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Peer Ministry Associates
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Catherine Anderson
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
In addition to her work as an Associate with The Institute, Catherine is currently serving as the Synod Youth Coordinator for the Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA. She is also the creator of Camp Noah, a therapeutic day camp for children who have survived natural disasters, sponsored by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota and Luther Disaster Response. Catherine has been working in youth ministry since 1987, beginning in camping ministry and then as the Director of Youth and Family Ministries at a large Lutheran congregation in northern Minnesota. Catherine lives in Duluth, Minnesota, where she tolerates the cold weather in order to play in the woods, swim in the lakes and spoil her two nephews. |
Mike Carlson
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Pastor Carlson is a Youth and Family specialist who has provided solid ministry as a youth and family minister in the parish and in the community. Mike has developed programs in Peer Ministry that have proven to be powerful tools for ministry in the lives of hundreds of people. He is a trained trainer for the Peer Ministry division of The Youth & Family Institute and has trained hundreds of youth and adults. His energy and practical application have proven to work well in any size group.
He is a pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Grand Rapids, MN, where he lives with his three boys and his wife Tammy. He received his M.Div. from Wartburg Theological Seminary. He is also serves as a Speaker, Trainer, and Consultant all over the United States, teaching and preaching on the wonders of God's powerful and transforming love.
Mike keeps groups spell bound as he weaves Biblical foundations with life stories that apply to the priesthood of all believers. He is an accomplished speaker at Synod gatherings, graduations, school groups, and churches as well as being a powerful trainer. Mike is dedicated to empowering all people to find their gifts of ministry.
Workshop and seminar areas include: Surviving Learning Disabilities, Sexuality, Parents Passing on Faith, Intergenerational Ministry, and Sunday School.
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Dayna Clement
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Dayna has been in youth ministry for over ten years through camping ministry, campus ministry, Lutheran Volunteer Corps in Washington D.C., and Lutheran congregations from Northeast Minnesota to Northwest Washington. Settings have included large congregations to small congregations doing collaborative ministry. She is currently serving as Youth Director at St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, MN. She is an Associate of the Youth and Family Institute and is trained in Peer Ministry. Additionally, she has her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Her passion is spreading the Gospel with young people and equipping others to do the same.
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Eric Hamrick
Specializes in: Peer Ministry, Growing Small Groups
Training and Speaking Bio for Eric Hamrick
Eric Hamrick, currently serves as the Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Living Lord Church in Lake Saint Louis Missouri and enjoys building ministries for children, youth and families to help people find new ways to connect with one another and with God. As the father of two girls, Eric stays connected to youth and parenting trends and makes every effort to “practice what he preaches.”
Eric enjoys speaking and training in various ministry settings across the country. Eric is an Associate with the Youth and Family Institute specializing in Peer Ministry, Growing Groups, and Youth and Family Ministry Coaching. He also trains congregations, staff and volunteers in Ministry Measurements, Models for Mentoring, and Models for Outreach. Eric also enjoys writing training material and curriculum periodically for Augsburg Fortress Publishing.
Eric brings a great deal of passion and experience to his work, speaking and training. He has served as Director of Youth & Family Ministry in three churches, worked as Program Director and Program Coordinator for two Big Brothers/Big Sisters agencies and worked three years as a Crisis Counselor. Eric has a MA from Luther Seminary in Youth and Family Ministry and a BA from Luther College majoring in Psychology. Eric has 16 years experience developing effective Peer Ministry models and small group models in congregations. He enjoys teaching and equipping people for ministry and finding new and creative ways to help people reach out and serve the needs of the church and community.
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Jonette Knock
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Jonette Knock has been working with Peer Ministry since 1989. She took her training directly from Dr. Barbara Varenhorst and Irene Strommen. Currently, Jonette is Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Faith Lutheran in Eldridge, Iowa she also serves the Northern Illinois Synod as Coordinator of youMinistry and LYO She holds a degree in communications and theater from Central College in Pella, IA. She has taken several courses at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. She has been working in youth and family ministry and Christian education for 20 years. She also serves the ELCA as a partner in Christian Education, speaking to groups and congregations about Christian education of behalf of the ELCA. Jonette describes Peer Ministry as the best thing to happen to her ministry with her students. She can see students using their skills in their everyday lives. She has even observed former youth using the same skills in college, work, and parental settings. Jonette gets special joy from seeing families passing on the faith and living out their faith lives together. Jonette is a voracious reader, a movie buff , and has taken up knitting and quilting. "All I need now is a couple of cats and a few new outfits and I can be the wacky- single-woman-neighbor on any network sitcom."
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Rev. Rob Norris-Weber
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Faith and Skills for Parenting
Youth and Family Ministry Consulting
Rob is Associate Pastor of Youth and Family Ministry at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN. He also serves on the Life Development Team for Bethlehem, building faith from pre-birth to post-high school youth. Rob earned his master of Divinity at Luther Seminary, concentrating in Youth and Family Ministry through the Youth Leadership Certification program. He also has been trained in the Moon-Light Student Journey program. Previously, he worked for five years in a camping ministry setting. Rob is a member of the ELCA Youth Ministry Network. Rob has been training Peer Ministry and Advanced Peer Ministry leaders since 1993. He was in the first group trained in the current Faith & Skills for Parenting curriculum. He still uses both Peer Ministry and Faith & Skills for Parenting at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Rob works with over 100 trained adults and high school youth who are the leaders for Bethlehem's Youth and Family Ministries. Rob describes himself as a relational person. He enjoys speaking, training, or leading a retreat after helping people walk through a process to identify their hopes and dreams. Rob loves to help people realize the gifts God has given them. Jesus said, "I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Rob believes that society will never be safe for children, but we can make children safe for society. This is accomplished through mentoring programs, Peer Ministry, equipping parents, and encouraging all congregational members to take an active role so we can give children a strong foundation. Rob lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Nancy, who works in child development at the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, MN. Workshop and seminar areas include Wise as Serpents, Next Time I Fall in Love (both are sexuality issues); Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families, Parenting Issues and Student & Adult Leadership Training. He will adapt a seminar to meet a congregation's individual needs. |
Tom Schwolert
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Faith and Skills for Parenting
Tom is Director of Youth & Family Ministry at Faith Lutheran Church in Flower Mound, TX. He brings twenty years of experience in youth and family ministry. He grew up in Denton, TX but has spent most of his adult life in Minnesota. It’s good to be warm again! He met his wife Melanie and got married at a Bible camp in Wisconsin. They have three children, Jazmine, Max and Zoey. He is a proud parent of a teenager!
Tom loves to motivate others to "do the faith". He has passion for helping others see that they are capable of being faith builders in their everyday life. Believing that God has given us the gifts we need to nurture the faith of our children and youth right where we are, one does not need to be an "expert" or a "professional" to share the faith. When we claim Jesus as the Christ, each of us becomes an "expert" in our own faith journey.
Tom challenges people to take the gifts that God has given and begin to unleash these gifts to build faith in children, youth, and families. Tom is best as a Trainer for Peer Ministry and is also available for Energizing Your Family’s Faith workshops, speaking at youth or parent gatherings and facilitating retreats.
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Kari Lyn Wampler
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Kari Lyn Wampler has been working with youth for almost twenty years. Her love of youth and dedication to ministry brought her to Luther Seminary where she earned a Masters Degree in Youth Leadership and Pastoral Theology. She most recently completed post-masters work in Marriage and Family Therapy and works as a Youth and Family Therapist at a Restorative Justice organization, the Youth Service Bureau. She also works part time as the Youth Worship Band Director at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Kari Lyn is an associate of the Youth and Family Institute and speaks around the country empowering youth and adults in ministry and their dedication to their faith. She enjoys music, traveling, hanging out with friends, but most of all, spending time with her husband, Womp and her two little girls Lucy and Georgia. Kari Lyn loves serving through counseling, teaching and speaking and looks forward to the ministry we can do together for the kingdom.
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Cindy Wiste
Specializes in: Peer Ministry
Faith and Skills for Parenting
Cindy is the Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hayfield, MN.She lives in Kasson, MN with her family. Her husband of 25 years, Duane, is a carpenter foreman. Together they have two children: Tim, 28, works with computers, and Jill, 23, is employed at the Mayo Clinic. Cindy was certified as a Youth Minister at the Youth Ministry Certification school in 1995. Currently, she is taking classes through the Lay School of Theology of the SE Minnesota Synod, where she is the chairperson of the board. She has worked with youth and their families for 7 years, first at St. John's Lutheran Church in Kasson, MN as Youth Director, then as Director of Christian Education. They have about 2800 baptized members. In February of 2001 Cindy began working at Trinity in Hayfield, MN as Director of Youth and Family Ministry. Her new job includes Christian Education, Parish Activities, and Membership and Outreach as well! A huge job description in a smaller church (approx. 1200 baptized members). Cindy is a member of the Peer Ministry Advisory Council. She ahs taken Peer Training, Peer II training, Faith and Skills for Parenting training, Moon-Light training, the Family Factor in Faith Nurture, gone to a Child in Our Hands Conference (even presented a Peer Workshop there), and done countless presentations. Cindy has led many Peer Ministry, Peer II, and Faith and Skills for Parenting training events. She believes that Peer Ministry is the core of any youth programming! Cindy is also the Healthy Communities * Healthy Youth officer for her Lutheran Brotherhood branch and attended the National Conference in the fall of 1999 in Denver. Cindy has several passions. The first passion is her family! Her kids and soon to be grandkids are everything to her! She is also very passionate about her work! She loves what she does and gives it all she's got! Sharing faith with people is not always something from which you see immediate results, but when you do...it's the best, most rewarding thing Cindy can imagine. The youth are the very best part of her job, and the part she is most passionate about.
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Pat Allison
New Brunswick, Canada
Synod Consultant for Youth Synod of the Atlantic Provinces, Presbyterian Church in Canada
It has been clear since my 4 kids were very small that effective youth ministry is my passion and place in ministry. Now some 30 years later, after serving 3 different Presbyterian congregations alongside my clergy-person husband, I have the privilege and challenge of ministering in the Synod of the Atlantic Provinces as Consultant for Youth in Presbyterian Church in Canada. That includes 4 provinces and a lot of travel miles!
Our kids, now grown, benefited from the youth ministry happening around them. They now are in ministries of their own in
Canada and in Cameroon. Now we have 10 grandkids who need
excellent nurturing and training to lead them. I can't think
of a better way to prepare them for a life of faith and
ministry than preparing them with PEER MINISTRY. Our oldest
grandson, Chris (age 15), is already a trained Peer Minister
and works with Middle School kids at church.
I am thrilled to be able to share Christ while promoting
and training folks of all ages with amazing tools like Peer
Ministry and Faith and Skills for Parenting.
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