Staff & Leadership

Joseph Daniel joined the Christ Church staff in January 2018. Though mostly known to the congregation as the Honorary Artist in Residence, Joseph has long had an aptitude for administrative work. In his role as Executive Assistant to the Rector, Joseph works closely with Fr. Drew on many projects and ministries of Christ Church. His primary duties include calendar oversight, volunteer liaision, project management, and staff relations.

A licensed PRH educator (Personality and Human Relationships), Ron serves as spirituality faculty for CREDO, a clergy wellness initiative of the Episcopal Church. He is a facilitator and curriculum developer for the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence grant to Detroit’s Ecumenical Theological Seminary. Now retired from pastoral ministry, Ron served for five years as associate rector of Christ Church Cranbrook, and for 25 years as rector of the Church of the Messiah in Detroit. He is an Honorary Canon of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.

Praised by The American Organist for his “prestigious technique and grand style musicality”, Dexter Kennedy is the Assistant Organist of Christ Church Grosse Pointe. As the winner of the Grand Prix de Interprétation at the 24th Concours International d’Orgue de Chartres, he has established himself internationally as one of the leading organists of his generation. In addition to concertizing and to his work at Christ Church, he is on the music faculty of the College of Wooster as Adjunct Instructor of Organ.

Susanna comes to Christ Church having served for over 13 years in similar positions within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.  Most recently, Susanna served as the head of Children, Youth and Family Ministries at Hope Lutheran Church (Farmington Hills, MI) and before that as Director of Christian Education at Antioch Lutheran Church (Farmington Hills, MI).  In addition to her ministry experience within the Lutheran Church, Susanna has long and valuable experience as a middle school teacher having taught at the Bryn Mawr School (Baltimore, MD) and the Roeper School (Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, MI).

Marianne joins the Christ Church team with more than twenty years of experience in bookkeeping.  For the last seventeen (17) years, Marianne served as the bookkeeper for St. John Lutheran in Fraser where she handled accounts payable, accounts receivable [including school tuition], bank reconciliations, and payroll.  She resides in Chesterfield Twp. with her husband James.