our leadership
staff
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Pastor Ben Griffin – click to contact Some quick things about me. Jesus Follower. Love my wife. 3 awesome and busy kids! Dig fall afternoons with a cup of hot cider, a fire in the fireplace and a good book in hand. Love being a part of theAlley church! |
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Worship Brian Smith – click to contact Brian & his wife Sarah have been married for 8 years and live in Cottage Grove with their 3 daughters; Amelia, Adalie & Delaney. Brian is a graduate of the ministries program at Northwestern College and has been leading worship for 10+ years. In his spare time Brian enjoys spending time with the family and home renovations. |
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Midway Site Coordinator Doug McCulloch – click to contact Doug and his wife, Amanda, have been married for nearly 13 years spending the majority of their married life in St. Paul’s End neighborhood. They have 2 children, Grace who is 9, and Henry who is 4. Doug moved to MN in 1994 from Long Island, NY to attend college. Doug graduated from Concordia University with a degree in Psychology with a minor on Family Studies. Doug also volunteers as a youth leader for the Alley Youth program and has been amazed at growth of the program over the last three years. |
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Bookkeeper / Administrator Patty Ohmann – click to contact I am saved by God’s grace, married with 4 kids. Background is healthcare administration. Have attended theAlley since 2009 and Woodbury Lutheran before that. Moved here in 2006 from Oklahoma, but I also have Texas roots. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 115:1 which says, “Not to us, not to us, O Lord, but to your Name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness.” I’m thankful for the opportunities to contribute in this new position. |
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Midway Worship Billy Schultz – click to contact Born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago, Billy was a normal kid. He played t-ball, did his chores (occasionally), and played with Legos. Seven years ago, he moved to Minnesota to attend Concordia University-St. Paul, where he received his BA and MA. In his free time, Billy enjoys watching football and baseball, playing guitar and drums, and casually studying meteorology. He is excited to serve the people in the Midway with his musical gifts and passion. |
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President Dave Letsche - click to contact Dave and his wife Jill live in Woodbury with their three teen-aged kids. Dave works for a local company in charge of their finance and accounting function, and serves on several boards. Dave was born, raised, and educated here in the Twin Cities and is active in a variety of pursuits. On the outside, Dave may come across like he’s “all-business.” But on the inside, he is striving to be “all-for-Jesus!” |
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Treasurer Mary Schulz – click to contact Mary, and her husband Stefan, have been married for 16 years and have two very active children keeping them busy! The Schulz family moved to Woodbury from Texas in 2005. Mary was a litigation services consultant at Arthur Andersen, then a small business owner (both in Houston), and now loves being a stay-at-home mom. The Schulz’s are actively involved in their Small Group at theAlley. Mary feels very blessed to have the opportunity to serve Christ, along side many of you, through the activities at theAlley. |
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Member At Large Stefan Schulz – click to contact Stefan and his wife Mary (pictured above), are originally from the Houston area. The family moved to Woodbury in 2005 when Stefan accepted a role in Accounting and Finance management at St. Paul based Lawson Software. Stefan, Mary and their two children were part of theAlley”s launch and believe the church’s missional focus emphasizes the calling of all Christians. |
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Member At Large Matt Minder – click to contact Matt has been married to his wife Jennifer since 1993 and make their home in Maplewood with their three children Benjamin, Grace, and Alex. Matt has worked in the mortgage industry as a Mortgage Planner since 1990. Matt enjoys spending time with his family, camping, coaching, bicycling, and has recently taken up running. |
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Member At Large Shawn McFarlane – click to contact Shawn McFarlane and his wife Jennifer live in West Lakeland, Minnesota and have three children. Shawn works as a portfolio manager at St. Paul-based Bremer Financial Corporation. One of his favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:8: “whatever is true, whatever is pure — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about these things.” He believes Christ’s gift of redemption encourages us try, despite our constant failures, to focus on good and noble things. He enjoys reading and spending time with his family. |
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Member At Large John Fisk – click to contact John was born and raised in Iowa and currently resides in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. He has been married to his wife Rachel since 2001 and they have two children; Sydney born in 2006 and Quinn born in 2009. John received his horticulture degree from Iowa State University and is currently employed with Bailey Nurseries as a Production Manager. John enjoys working with plants, people and doing just about anything outdoors. His family was a part of the Alley’s launch and have truly enjoyed the fellowship, energy, opportunities to serve, and seeing God’s work in action. A verse that John will often reference: Jeremiah 9:23-24 |
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Member At Large Amanda McCulloch - click to contact Amanda and her husband Doug live in St. Paul with their two kids; Grace and Henry. Amanda is a Minnesota native who grew up in the country and transformed into a city girl after college. During the day, she works in the clinical department of a local medical device company. In her off time Amanda enjoys family adventures and has found a niche in children’s ministry at theAlley. In all aspects of life, she is striving to live the words of Paul: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Galatians 5:8 |
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Ryan Steffen – click to contact Ryan grew up on a grain and beef cattle farm in Southwest Minnesota. Ryan and his wife Katherine have been married for 5 years and reside in St. Paul. He is an accountant in agriculture business and is also enrolled at the University of St. Thomas pursuing his MBA degree. Besides studying and serving at the Midway location, Ryan enjoys running and skiing. |
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Rick Gigante – click to contact Rick and Denise have been married for 36 yrs and is father of 2 and a grandfather of 3. Rick works at Medtronic as a Sr. Engineering Mgr. involved in product development & product launch. In his spare time he enjoys time with the grandsons, runs 5-6 days a week and participates in a couple 10 milers and half marathons per year. |
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Paul Thompson – click to contact Paul has been married to Julie for 27 years and is the father of 3 and grandfather of 2. Paul works in IT at a large Financial Institution and manages a team of programmers supporting Consumer Loans. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family, fishing, golf, reading and running the occasional 5K with his son-in-law and son-in-law to be. |
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Jon Schommer – click to contact Jon Schommer was born and raised in Wisconsin and currently lives in Woodbury, Minnesota. He has been married to Lisa since August 1988 and they have two children; Dave born in 1993 and Emily born in 1996. Jon enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, golfing, and ice fishing. Jon earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and currently is a professor at the University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy. |
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Jim Manship – click to contact Jim & Bev were married in 1985 at Woodbury Lutheran Church and are blessed with three lovely young-adult daughters. Jim loves taking time to be active with his family in all they do. ”I love that the Bible and Jesus are the center of our church and I’m honored to be serving Jesus here at the Alley.” |
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Tim Vogel – click to contact Tim was born and raised in the Twin Cities. He and Jeanie were married 33 years ago, lived in Olathe, Kansas for 18 years, and moved to MN in 1993. They have 2 adult daughters and proudly welcomed a son-in-law in June 2010. Tim works at Bailey Nursery in the inventory dept. Graduated from Mid America Nazarene University in 1983 with a degree in agribusiness. I love to teach teens about living life with Jesus, what a wonderful friend the Son of God is! |
