Happy to Meet you!

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

1 Peter 4:10

I’m thankful to Wendy Tajima for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself via this weekly reflection. My name is Amy Marmol, and I’m the new Temporary Administrator for the Presbytery of San Gabriel. My dear friend Ally Lee leaves a significant role to be filled (as well as very detailed notes, which those of you who have worked alongside her know to be her custom!). Though her absence is felt, I am happy to be able to use my organizational and administrative skills to serve the Presbytery in this capacity.

By training and by trade, I am an educator, currently teaching French at Pasadena High School. I am bicultural and bilingual, having been born in France and raised there through my childhood. My parents are American, but were vocational missionaries ministering to a small Baptist church in the town of Menton in Southern France, near Monaco and on the border with Italy – it was a beautiful place to grow up! Just before I started high school, we moved to Santa Clarita where my dad was called as the mission pastor of a very large church.

It was in that church that I began volunteering on the worship team, where I eventually met my husband Joshua. We were married in 2011 and worked at several non-denominational churches where he was hired as the worship leader, while I began my teaching career. When he wanted to make a career change as a barber and we were looking for a more diverse area to raise our family, we moved to Pasadena in 2017. Also wanting to find a more inclusive and progressive expression of Christian faith, we visited Knox Presbyterian Church our first week and immediately found a home in the community there – especially in the developing social justice teams for immigration, housing, eco-justice and racial justice, which are very much in line with our passions and where we find personal callings to advocacy work. We still attend Knox, along with our children Corban (10y), Judah (8y) and Eden (3.5y).

Various small things that bring me joy are iced vanilla or hot hazelnut lattes, Diet Coke, plant-based recipes, organized drawers and cabinets, labels and color-coding, thriving house plants, the sound of rain, spontaneous outings, and my kids laughing when they play together.

I look forward to meeting many more of you along the course of my work here in the Presbytery of San Gabriel, and supporting you as you serve and lead our congregations.

Peace be with you,

Amy Marmol (she/her)