It is a pleasure to officially introduce myself to everyone. As I stated mentioned
before, I was born and raised near the Lutheran Vatican, Minneapolis, MN. I am the
son of a Lutheran minister; baptized, first communion, confirmed, married, all in the
Lutheran church. And yet I am a Presbyterian pastor. How did I get this way you
maybe asking? In high school I started attending youth group with some friends and
didn’t find out until later that they were Presbyterians. When I was 16 I went on a
mission trip to Tennessee with my group and that is where my faith really came alive
and I came to know Jesus personally. I later joined the church and that became my
faith community.
I attended college at University of Wisconsin-Madison studying history and
ancient languages. When I graduated I decided to study in Jerusalem, which was a life
changing experience. It was also in Jerusalem that I met another student studying
overseas, a girl from Ellensburg, WA named Alisa (we’ve been married for 25 years).
After spending a year in Israel I started seminary at Princeton and graduated in 1998. I
have served churches in Bellevue, Michigan, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Bay Area,
CA.
My family and I live in Ellensburg and have family in the area. Alisa is a clinical
social worker and works for KVH as a mental health counselor. We have two
children: Liam (18), and Jane (14). We love to travel (especially where there is good
food), movies, and one of my passions is photography. I’m really looking forward to
this opportunity to serve at Christ Lutheran and join you in ministry during this time
of transition.
