Our Staff
Greece Baptist Church
Rev. Steve Gretz
Senior Pastor
Pastor Steve became Greece Baptist Church's Senior Pastor in the summer of 2007 after serving American Baptist Churches in Massachusetts for 20 years.
He was born in Canandaigua, NY, and graduated from Bloomfield Central School and Stanford University. He earned his M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary. Having lived on both coasts and in Europe Steve chose to return to the Rochester area.
Pastor Steve sees his role as pastor being primarily to encourage people to grow spiritually in their individual faith journeys and to grow together as we share our experience of God's love in Jesus Christ. Through preaching, teaching, and counseling, he helps people understand the scriptures, learn to think and talk about their faith, and apply those understandings to their daily lives.
Pastor Steve Says
“I try hard to focus on what is really important. When Jesus was asked what was the most important thing, he said it was to love God and to love our neighbors. All too often people of faith get bogged down in disputes and fights about points of doctrine, interpretations of scripture, or particular social causes, and forget that while we may have disagreements, we are called to love each other and be united in the love of God. I believe we need to listen to each other, to be tolerant and loving towards those who disagree with us, and to strive to follow Christ's teaching and example in all we do.”
Rev. Cheryl Frank
Associate Pastor
​Cheryl is blessed to live in Rochester with her spouse, Bruce, and their two daughters, Helen and Joanna. Cheryl was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin. She spent her senior year of high school as a Rotary exchange student in Saitama, Japan. She attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where she studied viola and organ.
She has a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. She played viola in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she also founded the New Orleans String Project, a program to teach stringed instruments to inner city children.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Cheryl's family moved back to Rochester. A few years later, Cheryl received a call to pastoral ministry. She has a Master of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Cheryl has a passion for social justice, and enjoys finding God in people of all ages. In her spare time, Cheryl enjoys backpacking, camping, hiking, and making music.
Marilyn Thrall
Director of Family Life Development
Marilyn has worked with children and youth in our congregation for over 4 decades. She considers Greece Baptist her home church because of the love and support; the encouragement to accept and be accepted; and the ability to learn, to change, and to grow.
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A retired elementary school teacher, Marilyn earned her B.S. and M.S. from SUNY Brockport in the areas of Early Childhood and Elementary Curriculum. She is always looking for different ways we can each experience learning and build relationships.
As Director of Family Life Development, Marilyn is on the lookout for opportunities to get together, take care of each other, and have FUN.
Brandon Arva
Office Manager
Brandon has been Office Manager for Greece Baptist Church since June 2014. He was born in Rochester, and was raised in the American Baptist Churches, being a lifelong member of Parma Baptist Church until it’s unfortunate closure. As a youth, he actively participated in Youth Task Force, NYS Youth Cabinet, and Youth Leader Core programs, becoming an active peer leader at the local and state levels at annual American Baptist youth retreats and conventions.
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After graduating from Spencerport High School, Brandon pursued a BS Music Education degree (Hartwick College, ’05), and then continued on to get an MA Music Theory degree (University at Buffalo, SUNY, ’08). He also holds an MM Music Education degree from Kent State University, ’10. His primary instrument of study is the flute, and he enjoys performance opportunities in the community and in various centers for worship. Brandon also is the director of the Greece Baptist Church Bell Choir.
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In his spare time, Brandon enjoys spending time with family, cooking, doing puzzles, cross-stitching, playing and arranging music. He is also currently involved in writing a musical children’s book with two colleagues from Hartwick. They hope to have the book available by the end of Spring 2024.