The Rev. Marthame Sanders - Pastor

Marthame Sanders has been Pastor at OPC since 2005. He describes the faithful church as one which is involved in its own community and in the world, witnessing to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It seeks mutual support and encouragement within the body of Christ, pursuing relationships across denomination, language, and culture. To this church, he brings experience and a passion for preaching and pastoral care, for shaping relevant and alive liturgy and education, and for promoting authentic mission and service.

A native of Atlanta, Marthame is a graduate of the Galloway School. He received his B.A. from Yale University, where he majored in History. Yale is also where he met Elizabeth, his future wife. They were married in 1995 at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and are the proud parents of Ramsay.

Marthame received his M. Div. from the University of Chicago in 1996, while Elizabeth continued her studies in Geography and Environmental Studies at Northeastern Illinois University. Following graduation, Marthame worked in churches in the Presbytery of Chicago as a youth director, assistant pastor, and temporary supply pastor.

From 2000 to 2003, the Sanders served as mission personnel of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the Palestinian Christian village of Zababdeh. Their ministry was one of ecumenical support for the Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic churches of the northern West Bank and culminated with the production of the documentary film Salt of the Earth: Palestinian Christians in the Northern West Bank.

Marthame enjoys spending his spare time with his family, playing soccer, noodling on facebook, blogging, tweeting, listening to music (anything from sufjan stevens to soundgarden), and emulating ee cummings' capitalization. He describes himself as a "evangelical, post-modern, justice-yearning, biblical, liturgical, orthodox presbyterian follower of jesus." Whatever that means.

The Rev. Jill Patterson Tolbert - Minister for Congregational Life

On July 6, Jill Patterson Tolbert is the Minister for Congregational Life at OPC.

Jill graduated from Mercer University in 1988 with a BA in Psychology and Human Development and Services. After graduation, she obtained her state teaching certificate and worked at her first vocational calling, teaching middle school math, for five years. She married her husband Joel in 1990, and their first son Adam was born in 1994, which led to her second calling, that of being a stay-at-home mom. Son Daniel was born in 1996, followed closely by Michael in 1998.  She maintains that her time at home with the boys was her hardest, yet most rewarding, job to date!  During her time at home, she was active in the life and worship of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, AL, where she served as an elder, and of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC, where she served as a deacon, as well as a member of the PW Coordinating Council.

In 2002, their family moved from Greenville, SC, to Decatur so that her husband Joel could pursue his calling into the ministry through studying at Columbia Theological Seminary.  Once their family was settled in Decatur, Jill responded to God's call to ordained ministry, and began her seminary studies in the summer of 2003.  She graduated in 2007, and now serves as the Presbyterian Campus Minister at Emory University. Additionally, she is a contract writer with the denomination for their adult study curriculum, The Present Word, and has also written for At This Point, an online journal published by Columbia Theological Seminary for the purpose of offering "thoughtful and provocative resources to stimulate growth in Christ."

In her spare time, Jill enjoys creating art at her potter's wheel in her in-home studio, as well as reading and spending time with friends over a good cup of coffee or a glass of wine.  Her husband Joel serves as pastor of Rehoboth Presbyterian Church in Decatur.

Evan Carter - Student Pastor

Evan was born & raised in Augusta, Georgia, where he attended Westside High School. In the Spring of 2005, he graduated from Georgia Tech with High Honors, while earning Certificates in all three major Management disciplines - Accounting, Finance & Marketing. While at Tech, he served as a volunteer leader for Young Life in Northwest Atlanta, and after graduation, he joined the Young Life staff as an employee.  He spent five years serving as Young Life's representative at Westminster High School. In 2007, he took on the Area Director position for Forsyth County Young Life. Last summer he decided to continue his Masters of Divinity degree with Columbia Theological Seminary full-time, where he is currently entering his senior year. He is engaged to be married this August to his fiancé Julia (also pictured).

Including his high school, college, and current work experience, Evan has been involved in ministry for over ten years, participated in over fifty Young Life camping trips around the country, and served as a friend and spiritual guide to hundreds of young men and women. He truly has a heart for Jesus Christ and sharing Him with others.

The Rev. Dr. Linda Hawthorne - Parish Associate

Linda, Parish Associate at OPC, is an ordained Presbyterian minister who serves as an intensive care chaplain at St. Joseph's Hospital. She and her husband, Charles, have two daughters. Linda is originally from Texas and in previous careers was a professor of Special Education and a school psychometrist. She earned a Masters of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Her favorite activities are playing with her new grandson and traveling with Charles. Her ministry at OPC focuses upon pastoral care and womens' activities.

The Rev. Dr. Fitzhugh Legerton - Pastor Emeritus

Fitz Legerton has been Pastor Emeritus of OPC since 1992. Prior to that, he served as the congregation's Pastor for forty-two years. With degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Union and Princeton Seminaries, and Presbyterian College, Fitz continued working after "retirement" as Director of Church Relations at Warren Wilson College. He re-retired in 2005 and now lives with his wife Emmy Lou in Montreat, NC.

During his time in Atlanta, Fitz served as Clerk and Moderator of the Presbytery, as well as serving on many committees. Fitz also served the church at the Synod and General Assembly levels, attending as a commissioner in 1955, 1964, and 1969. He also participated in exchange pastorates in Oregon, Bridgwater (England), and Rotorua (New Zealand). Fitz also taught courses at Oglethorpe University and Columbia Seminary.

Fitz was very active in civic activities as well, serving on the boards of Pace Academy, Oglethorpe University, the Dekalb Community Council on Aging, and on the Advisory Council of the Montreat Mountain Retreat Association, among others. In retirement, Fitz enjoys tennis, golf, reading, traveling, and carpentry (of a basic sort!).

Nancy Hamalian - Office Manager

Nancy Hamalian is the Office Manager at OPC. Nancy brings extensive experience to this position, including her work as a Program Director for Habitat for Humanity. She and her family recently relocated to Atlanta from several years in Central and South America. She is a mother of three and a member at North Avenue Presbyterian Church where she is active in their Missions program. She is also fluent in Spanish!

In her spare time Nancy loves to play the guitar. She plays in the contemporary service at North Avenue Presbyterian, and was actually a band member in a girls' praise band called "The Chica Band." In this band, she played at Christmas celebrations for the homeless and for surfer groups in Costa Rica as well as at the local English speaking congregations. Her other hobbies are ceramics and bowl making with chainsaws.

Jerry Ulrich - Director of Music

Jerry Ulrich is Director of Music at Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church. His responsibilities include directing the OPC Adult and Handbell choirs. His diverse musical interests and eclectic background are reflected in the worship music of OPC. He is energetic, "out-of-the-box," and passionate about establishing "choral community" and autonomy in the ensembles he directs. His "day job" is teaching engineers at the North Avenue Trade School in Atlanta (Georgia Tech) to sing.

Neil Thompson - Organist

Neil Thompson has been the Organist at OPC since 1994 and has been a church organist since high school. He teaches kindergarten through fifth grade at Sarah Smith Elementary as the Music Specialist. He holds a B.A. from Belmont University and an M.A. from Central Michigan University.

Francisco Flores - Sexton

Francisco Flores, our Sexton, has been working at OPC since 1994. He knows every nook and cranny of our buildings. Ask him where something is and he'll be able to tell you.

Francisco grew up in Mexico and arrived in Atlanta in 1988 from Texas. Within five years of coming to Atlanta he began working at OPC, first on a part-time basis and later, on a full-time basis as the church began to host more activities.

Francisco is blessed with three daughters, one son, and nine grandchildren. His church home is Iglesia de Dios Hispana in Norcross. In Francisco's spare time he likes to sing and play Boleros on his guitar and play baseball.

Beverly Moon - Director

Beverly has been the Preschool Director since 2004. Prior to that she was the Assistant Director and a teacher at OPP for four years. She has lived with her husband and two girls, Grace and Hannah, in the Ashford Park/Brookhaven community for fifteen years.

Beverly attended the University of Texas and the University of Houston while studying nursing. In 1993 she moved to Atlanta and finished her BA in Business Management at Georgia State University and Child Development Associates w/ the University of Georgia. She is actively involved in PTA as a Co-President and has served on a PTA Executive Board for five consecutive years. She loves children and spends much of her time reading recent trends in early childhood development.

Lynnette Kachel - Assistant to the Director

Lynnette Kachel is the Assistant to the Director of Oglethorpe Presbyterian Preschool. She and her husband, Bryant, have been residents of Brookhaven for twenty years and are parents to two teenage daughters, Emma and Lori.

Lynnette was raised in Defiance, Ohio, and came to Atlanta in 1979 where she worked as a chiropractic assistant and office manager until 2002. She came to OPP in the Spring of 2003 and worked as a teacher in the toddler ("Busy Bee") classroom until August of 2007 when she became Assistant Director. In her spare time, Lynnette enjoys art, music, and movies.