Westminster Presbyterian Church: Westminster Staff

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Pastors and Parish Associates		Westminster Town Hall Forum
Music and the Arts Staff
Program Staff		Westminster Counseling Center
Administration
Facilities Staff		Open Positions

Pastors

THA Timothy D. Hart-Andersen
Pastor and Head of Staff
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Tim began his 12th year at Westminster in fall, 2010. He and his family live in Southwest Minneapolis, from where he regularly bikes to work.
He first sensed a call to serve others while in Ecuador as a 19-year old. Almost a decade later he surprised his friends when he landed in seminary.
Tim’s ministry in this large, active congregation focuses on three areas:
Preaching From September to June he is in the pulpit four out of five Sundays.
Staff coordination He works with a large, dynamic team.
Strategic leadership He helps Westminster leaders think creatively about the future.Tim finds Westminster to be a community thoroughly engaged in living faithfully in a complex time. He is grateful that the church is willing to learn and change, to grow and take risks – all in an effort to fulfill the gospel mandate to “love God and neighbor.”
Seminaries M. Div., McCormick (Chicago); D. Min., San Francisco
Other degrees B.A., Sociology; M. A., Latin American Studies
Community service Macalester College Board of Trustees; Board Member, Downtown Council of Minneapolis; Founding Board Member, Covenant Network of Presbyterians. His assistant is Kathy Fisher.

Meghan K. Gage-Finn
Associate Pastor for Children, Youth & Families
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The Rev. Meghan K. Gage-Finn is Associate Pastor for Children, Youth, and Families. She received her bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University with majors in psychology and women's studies, and then served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Columbia, Missouri, running a literacy and tutoring program in the public elementary schools. Meghan received her Master of Divinity Degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2005. During seminary, Meghan did a yearlong international internship in youth and family ministries with two English-speaking congregations in Lausanne, Switzerland, and during that time served as a delegate to the 2004 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Before coming to Westminster in 2007, Meghan served as a Lilly Minister in Residence at the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, MI. As a Lilly Resident, Meghan served in the areas of children's ministry, evangelism and fellowship, youth ministry and Confirmation, pastoral care, small group ministry, and campus ministry. Her assistant is Barbara Prince.

David Liddle
Interim Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care
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The Rev. David Liddle is an honorably retired minister who serves as Interim Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care while the church searches for a successor to the Rev. Byron Thompson, who retired in 2009. David leads the church staff in direct pastoral care to hospitalized and homebound members, as well as those experiencing personal or spiritual crises. In addition, he oversees the pastoral care program area and shares in the worship life of the congregation. Prior to coming to Westminster in 2008, he served four churches and a new church development as either pastor/head of staff, associate pastor, stated supply or interim pastor. David, a native of Iowa, received his Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in the Practice of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. His administrative assistant is Claudia Kapitan.

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MichaelKathy Katherine S. Michael
Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Leadership Development
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The Rev. Kathy Michael is Associate Pastor for Adult Education and Leadership Development. She received her Master of Arts degree in Bible and Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Prior to coming to Westminster in 1996, Kathy was coordinator for ecumenical ministries at Luther Seminary, and has considerable experience working in Christian education. Her assistant is Claudia Kapitan.

MitchellDouglas_small Douglas Mitchell
Associate Pastor for Faith in Action
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As Associate Pastor for Faith in Action, Doug Mitchell brings a history of leadership in urban mission agencies dealing directly with issues of discrimination, housing, youth, inclusivity, and other critical social justice concerns. Before coming to Westminster in 2001, Doug served as the President of the City Mission Society of Boston and as the Executive Director of Greater Birmingham Ministries. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and has done extensive additional graduate work in social ethics and urban politics. Doug's service to the larger church includes chairing the General Assembly's Urban Ministry Support Team, 1989-1993, and serving on the Urban Strategy Task Force, 1991-2000. He is on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association, the PCUSA’s oldest and largest social justice organization. His assistant is Dan Franklin.

ALS Annika Lister Stroope
Associate Pastor for Evangelism & Fellowship
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The Rev. Annika Lister Stroope was called to Westminster as Associate Pastor for Evangelism and Fellowship in August 2002. Since becoming a mom in March 2008, Annika shifted from full-time to 25 hours a week at Westminster, and now focuses on evangelism and supervises Westminster’s Coordinator of Fellowship and Women’s Ministries, Melanie McCall. Annika is happy to talk with you about church membership, Presbyterianism, and ways to connect with Westminster! A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Annika discerned her call to ministry serving as a mission associate to Des Moines Presbytery’s partner church in El Salvador in 1996. After graduating from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2001 with awards in preaching and theology, she served as a chaplain at Macalester College. In the Twin Cities Area Presbytery, she served on the Pastor Nominating Committee for its new church development, Familia de Fe. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, with majors in history and religion, from Swarthmore College. Her assistant is Claudia Kapitan.

Parish Associates

Denise Dunbar-Perkins
Parish Associate
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Dean J. Seal
Parish Associate
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Music and the Arts Staff

OhnstadMelanie Melanie Ohnstad
Minister of Music & the Arts/Organist
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Melanie has served Westminster as organist since November 1995. In addition to her position as organist, she also serves as Minister of Music and the Arts. Melanie received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in June 1999. She earned the Master of Music in Organ Performance from Arizona State University and the Bachelor of Music from St. Olaf College. Prior to coming to Westminster, Melanie was the Assistant Organist at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis. While there she made three compact discs with the Cathedral Choir. Melanie has also served Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix as Organist-Choirmaster and St. Stephen Lutheran, Wausau, as Director of Music and Youth. Her current area of interest is integrating theology and the arts. Her assistant is Barbara Prince.

LantzJere Jere Lantz
Director of Westminster Choir
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Jere Lantz is the Director of the Westminster Choir. He holds masters and doctorate degrees from Yale in conducting. For twenty years he has been the Music Director of the Rochester Orchestra and Chorale. In addition, he directs the Minnetonka Choral Society and serenades Lake Harriet audiences on weekend evenings each summer directing the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. He has conducted most of Minnesota’s major choruses, including the Minnesota Chorale, Bach Society, Minnesota Center Chorale, Oratorio Society, Winona Symphonic Choir and Soul Liberation Choir. In 1996, he served four months as Interim Director of Music at St. Mark’s Cathedral. Jere has been active in the community serving as an advisory panelist for the Minnesota State Arts Board, as a board member of the American Composers Forum and on the Citizens’ Advisory Committee of Minnesota Public Radio. His assistant is Barbara Prince

SchwartzRodneyAllen

Rodney Allen Schwartz
Director, The Westminster Gallery and Archive
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Rodney Allen Schwartz is the Director of the Westminster Gallery and Archive. He works with the Fine Arts Committee to curate and install five gallery exhibitions and numerous other exhibitions within Westminster each year, and manage a growing collection of original religious and relevant secular art. He and a group of volunteers are working their way through 150 years of archival artifacts. Rodney earned his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design and was previously the curator of decorative arts at the Goldstein Museum of Design.

CarterNancy Nancy Carter
Director of Westminster Handbell Choirs
Nancy is responsible for forming and maintaining a Handbell program that enables members of all ages to experience music through handbells and choirchimes. Prior to her work here, she served as director of other handbell programs and children’s music programs, as well as participating in choirs and small ensembles. Nancy has a bachelor’s degree from the College of Saint Catherine. She and husband Jim have been married 35 years and have two children who grew up at Westminster.
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LaumannChris_portrait Christopher Laumann
Youth Music Director
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Youth Music Director, Chris Laumann, is in his seventh year of teaching at Valley View Middle School in Bloomington where he directs the 6th-8th grade choir program and teaches 8th grade general music. He earned his Bachelor degree in Music Education from St. Cloud State University and pursues a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University St. Paul. Before coming to Westminster Chris was tenor section leader at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Edina and also sang at St. Joseph's Parish in New Hope.

OllmannBrad Brad Ollmann
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Director of Early Childhood Music
Brad is currently in his eighth year teaching music at Saint Anthony Park Elementary (Saint Paul Public Schools). He completed a Bachelor of Music Education degree at the University of Minnesota in 1999 and a Master of Music Education from the University of Saint Thomas in 2006, where he completed a thesis that examined young children's ability to sing in tune. Brad has a strong interest in cultivating children's love for music through singing and movement activities.