CBC Staff

Amy grew up in Hawaii, where her parents still live.  She has lived all over the world and traveled extensively; because of the rich cultural background of her family, she loves the rich opportunity that diversity provides and treasures this unique quality of Calvary’s congregation.  Amy went to college in Texas, at Baylor University, where she earned a BA in political science and religion as well as an MA in church history.  In Zurich, at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Amy earned a BDiv (MDiv equivalent) and worked on the seminary staff through its relocation to Prague, Czech Republic.  Amy is currently hoping she can get her work done to graduate from Wesley Theological Seminary with a DMin in preaching in 2009.

Pastor Amy lives in downtown Silver Spring with her family.

If you visit Calvary for any length of time you are likely to get an email from Amy suggesting coffee.  She calls it “outreach” but the truth is that one of her favorite pastimes is hearing your story while sipping really good coffee.  For Pastor Amy, there’s something holy in walking the journey with others who are asking questions, wrestling with the text and watching for the fresh wind of God’s Spirit at work right here.  Pastor Amy would love to hear from you.

Cheryl Branham, Director of Music
Cheryl joined the Calvary staff on November 1, 2005. Prior to her work at Calvary, she was staff conductor at St. Luke Catholic Church in McLean, Virginia, working with Paul Skevington, Director of Music and Liturgy, and the very accomplished St. Luke Choir. Cheryl holds degrees in conducting and in piano performance from Boston University, the University of Maryland and Furman University.

Aside from her work at Calvary, Cheryl also teaches piano and voice at the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland. She serves as Education Coordinator and pianist with the Prince George’s Philharmonic, under the direction of Charles Ellis.

Cheryl is proud to be a member of the Calvary leadership team and is grateful for the support of the Calvary family. She believes that a thriving musical life is vital to the spirit of any church, and that together we can bring the dream of Calvary’s bright future into present day reality, to the glory of God and the service of our neighbors in Penn Quarter and throughout DC. Email her: Cheryl Branham

Harold Ritchie, Office Manager
Coming to Calvary after a career in administration at KPMG Peat Marwick, Office Manager, Harold Ritchie considers his work a calling. He has the responsibility of managing the day-to-day operation of the church office as well as the opportunity to care for the congregation and staff. Harold is the man you will talk with if you need information about Calvary’s facilities, including Camp Fraser.

Paul Rosstead, Church Administrator
Paul's work at Calvary combines his experience in administration, technology, and facilities management with his love for congregations. He joined the staff as church administrator in December 2004. A native of Pittsburgh, Paul grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland. He earned a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Before coming to Calvary, he was a member of the staff at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., serving most recently as director of facilities and technology. Paul has been active in the various congregations of which he has been a member. He has served as an elder, small group coordinator, and youth leader. Email him: Paul Rosstead

Reverend Leah Grundset, Associate Pastor (Resident)
Leah Grundset comes to us from an eight-year stint in Waco, Texas. She is our Associate Pastor (Resident) and has been appointed through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial Excellence Program. Leah is not a stranger to Calvary as she worked here during the summer of 2006 while she worked to fulfill her Master’s Practicum for seminary.

Leah is a native of the Washington, D.C. area, but went away to school at Baylor University for college and George W. Truett Theological Seminary for seminary. Leah studied Journalism, Spanish and Religion at Baylor and loves when all three of those paths cross. At Truett, her focus was Missions and World Christianity. Leah is called to the Pastorate and believes her two years at Calvary will be two years of intense shaping and experience. She loves to speak Spanish, drink coffee and travel whenever time permits. She is happy to be back in the land of four seasons, but sorely misses real Mexican food and mild winters. She lives in D.C. and is always up for attending the Redskins game or trying out the newest restaurant (a true Washingtonian). Leah works with our Small Groups, our newest Calvary folks and has the privilege of visiting Calvary members all over the area. If you are interested in small groups, would like to grab coffee or would like to learn more about Calvary, please email Leah.

Eric Bebber, Missions Coordinator
Eric's role includes coordinating mission opportunities for church groups from around the nation, as well as for churches in the DC Metro area. Eric grew up in Thomasville, NC; but he comes to Calvary from Atlanta, GA, where he received his Master of Divinity degree from the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. Eric’s undergraduate work includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion/Philosophy from Mars Hill College.

Eric's prayer is that "when people come to DC, they will have an experience that allows them to break outside the walls of the box that they are used to, that they will find communion with God in new ways, that they will enact some real change for the city of Washington—and that ultimately—they will be inspired to return home to their own communities and be agents of change and transformation by spreading God’s love there. Email him: Eric Bebber

Ivan Striženec, Camp Fraser Caretaker
Ivan Striženec, Calvary's Camp Fraser caretaker, is originally from Slovakia and lived most of his life in a small town in the mountains surrounded by National Parks close to the Slovak/Polish border. While in Slovakia he worked with the “Pionier” (also known as Scouts) summer camps and as a ski instructor in the winter. In 1997, Ivan came to the United States when he married Tina, his Burmese wife, and decided to raise their children in Northern Virginia where Tina’s family lives and where Tina works for Nextel. For the last seven years, Ivan has been a stay at home dad taking care of the children.

Ivan has always imagined himself doing something in association with the preservation of wildlife. Today Ivan and his family care for Calvary's 80 acres of Camp Fraser preserve. Email him: Ivan Striženec

Al Jeter, Facilities Management
Al Jeter has run through the halls of Calvary and played in all its cubby holes and back rooms since he was a child. In 1991, he was called to work at CBC as a Facility's Manager. Al's passion is to serve God by serving others - a call he feels led to honor to this day. Al surpervises the maintenance of all church machinery on site and off, and he coordinates the janitorial work of the staff. He hopes to be able to help Calvary accomplish its mission through his work here. His prayer for Calvary is that we will continuously reflect God's love through our service to each other and the city. Married to his lovely wife Paula and father of Randy, Al loves to go camping during his vacation time. Email him: Al Jeter