Bridge Pastor Margrethe Shizuko Chinen KleiberMargrethe Shizuko Chinen Kleiber
Bridge Pastor
pr.margrethe@lchwelcome.org
808-941-2566
My idea of a perfect day is… walking from Ali‘i Beach Park in Hale‘iwa to the old Army Beach and watching the turtles swimming and bobbing in the waves.
My biggest challenge is… telling jokes. Sadly, I couldn’t tell a joke if my life depended on it!
My biggest pet peeve is… That I can’t tell jokes. I’m way too serious!
My life verse is… Romans 12:9–21. This passage is too long to quote, but it begins and ends: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor…. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
My favorite children’s book is… Old Turtle by Douglas Wood.
My last meal would be… if I knew it was my last meal, I would not be able to eat!
My name is… Margrethe. Margrethe (ma-gray-da) the Great ruled Denmark, Norway, and Sweden during the 14th century. I trust there is no resemblance, but if thinking of Queen Ma-gray-da the Great helps you pronounce my name, that would be awesome!
My worst habit is… being chronically late because I want to do one more thing….
I am happiest when… I am watching the birds in our backyard. Jesus said, “Consider the birds of the air….”
My favorite Bible character (at this moment, anyway) is… Naomi. I love all the characters in Ruth, but the book could easily be called Naomi. Naomi is the character who undergoes the greatest transformation in the story, moving from grief and loss to joy and fulfillment.
Transforming experience(s)… Travel has been transformative. I’ve been privileged to see how people in other countries live and organize their societies. We could learn a few things….
The best advice I could give a 20-year-old is… enjoy life. That is the advice my dad gave me, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen the wisdom in it. Too many folks behave as if the purpose of life is achievement. Life is a gift to enjoy, not a race to be won. Savor the small delights.
My guilty pleasure is… Fritos Corn Chips.
My idea of a perfect day is… exploring a new city with my husband, Tony.
Pastor Margrethe (Ma-gray-da) Kleiber grew up in Wahiawa and attended Trinity Lutheran Church and School. After graduating from Leilehua High School, she studied at Yale University, where she met her future spouse, Tony Kleiber. The Lutheran Church of Honolulu was her sponsoring congregation when she attended Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. She was ordained at LCH in 1993.
Pastor Kleiber specialized in interim ministry and has served congregations in California, London, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Now retired, she looks forward to cooking (and eating), walking on the beach, curling up with a good book, and cuddling her cat, Simba!
Directory of Music and Liturgy and Organist Barry WengerBarry Wenger
Director of Music and Liturgy and Organist
b.wenger@lchwelcome.org
808-941-2566
My idea of a perfect day is… sunshine, a light breeze, and being in the water!
My biggest challenge is… overthinking and a little procrastination
My biggest pet peeve is… folks missing the world around them, especially while on an electronic device.
My life verse is… be open to any possibility!
My favorite children’s book is… Dr. Seuss “Cat in the Hat”
My last meal would be… surf and turf with lobster and a beautiful fillet mignon.
My nickname is… Jaybird
My worst habit is… getting impatient with myself.
I am happiest when… I am with Steve and our fur babies. Also, when playing the organ!
My favorite Bible character is… Zaccheus
Transforming experience(s)… playing a concert on the 1738 Muller Organ at St. Bavo, Haarlem, the Netherlands.
I was born… in Minot, North Dakota, on a very cold November day.
The best advice I could give a 20-year-old is… find your passion and go for it!
My guilty pleasure is… a good martini and Popeyes fried chicken
My idea of a perfect day is… hiking, biking, or swimming, then relaxing outdoors.
My favorite sports team is… not my thing. I enjoy watching the Olympics.
The one thing I want to make sure people know about LCH is… the people are gracious and welcoming!
I came to LCH because… I had been there during the 1997 American Guild of Organists Convention, and it remained with me.
Barry Wenger is excited to be part of the historic music ministry at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu and to direct the excellent LCH Choir. He joined the staff of LCH in November 2022 after being a professional church musician for over 35 years.
Barry found his love for the pipe organ and its music at the age of 20. It wasn’t until the organist at his home church, Faith United Methodist in Minot, asked him to begin organ lessons that he even thought of playing organ. He signed up for organ lessons and was immediately hooked on the majestic dynamic range of the organ. He has a love of church liturgy, sacred choral music, bell music, and encouraging congregational singing.
Dr. Wenger studied with many wonderful teachers. He studied organ with Dr. Mark Dimond, Minot State University and the University of North Dakota, who had studied with Maurice Duruflé in Paris and Virgil Fox in New York City and Dr. John Obetz, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Conservatory of Music, who studied with Vernon DeTar at Union Seminary in New York and with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. Barry feels very fortunate to have had these experiences with two wonderful organ professors. He also studied harpsichord and piano with Dr. Jane Solose at the University of North Dakota during his master of music program. He studied choral conducting with Dr. Eph Ehly at the UMKC Conservatory.
Dr. Wenger has served several churches, playing the organ and directing choirs in Minot and Grand Forks, North Dakota; Kansas City, Missouri; and Chicago, Illinois. Most recently, Dr. Wenger was the organist and director of bell choirs at First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest, Illinois. There he conducted two adult bell choirs and accompanied the Sanctuary Choir and two children’s choirs. In 2019, Dr. Wenger toured with his Lakeminster Ringers bell choir to the Netherlands. There they performed four concerts of bell music combined with a 45-minute organ recital. Dr. Wenger played a Cavaille-Coll Organ, and several famous Müller Organs at these concerts, including the 1739 Müller Organ at the famed St. Bavo Church in Haarlem. This was a highlight of his career as many organists, such as Handel, Mozart, and Mendelssohn, have played this organ!
Dr. Wenger’s career has included teaching piano, harpsichord, and organ privately for 28 years and serving as a professor at Lake Forest College, teaching organ, and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Waukesha Campus. There he conducted the Concert Choir and taught class piano.
Brenda Barrios Brenda Barrios
Parish Administrator
lch@lchwelcome.org
808-941-2566
Brenda Barrios was born in Toronto, Canada, and grew up in the Greater Los Angeles area. Recently she and her family moved to Hawai‘i in response to a new call for her husband, an ELCA rostered minister. Brenda comes to us with extensive non-profit experience in church administration and operations working for parishes from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church. She is familiar with the natural rhythms and calendars of parish ministry and is a solutions-based leader.
Brenda is assisting her family in this new season as they settle into life in Hawai‘i. Most recently she took up standup paddle boarding as a hobby and is enjoying the close proximity to the ocean. She loves to spend time with her family and enjoys traveling and cooking. She is a mother of three children; Penelope, Amelie, and Hansel and wife to Moses, the senior pastor of Calvary by the Sea Lutheran Church in ‘Āina Haina. They currently reside in Hawai‘i Kai.