Leah Martens

LeaD Pastor

Leah Martens is our Lead Pastor.  Leah came to faith in Jesus as a theatre student at Northwestern University in Chicago (of all places!). After spending several years as a professional gigging singer/songwriter fronting an alt/folk/rock band in Chicago, she did something equally ridiculous and impractical and entered seminary to begin the process of preparing for someday starting this group that would come to be called Haven. 

Leah has a Masters in Christian Ministry from North Park Seminary in Chicago, and served for five years as Worship Pastor of Sanctuary Community Church in Iowa City before moving to Berkeley to start Haven. In addition to leading Haven, Leah is wife to Jason and is mother to three children, ranging ages 12 to 18. Learn more about her story here.

Debra Runyan

Kids’ Director

Debra is our Kids’ Director. Debra holds a bachelor's degree from CIIS, with a focus on interdisciplinary and critical thinking, bringing a unique perspective to nurturing intergenerational opportunities and cultivating faith. Her dedication to creating a safe and understanding environment is evident in her approach, ensuring that every child feels valued and supported.

In addition to her professional skills, Debra is a parent and grandparent, who has a passion for gardening and animal rescue, enriching her ability to connect with children in diverse and meaningful ways. We are excited to see the positive impact she will have on our community, fostering growth, faith, and fun for our youngest members.

Luca

Director of Operations & Social media Manager

As the Admin and Social Media Manager at Haven Berkeley, Luca brings creativity, multiple art, writing, and music degrees, and top-notch organizational skills to everything he does. Whether it’s crafting the weekly newsletter, updating the website, planning community events, or coordinating Haven’s amazing volunteers, he’s all about making things run smoothly behind the scenes. On Sundays, you’ll find him creating dynamic slides for the teachings, running sound, and managing the streaming channel to ensure everything goes off without a hitch.

If you’d like to contact Luca, you can email him at luca@havenberkeley.org.