Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church

The Reverend Jon Perez

Father Jon Perez is an Episcopal Priest, serving as the Vicar for Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church in Marina and Senior Chaplain for California State University Monterey Bay. He comes to the Episcopal Church after a career in the corporate world with General Electric and Raytheon and non-profit worlds including HIV/ADIS Case Management. His congregation is the largest social service NGO facilitator serving Marina. The congregation is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-political. Has served on the Lutheran Episcopal Coordination Committee, (LECC) resolving practical and theological issues between the Lutheran ELCA and Episcopal Church in the United States and Canada. Father Jon has also, served as a board member of the Lesbian & Gay Rights Northern California Chapter of the ACLU, Advisor to DOD Military Chaplains on LGBTQ Pastoral Care He is a recipient of the Atkinson Civil Rights Award. A local native of the Monterey Peninsula and He navigates the world with the help of his guide dog Arlington, from Guide Dogs for the Blind.

My husband, Sal, and I came to Epiphany 17 ½ years ago when we were looking to help out with serving Thanksgiving Dinner. Our search led us to Fr. Jon and Epiphany. Sal went to Epiphany and spoke with Fr. Jon for about 30 minutes and he came home and told me that we had found a new church. We came to the Monterey area for two reasons: 1^st a teaching job for me and 2^nd Sal has a lot of family here. I graduated from Humboldt State 1998 and received my teaching credential from Humboldt in 1999. I got my first teaching job in Castroville. I taught 6^th grade math and science for 4 years, 8^th grade algebra for 12 years and 3^rd grade for 2 years. I had to retire early to take care of Sal. The minute I first started teaching I knew that I had found the job that I truly loved and always wished that I had started earlier in my life. I have been a truly active member of Epiphany for the last eight years. I love our church, Fr. Jon, Robert, and all of our people here. I can truly call all of you my friends. When I am asked about my church, I always tell people it is the “The little church that could”. Then I explain all of the wonderful things that we do, under the guidance of Fr. Jon, for our community. My first Christmas wrapping party was a surprise to me. The amount of people that showed up to wrap presents for children in need. There must have been at least 40 people or more and we wrapped presents for 93 children. For me, the community, the conversation, the laughter, the music, and the joy in the room was contagious. I am proud to be a member of our Church Board. Helping Fr. Jon with the tasks of our church is something I enjoy doing. I never knew how much it takes to run a church and sometimes it is mind boggling. I truly love this church and everyone who is a part of our church community.

Hi, there. I'm Brenda Jones.

I'm a local girl. My family has lived in the Salinas Valley for over 100 years. I came to Epiphany with my husband, Davy Jones, during the pandemic. We were searching for a new church to call home. I knew that I wanted more than just attending Sunday service. I wanted to be with people that have the same motivation to serve. I work at Hartnell College. I am the coordinator for a wonderful program called Rising Scholars. I bring college classes to both prisons in Soledad, the Monterey County Jail, the Youth Center and Juvenile Hall. I love meeting new people and learning about the amazing things they have done. Davy and I have four cats and one very big Siberian Husky (Tasha). We also added one more car to our diveway in 2022. We built a house for my mom in our backyard. We love living in Marina and most of all we love our Epiphany family. Thank you all for welcoming me into your hearts. I am grateful for all of the support and love that is prevelant at Epiphany. I look forward to welcoming those that are searching for their church home. 

Michael Blackburn has been a musician all of his life and is a freelance musician on the Monterey Peninsula.  He has a passion for music, in particular, classical and choral music.  Michael plays a variety of instruments including the piano, cello, and viola.  He is excited to make music with an exciting new group of fresh faces!

My name is Emma Booton. I have devoted my life to the care of old cats and even older motorcycles.

Little did I realize from an early time in my life God has been grooming me little by little for His bigger plans in my life, and He continues to this day. My introduction that chapel managers existed was the start of a life serving God and His people. Within a couple of years God opened doors and I became a chapel manager in 1980. After retiring from the Air Force in 1992, God continued opening doors and I was able to put my chapel manger skills to work in a local church, in our community. Since the passing of God's blessed gift to me, my deceased wife Jackie, God has truly opened my heart. He has filled that void and filled it with His love. God has, through the Holy Spirit, stepped up His aggressive love for me showing me He is the light, the truth, and the way and nothing else matters. The Holy Spirit has awoken me to the realization that God is a vital part of me. God opened Father Jon’s heart, at Epiphany Church in Marina, allowing him to accept me, who I am, and where I am in my attempt to become closer to God. Through Father Jon avenues have opened up, opening my heart and mind to the reality of God controlling my life. English for Ministry (EFM) and working to becoming an Ordained Deacon, starting with Lay Eucharistic Ministry (LEM) and Lay Eucharistic Visitor (LEV) allowing me to offer Holy Communion to homebound persons. Every step I take brings me closure to an everlasting relationship with our Father in Heaven.

A midwesterner by birth (go Buckeyes!), my career and the CA sunshine brought me out to the Monterey Bay area in August of 2019. When I started attending Epiphany Lutheran & Episcopal Church in November of 2019, the genuine warmth, remarkable diversity, and dedicated heart of service I observed among the clergy and congregation immediately attracted me to this new church home. In August of 2021, I was called to step in as the Bishop’s (aka Senior) Warden and have been discovering how rewarding it is to serve with such a supportive and thoughtful team of Lutheran and Episcopal Board members. On the weekends, you may find me hiking along the mountain and beach trails or checking out a winery in the countryside with my husband, Eric.