St. John's Staff Team
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Pastor Andy is the Senior Pastor of St. John's, was ordained in 1992, and has served five excellent ELCA congregations in Barnum, Red Wing, Brainerd, Nisswa and Lakeville MN. Pastor Andy is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead (BA in History and Secondary Education) and Luther Seminary in St. Paul (M.Div). He is married to Paula Smith and they have seven children between the two of them. Pastor Andy finds creating an environment of joy in the congregation to be a priority in his ministry. He sees the community of faith as the powerful work of Christ and of His grace, where all people are accepted and included and are called to share in the love of Christ in the church and for the world. Pastor Andy senses the marvelous privilege of leading and sharing in the ministry of congregations and is proud to be a pastor in the ELCA.
Amanda joined the staff at St. John's in July of 2019. A long-time youth minister in the Twin Cities, Amanda comes to St. John's with her husband, Ryan and their four kids. What inspires her to work in CYF ministry is the part of the true growth in a child's faith from when they are given their first Bible as a preschooler to helping plan a mission trip when they are in High School. She loves to use creative ways to keep kids engaged and learning about the love of Jesus! She sees herself as her own type of "hardware store" giving families the tools they need to grow strong faith and homes centered and Christ. For fun, she loves tackling home renovations projects like building furniture that can withstand the wear and tear of her 4 kids who all tower over her and are very active in High School and College sports.
St. John's Director of Music strives to enhance the worship life of the congregation through a comprehensive program of music. The Director of Music provides leadership and direction for the music program and the music staff of St. John's Church, under the supervision of the pastor.
Jonathan Kopplin lives in Lakeville with his wife, Kim, and two sons Jacob and Alex. Jonathan has a variety of experience teaching music in private and public schools and working as a church musician in Minnesota and Iowa. He grew up in Nisswa, MN and went to college at Luther College in Decorah, IA, and earned a Master's of Music in Choral Conduction from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
St. John's Office Manager provides front office administrative support of the congregation, provides secretarial support for the administration of the congregation, and provides effective communication with the congregation and the community.
Candy lives in Northfield with her husband Kyle. They have four grown children and six grandchildren who all live in the Twin Cities and surrounding area.
Tyra is St. John's Financial Records Analyst. Her work focuses on the church's bookkeeping and accounting needs. She is a long-time member of the church, is married to Scott Wiemann, and they have two children, Amanda and Matthew.
Amy Tann Erlandson is the Director of Children's Music at St. John's, where she directs the Grace Singers (3yr-4th grade). The Children's Director of Music creates a loving and safe environment for young singers as they journey to discover their faith in music and become young leaders of the congregation while also learning the fundamentals of music.
Amy Erlandson is a native Minnesotan from Maplewood. She received her Bachelors of Music in Music Education at St. Olaf College in Northfield where she was a member of the St. Olaf Choir, the St. Olaf Chamber Singers, and St. Olaf's nationally ranking Women's Ultimate Frisbee Team. Amy had a variety of music experiences working in the St. Olaf Music Organizations Office, St. Olaf's Performance Ensemble Library, as well as directing the children's choir at First UCC in Northfield.
Elisa is St. John's Vacation Bible School Coordinator. She is married to Dan and they have two children, Emma and Jakob. She loves working with kids and looks forward to the joy of kids experiencing exciting experiences of faith growth in VBS.
Mary Beth is the organist for our traditional Sunday service and provides accompaniment for the choir and Wednesday evening worship. Her favorite part of church music is to join with others to make music that praises our God, including singing hymns/songs together, accompanying vocal and instrumental groups/solos, and playing piano duets for worship.
She is married to Bob, and they have four adult children and 3 grandchildren (her play pals), all in the Twin Cities area. She loves caring for her body and mind through outdoor activities (especially biking, hiking, camping, canoeing), going to the cabin, and traveling. She is also a cellist in the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra.
Degrees: Bachelor of Music in Church Music from St. Olaf, Masters in Business Administration from St. Thomas.
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Butch Oswald
Custodian and Facility Care
Butch joined the staff in 2018 and is responsible for care of our church facility. He is an enjoyable presence in the building and is also the go-to person for all event set-ups. Butch is a valued member of the church staff.