Baruch (Barry) Rubin
Rabbi
Barry A. Rubin, MA in Communications from Ohio University, taught communications courses at Howard University before being in the forefront of Messianic Judaism since the 1970s. He served with Jews for Jesus from 1974-1980; Chosen People Ministries from 1982- 1988; and from 1988 to the present, President of Messianic Jewish Publishers and Resources-MJPR), a sixty-year-old organization begun in the Orthodox Jewish section of Baltimore. He has been Dr. David Stern’s publishing partner for the Jewish New Testament and the Jewish New Testament Commentary, as well as the Complete Jewish Bible, and the recently released Complete Jewish Study Bible.
Barry is Rabbi of Emmanuel Messianic Jewish Congregation in Clarksville, Maryland for 40+ years. Founded in 1915, it is the oldest extant Messianic congregation in the world. Rabbi Rubin has written several books, most notably You Bring the Bagels; I’ll Bring the Gospel: Sharing the Messiah with Your Jewish Neighbor. He is married to Lisa Rubin who works with him in MJPR and he has two grown daughters.
Lisa Rubin
Rebbitzin
Passively just being the wife of the Rabbi is not in Lisa’s DNA. She actively supports all aspects of Emmanuel, from teaching Israeli and Messianic dance to supporting the development of a Sisterhood. In addition to those and other areas of service, as Rabbi Rubin’s wife she is involved in most areas of Emmanuel life—assisting him to be even more effective as our rabbi. She and Rabbi have been married since 2012 and are well-known together in the Messianic Jewish world, attending many conferences where she presents the excellent books they publish through Messianic Jewish Publishers and Rabbi teaches.
Cary Sonneborn
Elder/Gabbi
Raised as a Reform Jew in suburban D.C., Cary is in his 23rd year as a public high school social studies teacher. He has been attending EMJC since 2005 and served as Gabbi for the past 10 years and as an Elder for the past five years . He is an avid bicyclist and sports fan of our local Baltimore teams.
Mike Wallace
Elder
Mike wallace is a stationary engineer, who works on major power systems. He is now working towards his associate degree in ministry leadership at the Kings University. Married to Suzy with two sons and a grandbaby on the way, they have been attending EMJC for 6 years . Mike says, "I love how deep the Bible is with so many unseen meanings in the text and I marvel at how God works in our lives. "
Cononiah McCarthy
Worship Leader
Cononiah hails from the Caribbean, where he was raised in a faith-centered home by parents who faithfully served both their congregation and their community. That early foundation shaped his life, yet like many journeys of faith, his path was not without struggle God. Today, he serves as Emmanuel’s Worship Leader — leading the congregation to connect with God, by drawing people into God’s presence, through song, prayer, and melody.
Jason Tiffany
Livestream and Technical Director, Member of the Board of Trustees
Jason has a strong technical background in microelectronics and engineering. He was volunteered to lead our transition to Livestreaming by his wife, Tonya, and has been challenged with the job ever since. Jason has continually improved what we broadcast over the internet. He is grateful that he can connect us through technology to members and friends who might be shut-ins, unable to attend in person, and to people all over the world.
Tonya Tiffany
Shabbat School Director/Shammasha
Tonya Tiffany has a BS in Sport Management that she utilized in several gyms while running indoor cycling and personal training studios. . She left her career to raise her children and to take an active role in the community. . She has been the Shabbat School Director at Emmanuel for 15 years and enjoys teaching the middle school age group. . She now hopes to help the tweens understand the love of God and the instruction for living manual God has given them, the Bible. Jason and Tonya have two grown sons who volunteer to help them at Emmanuel.
John Grieten
Cantor
While listening to our service via livestreaming, John learned about Emmanuel’s need for a cantor, the person who leads the worship songs and chants the prayers. Rabbi Rubin had mentioned our need for such a person during his sermon and John answered this call the next day. John has a rich voice that he applied to learning the art of chanting from prayer books and under a mentor in another Messianic Jewish congregation. His favorite activity is to sing for God. John, his wife Cheryl and son Joshua, have embraced and been embraced by our congregation only a few months after their first visit.
Audra O'brien
Office Administrator/Shammasha
Audra O’Brien serves the congregation with a heart for helping, faithfulness, and care and is honored to serve as the church’s Administrative Assistant. She supports the day-to-day needs so that the work of the congregation can function smoothly and with excellence. Audra is a disabled United States Marine Corps veteran, and her years of service have shaped her strong sense of responsibility, perseverance, and compassion for others. She also holds an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Assisting, bringing both organizational skill and a background in care and service to her role. Audra is a single mother of two; she homeschools her daughter and shares joint custody of her son. She is grateful to serve in a community where faith, family, and service are lived out together and looks forward to continuing to support the leadership and the body in meaningful ways.