Our staff is dedicated to making Cherry hill a warm and inviting place for all of God's children.
Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church Staff
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Mark Phillips was born and raised in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He spent his early years as a member of the Hungarian Reformed Church, where he was baptized and confirmed. From a very early age, Mark sensed a call to ministry and was active in church school and youth-group activities.
Mark began studying organ in junior high school and continued those studies through college. While in high school and college, Mark served several churches in Pittsburgh, northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. as organist and choir director.
After attending Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Mark spent a year and a half at Carlow College as a major in liturgical music ministry. When the program was discontinued, he transferred to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, from which he graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. During college, his field placements included working with social workers in a nursing home and hospital emergency room,, and with the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled.
Mark earned his Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in May1994. While at Pittsburgh Seminary he served as Student Assistant Minister at the Riverview Presbyterian Church. He was ordained by Pittsburgh Presbytery on July 31. The next day he began his ministry at The First Presbyterian Church in Mineral Ridge (suburb of Youngstown) where he served for 16 years.
In April of 2010, Mark was called to the pastor of the historic First Presbyterian Church, “The Old Whalers’ Church” in Sag Harbor, New York.
In 2015, Mark was called to Cherry Hill and began his ministry in Dearborn on June 1. In addition to his ministry at Cherry Hill, Mark serves the Presbytery of Detroit as the chair of the presbytery’s Committee on Ministry.
In his free time, Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends and his cats, “Hoover” and “Russell.” He continues to be involved in community events activities. He enjoys bike riding and travel as well as music, theater, and reading. He likes to try his hand at cooking and gardening as time (and talent) permits.
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Charles Miller began his ministry of music at Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church on January 1, 2020. A native of Traverse City, Michigan, Charles graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from the University of Michigan in the class of Robert Glasgow, and his master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Connecticut.
With his first church job at age 13, he has been in music ministry for 40 years. From 2015 to 2019, Charles served as the associate organist for Detroit’s Cathedral Church of St. Paul. Prior to his move to Detroit, he served as the interim Associate Musician and Organist at the Cathedral of All Saints (Episcopal), Albany, NY. From 2006-2013, he was Minister of Music and Organist at National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C. and from 2001-2006, Associate Organist and Director of Music at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, CT. Earlier positions include Director of Music and Organist, First Church of Christ in Hartford (Center Church), Hartford, CT, Organist/Choirmaster, Trinity Episcopal Church, Tariffville, CT, Assistant Organist, Christ Church (Episcopal), Grosse Pointe, MI, and Organist, First United Methodist Church, Farmington, MI.
Charles has been featured in solo recitals at the National Cathedral and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., St. Thomas Church and the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, York Minster, England and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. He performed three times for the Spoleto Festival in South Carolina and his 1995 performance there was featured on NPR’s Pipedreams.
In addition to his position at Cherry Hill, Charles is President and Owner of Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC, a concert booking and artist management agency for concert organists.
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Kim McDonald is our Director of Finance and Office Administration.
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Larry Cereso is our Facilities Manager. Larry can also be contacted at 702 - 994 - 1631
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Michael Sellers is our Social Media Manager
