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The
Rev. Stephanie Anthony
has
been the pastor of First
Presbyterian Church since
January 2008. Although she
came to Hudson from Lincoln,
Nebraska, she spent most of her
life on the East Coast.
She grew up in Indialantic,
Florida, went to college in
Williamsburg, Virginia, and
graduated from seminary in
Decatur, Georgia.
Stephanie graduated from the
College of William and Mary with
a B.S. in biology and a second
major in religion in May 1999.
She continued on to Columbia
Theological Seminary near
Atlanta, receiving her Master of
Divinity in May 2002. God
called Stephanie to serve as the
associate pastor of First
Presbyterian Church in Lincoln,
Nebraska from June 2002-August
2007. While in Lincoln,
Stephanie met Phillip Anthony,
now her husband, and they
welcomed two children into the
world, Karoline (born May 2005)
and William (born June 2007).
God’s next call to the Anthony
family brought them to Hudson,
WI where Stephanie is able to
further share her passion for
ministry with families, engaging
disciples of all ages in the
ministry and mission of the
church, and the Presbyterian
“flavor” of the body of Christ.
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Jody
Branson, our
Music/Arts Coordinator,
has been a part-time member of the staff since
1990. She is employed full-time as Executive Director
of Croixview, a facility for older adults operated by
the Hudson Housing Authority. Jody was born in
Oklahoma but grew up in Minnesota. She received
her musical training at the University of Minnesota
and St. Cloud State University. An accomplished
organist and pianist, she loves all kinds of music but
has a special interest in praise music, Celtic worship
and the music of the Taizé community in France.
Before coming to First Presbyterian she was organist
at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Stillwater
and St. Charles Catholic Church in Bayport, both in
Minnesota. Though confirmed in the Roman Catholic
tradition, Jody feels that denominational identity is
less important than one’s faithfulness to Christ.
She and her husband, Roger, have lived in Hudson for
21 years. They have two married adult sons, two
grandsons, two granddaughters and three large, friendly
dogs.
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Martha
Rockenstein has served as part-time
Director
of Christian Programs since June 2006.
Martha grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She
attended Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis,
where she was active in many aspects of congregational
life. Martha is a 1999 graduate of Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa, and holds a Masters degree in Christian
Education from Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian
School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia.
Currently Martha is a member of the Committee on Preparation
for Ministry of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area,
and also serves as POINT person for the presbytery (POINT
stands for “Presbyterians Organized in Nurture
and Training”). Before coming to Hudson,
she worked in several churches in the Midwest.
Martha, who lives in St. Paul, enjoys reading, walking,
art and volunteering.
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Andy Haase joined our staff
as Choir Director
in August 2007. Andy’s
full-time job is Director of Choral Activities at Hudson
High School. He received his BA in Vocal Music
Education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 2000,
and his Master of Music degree in Conducting and Choral
Literature from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff,
Arizona in 2006. Under Andy’s direction,
Hudson High School choirs have appeared at various choral
festivals, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Gustavus Adolphus
College in St.Peter, MN, the University of Minnesota
at Mankato and the Luther College Dorian Choral Festival.
His current position at Hudson includes directing the
Chamber Choir, Concert Choir and Men’s Choir,
as well as serving as the Music Director for the annual
musical. Andy’s previous church experience
includes serving as choir director at Hudson United
Methodist Church, First Congregational Church in Flagstaff,
and First United Methodist Church in Stillwater, Minnesota. (back
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David Pulsfus
is
Director of NetWorks,
a cooperative ministry to the middle and senior high
youth of First Presbyterian, First Baptist and St.
Paul’s Episcopal Churches, as well as an outreach
to unchurched young people in Hudson. David,
who lives in Roberts, Wisconsin, became director in
2006 after serving for a year as a program volunteer,
then as a youth ministry intern for two years.
Born and reared in Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, he grew
up in the Evangelical Free Church tradition, in which
his Dad is an ordained minister. David attended
Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois for a year,
and is currently working toward his BA at Northwestern
College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Special interests
include American history, most sports (his favorites
are basketball and baseball), and playing his guitar.
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