordination to the diaconatein 2002, subsequently served at St. Martin’s, and was appointed Archdeacon of the Diocese of Northern California in 2005. He served in this capacity until called to the priesthood and ordained as a priest in 2011. He has continued to serve at St. Martin’s.
Ernie also volunteers on the boards of several philanthropic and cultural nonprofit organizations in the region. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, music, tending to the needs of the family cats, cooking, and spending time with wife Mary Ann and their grandkids.
“Maybe it was part of becoming more and more aware that there were a lot of people in the world that needed caring for, not just the sick that I had taken care of, but all kinds of people, and the desire to help motivate people in the church to go out and get involved in that kind of ministry.” —Ernie Lewis
Deacon
The Venerable Margaret Graydenserves St. Martin as deacon. Margaret is passionate about helping people identify, claim, and use their God-given gifts to serve “the least, the last, and the lost” in this world. As the deacon at St. Martin’s, she preaches, proclaims the gospel, assists at the altar, and works closely with the Social Justice and Outreach Committee, Eucharist Ministers, Eucharistic Visitors, Healing Ministers, and Stephen Ministers.
Born in Iowa and raised in Kansas, Margaret earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science fromWellesleyCollege and Princeton University.She married a graduate school classmate, David Aladjem, and they moved to the Bay Area, where after a time of spiritual seeking she discovered the Episcopal Church and was baptized at the age of 28. After graduating from theUCDavis School of Law and passing the bar, she practiced in the private sector, but soon found herself called to a very different career in end-of-life care.
Margaret has attended St. Martin’s since 1990 and was sponsored for ordination by this parish. She and David delight in playing with their cats, taking walks on the greenbelt, and spending time with friends and family.
Musicians
Jeffrey Jubenvilleserves as St. Martin’s Music Director. Jeffrey earned a Master of Music in Organ Performance from McGill University, and an Artists’ Diploma from the Boston Conservatory. He draws inspiration from the wealth of Anglican liturgical tradition as well ascontemporary mainline church music. In addition to his position at St. Martin’s, Jeffrey teaches organ and serves as organist at Pacific Union College.
Suzanne Jubenvilledirects the choir at St. Martin’s.
Suzanne earned a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the Claremont Graduate University and a PhD in Musicology from UC Davis. Theological coursework at Andover Newton Theological School complements her years of experience with Anglican liturgy and training in musicology, and allows her tohelp create the sacred space in which inclusive communal worship can take place.
Suzanne also has had a successful career as a choral singer in ensembles that include the Theater of Voices and American Bach Soloists.
Church Operations Director
Gabe Avilais the Church Operations Director, which encompasses church operations and administration, as well as his previous position of Communications Technology Coordinator. Gabe enjoys bringing our worship services to the public via Zoom and social media. Gabe received a BS in psychology from the University of California, Davis and is a Medal of Valor recipient. He started doing theater at age 6 and uses his experience with cameras, lighting, and sound to run our livestreams. When not working, Gabe is chasing after his two kids, elderly dog, and high energy puppy.
Administrative Assistant
Janet Lane, serves as St. Martin’s Administrative Assistant. Janet primarily focuses on directing internal and external communications and preparing worship materials. She enjoys using her writing and organizational skills to keep the office running smoothly. Janet holds a B.A. in Spanish and an M.A. in Linguistics from UC Davis and has been an instructor at the university level for many years. In her free time, Janet loves being in the outdoors, tending to her 50 rose bushes, and watching the antics of her four cats.
Additional Staff
In addition to those listed above, several volunteer associate clergy contribute to our worship as preachers and celebrants, and enrich our common life. They, and additional staff, can be contacted through the church office at info@churchofstmartin.org or 530.756.0444.
All staff and volunteers who work with children and youth, licensed ministry volunteers, and people in leadership positions receive Safe Church training.
