Clergy and Staff
Rector
The Rev. Alexander D. Martin
fralex@stbarnabasbv.org
Father Alex (he/him) is passionate about building community and unapologetically proclaiming God’s boundless love for all people.
A native of Northeast Ohio, Fr. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts in History from The Ohio State University (where he dotted the “i” in Script Ohio) and a Master of Divinity from The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City. In seminary, he served internships at the Church of the Ascension, Greenwich Village, NYC, and at the American Cathedral in Paris.
After graduation from seminary in 2013, Fr. Alex was ordained deacon, then priest in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He spent five years as Associate Priest at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Cincinnati before being called to St. Barnabas in 2018.
Fr. Alex lives right up the street from the church in the rectory with his husband Rob, an administrator in the Bay Village schools, and their Border Collie Maggie. Alex and Rob enjoy spoiling Maggie, being outdoors, cheering on the Buckeyes, and spending time with family. They are both lifelong Cleveland sports fans - especially the Guardians. Alex also follows tennis and Formula 1. He enjoys cycling around town, walking Maggie at Bradley Road Park, rowing in his single shell, and sailing on Lake Erie in his old Tartan 3000 called “Sabbatical.”
Fr. Alex is frequently in his office on weekdays, but he enjoys visiting people and being out in the community so he does not keep regular office hours. He can always be contacted at the email address listed above to schedule an appointment.
Office & Youth Director
Leigh Ann Spratt
office@stbarnabasbv.org
Leigh Ann Spratt (she/her) has significant experience working in churches - especially with children’s ministry. Her background is in teaching, but she gave up full-time employment to raise her three sons. She is actively involved in their schools, the PTA, and Destination Imagination.
Leigh Ann holds an undergraduate degree in gifted education from Kent State and a master’s in creative writing from Cleveland State. She’s lifelong resident of Northeast Ohio.
In Leigh Ann’s role at St. Barnabas, she oversees children from birth through high school, as well as general administration such as staffing the parish office, managing calendars, and creating worship participant schedules. She also oversees all aspects of communication with our congregation and the wider community including creating bulletins, assembling the Thursday newsletter, updating the website, and managing our social media.
Outside of church, Leigh Ann’s passions include crochet, musical theater, and playing board games with her family. She and her husband Ryan, along with their sons Holden, Griffin, and Rory attend St. Barnabas and live in Bay Village with their rescue Pitbulls Hercules Mulligan and Luna Lovegood.
Verger
Lysa Kenney
verger@stbarnabasbv.org
Verger is a title given to lay people in our Anglican/Episcopal tradition who assist the clergy with the ordering of services. The office of verger has 16th century roots in the Church of England and a verger's duties can vary widely from parish to parish. At St. Barnabas, Lysa (she/her) oversees music and other aspects of the liturgy and helps organize our common worship. You can also catch her in the Pulpit from time to time. She strongly believes that those who are called to lead music within worship are more than just persons who select songs; they are people who seek the Holy Spirit’s call in what is said and sung in worship. They are charged to sing biblical truths, and to build up the faith within the power of worship.
Lysa feels privileged to be able to support the congregation through our music program, aided by our talented directors and accompanists, as well as the other musicians that join us to share their talents. Together our musicians offer up their hearts through music to help enrich the service and bring us closer to God.
St. Barnabas is a natural fit for Lysa because of its mission to make everyone feel welcome, and part of a greater family. Her favorite sound is when a hymn ends, and one of our littles is still singing…
Lysa grew up spiritually at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Berea, has been an active member of the Church for as long as she can remember, and music and performing has always been a very important part of her life, personally and professionally.
In addition to being on staff at St. Barnabas, she is also the Principal's Administrative Assistant at one of our local high schools, and has been working in various aspects of the education field for over 20 years. She’s also dabbled in just about everything…feel free to ask her about it!
The Kenneys are very involved at St. Barnabas (except for hockey season): in addition to Lysa, both boys can be found in robes and in suits doing anything from swinging the Thurible to slinging collection plates.
Pastoral Ministries Coordinator
Marjie Koons
care@stbarnabasbv.org
Marjie Koons (she/her) joined the staff of St. Barnabas in 2025 as Pastoral Ministries Coordinator. A lifelong Episcopalian, she grew up in West Collingswood, New Jersey, where her father served as priest and her mother as the church organist and choir director. She brings deep compassion and many years of experience in pastoral care, lay chaplaincy, and community support.
Trained as a lay chaplain in the Diocese of Chicago, Marjie has served in hospitals, parishes, and outreach programs, walking alongside individuals and families in times of illness, grief, and transition. Her background also includes decades of early childhood education and service with the Lansing Police Department’s CARE program, supporting families affected by domestic violence. Her personal experiences of caregiving and grief shaped her call to walk alongside others in times of illness, grief, and transition.
At St. Barnabas, Marjie visits the sick and helps coordinate our Care Team and Eucharistic Visitors, ensuring that parishioners receive the spiritual and practical care they need. She has a special heart for fostering community among seniors and creating opportunities for connection and companionship.
Organist
Robert Moncrief
A native of Hanover PA, Robert Moncrief (he/him) graduated from the College of William and Mary and the Yale School of Music. During his student years, he was assistant to his teachers, James Darling at Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg and Dr. Robert Baker at First Presbyterian Church on Fifth Avenue in New York. His first organist-choirmaster position was at The Presbyterian Church of Rye, NY, where he was responsible for the design and installation of a 68-rank Casavant organ.
After seventeen years, he moved to Grosse Pointe (MI) Memorial Church, where he acquired a portative organ for use in the front chancel and oversaw improvement of the acoustic.
He came to Cleveland in 2001 to become Director of Music and Organist at Fairmount Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights, where he oversaw the installation of a Charles Ruggles organ in the chapel. He retired from there in 2017 and moved to Clearwater FL, where he was organist-choirmaster of The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in nearby Dunedin for four years.
Bob returned to Cleveland in 2021 to be closer to family and friends, change of seasons, and the Cleveland Clinic. He also escaped the heat and humidity, rising prices, traffic, imminent hurricanes, and insects. He has had a succession of cats named after composers: Henry Purcell, William Byrd, and Felix Mendelssohn. The Lakewood Animal Shelter had named his current companion Jasper, and that seemed perfect for his black and white tuxedo cat.
Choir Director
Dr. Stephan Knobloch
Steve (he/him) has served Episcopal churches as a choir director or choral singer since 1983. He began his conducting career while earning his Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Arizona State University. Prior to that, he sang with several church choirs while studying for his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from St. Norbert College.
For the past 20 years, Steve served the congregation of St. James’ Episcopal Church in Leesburg, Virginia as Director of Music. In addition to working with adult singers, Steve also directed the Children’s Choir of St. James’, as well as the Children’s Choir at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Washington, DC.
Steve’s love for choral music began as a chorister in the La Crosse Boy’s Choir and extended to serving as tenor section leader for the Master Singers of Virginia. Additionally, he sang with the Choral Arts Society of Washington and with the St. Thomas More Cathedral choir in Arlington, Virginia.
Steve received his Doctor in Education from the University of Virginia, and currently works with school districts throughout the United States doing academic planning and analytics.
Bookkeeper
Mark Breznai
finance@stbarnabasbv.org
Mark (he/him) was born in Sheffield Village, where he spent nearly three-quarters of his life. He earned his engineering degree from Purdue University and later completed his MBA with a concentration in finance at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Mark built a 27-year career at Vertiv, beginning in engineering before transitioning into finance as a sales analyst. He went on to manage North American sales commissions and reporting, retiring in early 2022 as Manager of Commissions, NA.
In 2019, Mark joined St. Barnabas after a recommendation from his sister-in-law in Cincinnati, who had previously worked with Fr. Alex. Since retiring, he has become more actively involved with the parish, serving as bookkeeper and assisting with weekly grounds maintenance.
Outside of his parish commitments, Mark enjoys golfing, mowing and gardening, and following Cleveland sports as well as Purdue basketball (really, all things Purdue). He lives in Lakewood with his husband, Dwayne, and their "sassy" mini dachshund, Boogie.
If asked about his “claim to fame,” Mark would say it was the opportunity to perform for the President of the United States. Be sure to ask Mark for the details!
Sexton
James Johnson
As sexton, James (he/him) takes care of cleaning our building and small handyman repairs. James has an extensive background in supporting those in need of housing. Before retiring, he had been with Community Service Alliance since the inception of the organization, beginning as Community Coordinator and later being promoted to Program Manager. He oversaw the day-to-day residential and housing operations at CSA and helped manage the developmental programs of 22 men at CSA Procop House, 13 men at CSA Fulton House, seven men at Bill's House, and six men at Sandy’s House. His responsibilities included the recruitment of residents for the housing program, assisting these men with developing and achieving short-term and longer-term goals, holding regular one-on-one meetings with each resident to confirm that goals were being met, referring men to outside agencies for additional health, mental health, and social services support, and partnering with housing agencies to assist men leaving CSA in achieving independent living.
James had left a position as Community Coordinator of the Independent Living Community at 2100 Lakeside, Cleveland’s shelter for the Homeless, to come to CSA. Prior to that, he was employed as a case manager by Salvation Army’s Harbor Light facility in the Lorain Correction with Treatment Program in Lorain County. James was also very active in the community. He sat on the board of the Metanoia Project, was one of the founding members of the Ignatian Spirituality Project, and did outreach with Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, helping men and women who were shelter-resistant. In 2017, the Ignatian Spirituality Project presented James with an award recognizing his work with the homeless throughout Northeast Ohio.
Sexton
Joel Gleason
As sexton, Joel (he/him) takes care of cleaning our building and small handyman repairs. Joel and his wife Abbey are both teachers and have two daughters. While in college he worked in residential carpentry, picked up knowledge in electrical while remodeling his first house, and his father (who is a retired pipe fitter) taught him about plumbing over the years.
Joel was first introduced to St Barnabas through Little Learners in 2019 when his older daughter started preschool. His family bought the house across the street in May of 2020. While working late nights remodeling he would always admire the church lit up at night.
Fr. Alex was one of the first to help when a tree fell on their house and many in the congregation helped provide meals during that time. Joel is glad to be able to give back as the caretaker of the church.
Church Dog
Maggie
Stop by the parish office on a weekday and you’re likely to be energetically greeted by Maggie, Fr. Alex’s eleven-year-old Border Collie. Mags is passionate about two things: being pet and chasing balls. Throw the ball once, and you’re stuck all day. Still, she is easily the most enthusiastic greeter this church has ever known and she is a good dog - a very good dog.
Maggie, and all our pets, have many lessons to teach us about joy, faithfulness, and unconditional love.