Our Team

Chuck focuses his ministry on the values that make for a spiritually rounded character. He and Kate have skin in the game with four children and 11 grandchildren to bloom. He was instrumental in leading Christ Church to intentionally reach out to LGBTQ families in the ‘90s. And that helped us become more multicultural today. Chuck helped develop “Bridges”, “Good Grief”, “Grace Kitchen”, and the “Student Partner Alliance”. He serves on the Board at Overlook Hospital. In his first life, he taught at Rutgers University after studying philosophy and politics at Wake Forest and writing his dissertation at Princeton Seminary. He is author of “Let This Cup Pass from Me”, a Lenten reflection on the humanity of Jesus.

Rev. Julie Yarborough has been Associate Pastor of Christ Church since 1996. She’s pretty good at remembering names and loves to help people connect with one another. Julie has a passion for intergenerational faith formation and believes that children and teens belong in worship and as active participants in the life of the church. She is the former chairperson of the national board of the Association of United Church Educators (AUCE).

Julie currently serves as Executive Director for ESHIN, an all volunteer, interfaith non-profit she helped to start that develops affordable hosting in NJ. She is also on the board of One World, One Love NJ, which supports new immigrant families arriving in the US, and she serves on the Pre-Ordination Commission of the NJ Association of the UCC.

In her spare time, you can find Julie hiking in the woods or marching in the streets for a more inclusive, just world. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Julie is a graduate of Earlham College and Yale Divinity School. Married to the Rev. Jeff Markay, she is the mother of two young adults, Liz and Matt.

Mark A. Miller serves as Minister of Music at Christ Church in Summit, NJ, and is a Christian composer and educator whose music celebrates justice, inclusion, and community. A graduate of Yale and Juilliard, he also teaches at Drew University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. His widely published works, including Child of God and Roll Down, Justice!, have been performed internationally in Sweden, South Africa, Austria, Russia, and the Baltic states, and even featured at Carnegie Hall during a Juneteenth celebration. In 2025, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity for his contributions to sacred music. Beyond his musical talents, Mark enjoys frisbee, puppies, IPAs, The Lord of the Rings, poetry, time with his husband, Mike, their children, Alyse and Keith, and—especially—his grandchild, Jabari! Not necessarily in that order!

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Ashley Kile joined the staff in 2019 as the Director of Children and Youth Ministries. She oversees the nursery and Sunday School program for infants through 5th grade, in addition to the middle school, Confirmation, and high school ministries. She is passionate about developing programs that help our youngest disciples connect with God, one another and their community through volunteer work, worship in all forms, and fellowship opportunities. Alongside her husband, Rev. Chris Kile, Ashley is busy raising their four children in Cranford, NJ. During the school year, Ashley is often on the soccer field coaching and/or cheering loudly, but spends the summer seeking new adventures domestically and abroad. She graduated from Bloomsburg University with a B.A in Social Work.