Staff Listing
Staff List Grace Lutheran Church Staff
Staff List of Phone Extensions
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Pastoral Staff
Pastor
Senior Pastor
Pastor Matthews came to Grace Lutheran Church in the Fall of 2003, having formerly served congregations in Afton, Moorhead and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
In addition to serving as a parish pastor for thirty-four years, Pastor John was a US Army Reserve Chaplain in the 1980s. For his entire career he has served as a Police Chaplain for the cities of Moorhead, Brooklyn Park, Burnsville, and Washington County. For seven years, he has been an adjunct professor of religion at Augsburg College's Rochester Campus. He is the author of "Anxious Souls Will Ask . . . the Christ-Centered Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer" (Eerdmans - 2005).
Beyond the parish ministry, Pastor John has been actively involved in the International Bonhoeffer Society, having served as the President of the English Language Section. He has also been involved in Jewish-Christian relations for over 25 years, serving on the ELCA Consultative Panel for Lutheran-Jewish Relations between 1990-2000. His wife, Patty is employed by Vibrant Faith Ministries, formerly the Youth and Family Institute (Bloomington, MN), and together they have five children and five grandchildren.
Pastor John is a graduate of Concordia College (Moorhead, MN), Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN), having done post-graduate study at the International Center for Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem in Jersualem.
Pastor
Associate Pastor
Pastor Helker came to Grace Lutheran Church as the Associate Pastor in the Fall of 2004, having formerly served in Litchfield, Minnesota.
Pastor Therese's great passions are preaching, leading worship, performing pastoral duties such as weddings, baptisms, and funerals, along with teaching Bible studies and facilitating discussions at book club.
She also enjoys being a confirmation teacher to the seventh graders, along with overseeing Children, Youth & Families Ministries at Grace. She also consults with the Congregational Life and Outreach ministries.
For fun, Pastor Therese reads fiction, along with theological books and poetry, writes children's stories, and takes her dog, Lily for walks. She has three teenage daughters who she adores, and a husband who is also a pastor who she couldn't "do without."
Program Staff
Parish Nurse**
Margaret Boehlke, Choir Accompanist*
Steven Boehlke, Director of Grace Choir*
Children's Ministries*
Parish Nurse**
Organist*
Provides music for Sunday worship services, weddings, funerals (at Grace and elsewhere) and other services throughout the year. This includes playing the organ and piano. Involves members of the congregation in providing special music for worship; this involves accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists.
Coordinator of Intergenerational Ministries
Wedding Coordinator*
John Koziol, Keyboardist*
Director of Youth Ministries
Children's Ministries*
Administrative Staff
Joni Baldwin, Accountant*
Lana Hanson, Accounting Clerk*
Director of Publications
Administrative Assistant
Program Assistant to Children, Youth & Families Ministries
Schedules baptisms, processes Grace Bible School, Confirmation and camp registrations.
Bernie Meyer, Accounting Clerk*
Carolyn Olson, Office Assistant*
Pat Will, Office Assistant*
Custodial Staff
Dave Lown, Building Manager
Joseph Rowan, Custodian*
Nursery Staff
Jennifer Nelson, Nursery Coordinator*
Shannon Morrison, Missi Kuoppala, Nursery Attendants*
*Part-time staff **Volunteer position
Grace Preschool
Telephone: 952-432-5451
Director:
Teachers: Barb Boatman, Karen Hansen, Linda Hardies
Gail Menk, Paula Riopel, Chris Sachs
Administrative Assistant: Sue Burke
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