Rejoice Staff and Leadership Teams

PASTOR

I am honored to be the pastor of Rejoice Lutheran Church. Prior to Rejoice, I have been a middle school youth director in the Minneapolis suburbs, a site director for youth service trips in Chicago & New York, and a volunteer in Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia through the ELCA’s Young Adult in Global Mission program. I received my masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and found my call to ministry through experiencing the Church as a place that it is safe and celebrated for me to just be myself. In all my ministry the first goal is to create a safe space for you to be yourself, too.

I am a proud WI Badger alum, and a huge fan of winter activities such as skiing and snow shoeing. My wife, Tillie, and I spend a lot of time cooking and are in the process of learning how to smoke different meats, as well as camping and hiking in the warmer months.

MUSIC DIRECTOR

OFFICE MANAGER

REVITALIZATION TEAM MEMBER

Todd Christianson, Erie, CO with small town IA roots. Joined Rejoice in 2007 with his wife of now 21 years, Andrea Hammersley. Raised both their boys in the church, Thor (20) is living in FL with Andreas' Dad and working on cars ('Vettes!). Hans (18) is a Senior at Centaurus H.S. and is looking towards college next year studying Computer Science/CyberSecurity. Toff a d Andrea are the proud guardians of two (2) German Shorthaired pups, Lucy and Tess. Andrea works for an HR consulting company and Todd builds fiber networks for Lumen (i.e. Centurylink). Todd has served multiple times on the Rejoice council previously, both as an at large member and as President/VP.

REVITALIZATION TEAM MEMBER

Jenny is a life-long Lutheran who believes that church should be a place of grace, acceptance and love. She started attending Rejoice in 2009 and loves belonging to a community of Christians who strive to live generously and in service to others.

REVITALIZATION TEAM MEMBER

Loree was baptized and raised in the Lutheran church. She is a charter member of Rejoice and excited to welcome all to experience and grow as children of God through our community of faith.

REVITALIZATION TEAM MEMBER

Ann Gantzer, moved to Erie Oct of 2023. It was never if but when Ann and her husband would relocate to Denver area from NW Illinois. They have two sons and their families in Aurora. The move happened a bit sooner than anticipated, but Ann had an amazing opportunity at Good Samaritan Hospital where she is now the Chief Nursing Officer. When asked me to serve on Rejoice leadership, Ann said Yes because she was raised to "always say Yes to the church." Ann has served on the church council for her previous congregation in IL. Ann enjoys working with others with a common purpose and felt at home immediately when she came to Rejoice. Ann is looking forward to what is ahead for Rejoice!

REVITALIZATION TEAM MEMBER

Jared was born in San Jose, California. He was active in Boy Scouts earning the Eagle Scout rank. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in Electrical Engineering where he met Carol and married a year later. He served for 6 years in the National Guard. He’s the proud father of 3 daughters and 9 grandchild. He worked in high tech in Silicon Valley for 32 years. He retired in his mid 50s and have been volunteering at various charities (YMCA, Habitat, senior center and church) in retirement. In 2007 the family moved to Newberg Oregon. He enjoys building things, travel, and genealogy and splits his time between Oregon and Colorado.

REVITALIZATION TEAM MEMBER

Ashleigh began attending Rejoice Lutheran in 2020 with her husband and two daughters, and appreciated the heartwarming, welcoming community. It is important to her that Christian faith be at the center of family values. Experiencing God’s love brings connectedness, grace, and happiness in her life. She is looking forward to being part of the Revitalization Team to continue her faith journey and share God’s love with others.