Staff Bios
Jenna Meyers, Pastor
Originally from Colorado, The Rev. Jenna Meyers moved to the Bay Area in 2011 to pursue a Master of Divinity at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Though raised in a Presbyterian church, she was the granddaughter of both the Foursquare preacher in her hometown and of a Jewish philosopher and poet who made a home in Guatemala. She grew up hearing resolute voices of women committed to human rights, truth-telling, and honoring other religions and cultures. A sense of justice and theological curiosity was awakened in her from an early age.
Embracing a rich ecumenical and interfaith inheritance, Jenna studied religion and philosophy at Cornell College in Iowa. While there, she became involved in interfaith dialogue and dipped her toes into direct service advocating for refugee families. It was at this time that she first began to see the behind-the-scenes work of social justice advocacy. She also grew to appreciate the importance of maintaining a counterweight to the seriousness of these pursuits. Painting became a way into that balance and continues to inform her work.
After graduating from Cornell, she began professional training (Clinical Pastoral Education) as a hospital chaplain and concurrently served as a Director of Children’s Ministry. In 2013, she became a certified Domestic Violence Counselor and Advocate and continued in that work until 2020 when she transitioned into full-time parish ministry.
For Jenna, social justice and the spiritual life flow into one another and Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church embodies that truth. She has served in ministry with Seventh Avenue since 2013, where she is currently Pastor and Head of Staff.
Luba Kravchenko, Director of Liturgical Music and Media
Luba Kravchenko first came to Seventh Avenue Church in 2002, when she moved to San Francisco for her undergraduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She joined the staff of SAPC the following spring as the Taize musician. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Conservatory, Luba became the SAPC organist, and in 2007 she took over as the Director of Liturgical Music.
In addition to her work at SAPC, Luba is an active music teacher in San Francisco. She teaches piano through her private studio, is on the Pre-College piano faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, has taught music theory and ear training at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts High School, and worked as a musical theater vocal coach and accompanist through San Francisco Arts Education Project. Luba is also involved in a variety of organizations which promote improving the standards of music education: she is a member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music and serves on the State Executive Board of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers.
Ellen Rankin, Parish Associate
The Rev. Ellen Rankin is guided by her seeking of an ever increasing sense of the sacred in every moment, and adheres to the classical spiritual direction belief that God is in the midst of every moment, and in every place. The deepest sense of her calling is lived out as she provides pastoral care and spiritual direction for individuals and groups.
A graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary, Ellen holds both a Master of Divinity and a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction programs. She was ordained to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament by Presbytery of the Redwoods.
Ellen has served Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church since September, 2003, first as a seminary intern, and subsequently as Pastoral Associate and then in 2011 she became a Parish Associate after transferring her membership from Redwoods Presbytery to San Francisco Presbytery. Ellen has been a liturgical leader for the Seventh Avenue community, and has led, and co-led Seventh Avenue’s Advent, Lent, and Summer retreats. Ellen counsels couples in preparation for marriage, and officiates at weddings and baptisms for members of Seventh Avenue as well as for the larger community.
Additionally, Ellen has served as a small group, lectio divina facilitator, and preacher for the semi-annual Companions On The Inner Way Retreat, an internationally known five-day contemplative retreat.
Ellen served in the Spiritual Services Department of Hospice By The Bay as a chaplain for five years. During this time Ellen presided over funerals and memorials regularly.
On a more personal note, Ellen has been married to the same wonderful man, and living in Marin County for over 30 years. She has two adult children whom she treasures, and enjoys horseback riding, running or hiking with her dog in the hills around her home.
Leslie Veen, Parish Associate
Leslie grew up in a small town in southern Michigan. This gave her the opportunity to be involved in a wide variety of activities throughout her school years. Many of those were based around music, drawing on her skills of playing the piano and flute as well as singing. She was also very involved in her church and its youth group. After graduating from high school, Leslie attended Calvin College where she studied Spanish and music and received a teaching degree. From Calvin, Leslie moved to California to study for a master degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 1994, after completing her M.A., Leslie moved to San Francisco and has been here ever since. After teaching Spanish for many years at the elementary and middle school levels, Leslie decided to go to seminary at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2005. In 2007, Leslie joined the staff of SFTS as the Director of Vocational Formation and Placement. Eventually, field education was also added to her plate. While working at SFTS, Leslie also completed work for a Doctor of Ministry degree. In 2013, Leslie joined the faculty of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, where she continues to work today as the Director of Contextual Education and as a lecturer, providing a wide array of practical theology classes. Leslie worked with Mission Bay Community Church for ten years as a Parish Associate and is happy to join the SAPC community to continue this vital ministry that feeds her seminary work.
Jim Paul, Director of Maintenance/Building Operations
Jim Paul is the Director of Maintenance Operations and is excited to part of the SAPC staff and community.
After earning a BA in Communications from UCLA in 1989 & a degree from the Los Angeles Recording Workshop in 1991, Jim moved to San Francisco to pursue an audio engineering career at Hyde St. Studios. This eventually led him to work at Bill Graham Presents for many years in the capacity of Visual Ambience, Video Documentation and Associate Producer of shows at the legendary Fillmore West, including many other venues in SF and abroad.
Jim has also owned a small boutique property management company in San Francisco for over 20 years acquiring an amazing array of clients over time, including SAPC in the last decade. Coming from a long line of master carpenters and set builders, Jim's passion for creation and troubleshooting situations has served him well in this profession.
He welcomes the sometimes maintenance & upgrade challenges the church building “Old Ironsides” has to offer and respects the original quality craftsmanship that has proudly stood on Seventh Avenue for so many years.
Douglas Lubbers, Parish Associate
Rev. Douglas Lubbers is an ordained Presbyterian ministry (PCUSA), who serves in a specialized ministry at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. For 12 years, he has been the Director of Spiritual Care Services, Clinical Pastoral Education, and Interpretive Services at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. He has also served four congregations as Pastor in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth. Doug was educated at Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and hold a M.S. in Health Care Ethics from Creighton University Medical School. He is certified as a Pastoral Educator with the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. He has served presbytery's CPM. Occasionally he is a consultant in teaching enneagram workshops. Doug has three grown sons, and three grandchildren. He is married to Pascale Couderc and together, they have seven children.
Irene Navarro, Director of Children’s Music
Irene Navarro is a bay area music educator who has been teaching K-8 general music for more than 15 years. She formerly held the position of children’s ministry associate and director of Children’s and Youth Music at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica. She is excited to bring her experience to the Seventh Avenue community by supporting the children in exploring how they can be musically active participants in our church.
Ryan Rey, Director of Seventh Avenue Performances
Ryan Rey is a composer, guitarist, and teacher from the San Francisco Bay Area. He writes music for a diverse array of mediums including chamber ensembles, rock groups, videogames, and film.
At the age of 5, Ryan’s first instrument was a bright orange and neon green plastic toy guitar and his first recording setup was a Playschool cassette player with microphone combo. Using this toy tape recorder, he captured the sound of his screaming voice and feedback noises. This was his first exploration into composition.
Nowadays, classical chamber music, electronic loops, heavy metal, and a mix of other genres influence Ryan’s writing. His compositions have been performed by REDSHIFT Ensemble, The Living Earth Show, Guy Livingston (piano), Stephan Poetzsch (violin), and numerous ensembles from CSUEB that include: Jazz Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Trombone Ensemble. Feature film soundtracks include: All About Dad (2009), Liquor Store Cactus (2009), and documentary Wallah’s Corner Store (2013).
In 2009, Ryan was the inaugural recipient of the Glenn Glasow Fellowship in Music Composition. Other awards include: ASCAP Plus Award, Sheet Music Plus Editor’s Pick, and CSUEB Leadership Fund Award. He has been commissioned by REDSHIFT Ensemble, Guerrilla Composers Guild, Meerenai Shim (flute), International Low Brass Trio, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble Intersection Workshop, and CSUEB Symphonic Band.
Ryan holds an M.A. in Music Composition from CSU, East Bay and now teaches there and at Pyramind and Fusion Academy. He is an Artistic Director and the Executive Director for Composers, Inc., and also plays guitar (sometimes trombone and backup vocals) in the chiptune/folk/doom/chamber music group The Mineral Kingdom.
Nathan Mannas, Social Hour Coordinator
Nathan moved to San Francisco in 1988 and became a member of SAPC in 1999. His interests include visiting galleries, museums and attending photography exhibits. He is a movie enthusiast enjoying anything from classics to new releases. He likes music from the 60's and 70’s R&B and Jazz and has an interest is ‘muscle cars’ from the 60's and 70’s.