Rev. Jason R. Ferris
Pastor and Head of Staff
Leadership & Staff
Jason Ferris was installed as the 18th minister of Old Pine in 2011. He studied English at Davidson College, where he was awarded the Patricia Cornwell Scholarship for Creative Writing. After working for Public Television in New York City, Jason graduated from Union Theological Seminary (NYC), where he received the Maxwell Award for promise of excellence in ministry. Jason also earned an MSW from Tulane University, where his research focused on helping people to discover a sense of vocation.
Jason loves sharing the deep riches of the Christian tradition and how they make sense of a complex and often confusing world. A former atheist, he especially enjoys helping skeptics explore questions of faith. In addition to preaching, Jason loves teaching; some of his lectures can be viewed here. An essay on church architecture can be read here. A local article about his signboard quotes can be read here. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in cultural apologetics from Houston Theological Seminary.
Jason and his wife Rebecca are documentary filmmakers whose work has been shown on screen and television. They are the proud parents of three children.
Jason’s office hours are Tuesday-Friday each week.
Rev. Rebecca Blake
Pastor of Christian Education
Rebecca Blake joined our pastoral staff in 2018. Trained as a visual artist, writer, theologian, and pastor, she is grateful for the opportunity to incorporate those various skills into ministry. She is passionate about the power of art-making in personal and community transformation and helping others discover, explore, and grow their faith, especially via creative expression. In preaching, Rebecca loves exploring how the threads of God’s Story are woven in and through our stories, and in pastoral leadership, she delights in discovering the gifts of others and empowering them to be shared for the enrichment of all.
Rebecca’s background includes church planting, coaching, teaching art, and implementing trauma-informed practices when working with children and adults experiencing various hardships. She is a graduate of Eastern University (BA) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div).
Rebecca is married to Sean, a mom and stepmom, and dog-parent to three American Brittanys.
Liz Braden
Director of Music
Liz Braden has been involved with choral and church music for more than half her life. Directing choirs and making music in community is a great passion of hers. Most recently, she served as Director of Music at Wallingford Presbyterian Church in Wallingford, PA.
Liz has also served Opera Philadelphia for over twenty years and is currently its Director of Music & Chorus. Some highlights of her tenure include conducting the world premiere of David Herzberg’s opera The Wake World, preparing the chorus for a performance of Verdi’s Requiem, and conducting concerts at the famed Wanamaker building.
Liz lives in Collingswood, NJ with her 14-year-old son Nate, and their cat Batman. She is a passionate Phillies fan and enjoys following the team and going down to the ballpark. In addition to sports, Liz also enjoys plants and gardening, and has 25 house plants (which Nate calls her ‘other children’). She also enjoys reading, movies, and doing the daily NY Times crosswords.
Liz is honored to have been chosen as the next Director of Music at Old Pine in 2024, and is excited to be carrying on a long tradition of meaningful music in this wonderfully unique community.
Jody Mayer
Church Administrator
Since graduating from Haverford College with a BA in the History of Art, Jody has called West Philadelphia home. The majority of her career has centered around fundraising and development in educational and non-profit settings, with a lens toward social justice and providing opportunities for under-resourced communities. Jody played field hockey and lacrosse at Haverford and worked as an assistant coach for both teams after graduation. She remains passionate about women’s sports and serves as an alumna mentor for the current lacrosse team.
Jody enjoys gardening and flower arranging, and you can often find her chatting with the flower vendors during her weekly trip to the Clark Park farmers’ market. Other hobbies include crafts, and jigsaw puzzles, the harder the better!
Marc Tissenbaum
Landscape Manager
Marc has a background working in different types of plant-based environments. He grew up working on his family’s farm outside of Huntington, WV and later worked at an organic specialty farm called Woodland Gardens in Athens, GA, where he founded and ran a program called Farmer For A Day, a volunteer educational organic farm tour.
Marc was also the organic landscape gardener for R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, where Marc designed, installed, and maintained gardens at his home and commercial properties for nine years. While working there he earned a Master Gardener certificate from the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
In 2016, Marc relocated to Philadelphia, continuing work as an organic landscape gardener, and eventually accepting the position of head gardener at the Rodin Museum for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Since moving here, Marc has also become a Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Organic Landcare Accredited Professional.
Sexton is an ancient Latin term meaning “custodian of sacred objects.” Serhii maintains our beautiful sanctuary and the sacramental vessels used for baptisms and communion. He also oversees the careful preservation of our 1768 building. Serhii prepares our memorial garden for the funerals of church members and maintains our historic graveyard. His work requires both an appreciation of our religious history and also knowledge of modern building practices.
Hannah Johnson
Youth & Children’s Coordinator
Hannah Johnson has been working with Old Pine since 2021. With a passion for children’s ministry and social justice, she brings her experience of programming, management and knowledge of child development to Old Pine’s Children’s and Youth Ministry. Hannah has a degree in Youth Ministry from Eastern University and is currently working towards her Master of Divinity at United Lutheran Seminary in Germantown. Hannah lives in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia with her two best friends and their cats. In her free time she explores Philly, eats lots of ice cream and works part time at Beacon Church in Kensington.
Veronica Wentz
Nursery Care Provider