Jessie Goeke, 612-230-3317, exec.asst@mpls-synod.org
Executive Assistant to the Bishop
Jessie Goeke joined the Minneapolis Area Synod staff in the fall of 2023 as the part-time Executive Assistant to the Bishop. After growing up in Apple Valley, Minnesota, Jessie attended the University of Northwestern St. Paul, and later received a Master of Social Work from a joint program of St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas. Since her graduation Jessie has worked in the field of community mental health; she currently continues to be involved in such though now in private practice.
Jessie has a certificate in “integrative health coaching” and has a commitment to holistic health care. She is a board member of the Washington County chapter of NAMI.
When not working at the synod office or in private practice, Jessie enjoys the creativity of crafting, especially card-making, embroidery, and photography. She can often be found walking her dog or spending time with her four “most amazing ever” nieces and nephews.
Kellie Groon, 612-230-3315, k.groon@mpls-synod.org
Accountant
Kellie Groon joined the Minneapolis Area Synod as the part-time Accountant in July 2024. She grew up on a farm in rural South Dakota, and graduated with an accounting degree from Delaware Valley University in Pennsylvania. She holds an inactive CPA license. Later in her career, she obtained her MBA from the University of South Dakota.
Her career has included working as an auditor, managing month-end close processes, and reporting for large corporations, as well as teaching accounting courses at St. Catherine University and Augsburg University. She also has worked with local nonprofit organizations, assisting with month-end close and related reporting. She is grateful for the ability to work part-time at the synod, which allows the opportunity to continue teaching at Augsburg University.
Kellie lives in Rosemount with her husband and three children. They attend Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan. When she’s not working, you can find her providing taxi service to many children’s activities, reading, or going to a Twins game.
Jeni Huff, 612-230-3303, j.huff@mpls-synod.org
Director of Events, Communications, and Administration
She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2012 with a B.A. in Sociology. Before coming to the Minneapolis Area Synod, Jeni served an AmeriCorps term at Rebuilding Together Seattle and has volunteered with many non-profit organizations in the Minneapolis area. Jeni attends (and also works at) Vision of Glory Lutheran Church, Plymouth. In her free time, she enjoys doing puzzles, playing piano, scrapbooking, and reading. She dreams of having an alpaca farm someday.
Rev. John Hulden, 612-230-3311, j.hulden@mpls-synod.org
Assistant to the Bishop
Pastor John Hulden joined the Minneapolis Area Synod staff as Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership Support in 2012. John tries to get every leader to start a peer group and is blessed to work with congregations in transition, candidates for ministry, rostered and CYF leaders, and the many gifted lay leaders in our synod. He welcomes all the invitations he receives to parties and problems in our synod. Before synod work, John was a parish pastor for 16 years at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead, MN, and 10 years on the East Side of Saint Paul, where he helped form and lead a three-point parish in the city.
John grew up in four US time zones, fell in love with his wife Becky at Concordia College, and will unashamedly brag about his four adult kids and their partners (plus three grandkids!). He loves to go back to his home state of Montana any chance he gets.
Peg Ihinger, 612-230-3308, p.ihinger@mpls-synod.org
Assistant to Candidacy and Peer Groups
Peg, a graduate of St. Olaf College, previously served as a legal secretary for 23 years. She has also served as a volunteer for a national nonprofit organization and published two novels — Emerald House Rising and The Wild Swans. She is a member of Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church, South Minneapolis.
Sarah Maslowski, cyf@mpls-synod.org
CYF Connector
Sarah Maslowski serves as the Synod’s Children, Youth, and Family Coordinator. Her main focus is connecting and supporting those who work in children, youth, and family ministry roles.
Currently, Sarah also currently serves as Youth Director at St Stephen Lutheran Church in Bloomington, where she has worked for the past 19 years. She loves working with youth and families on a weekly basis but traveling with youth around the U.S. and beyond has always been the highlight of each year.
Sarah grew up in North Dakota, went to college in South Dakota, and now has settled in St. Louis Park. When not at work, you can find her enjoying the outdoors or in a gym cheering on her twin girls with husband Josh.
Lynda Nordholm, 612-230-3310, l.nordholm@mpls-synod.org
Assistant to Mission
Lynda Nordholm serves as Assistant to Mission in the Minneapolis Area Synod, In this role, she accompanies the synod’s 12 new and strategic ministries and their leaders. Lynda also holds responsibility for monitoring the Mission Support that is generously shared by congregations for the synod and Churchwide offices. Lynda worked in both for-profit and non-profit organizations, as well as community education programming prior to entering into more than 36 years of service with the ELCA in congregation, region, churchwide, and for the last 15 years with the synod.
Lynda grew up in the Central and Nokomis East neighborhoods of Minneapolis and for the last 25 years has called the Longfellow neighborhood home. She is a proud graduate of Augsburg University – go Auggies! Lynda is the first to say that in this chapter of her life she is most honored to be mother to 3 adult kids and nana to 6 Grands. She and her husband Dennis are members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, and especially love travelling adventures and meeting up with friends.
Karen Ohm, 612-230-3309, k.ohm@mpls-synod.org
Director of Roster and Call Process
As Director of Roster and Call Process, Karen Ohm’s responsibilities include managing all rostered ministers’ records; providing materials for congregational call committees, individuals, and staff members; working with First Call Theological Education; and maintaining and updating the database.
A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, she spent her career serving several Minneapolis Area Synod congregations as parish secretary. Most recently, she was the membership and data systems manager at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Hopkins.
Karen was on synod staff previously, from 1996 to 2004, first as mission and stewardship secretary, community secretary, and then, for several years, as roster and call process administrator, before moving to England for three years. She spends her free time reading, doing needlework, and spoiling her grandchildren. She is a member of St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, Plymouth.
Nicholas Tangen, 651-808-7067, n.tangen@mpls-synod.org
Assistant to the Bishop for Faith and Neighboring
As the Assistant to the Bishop for Faith and Neighboring, Nick oversees the Synod’s two Lilly funded projects; “Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices: Renewing Congregational Imagination” and “Family Faith: Deepening Roots, Strengthening Families”, and the Synod’s community organizing work. His previous experiences in congregations include serving as the Minister of Faith in Community at University Lutheran Church of Hope (ULCH), near the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, and a stint on staff at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran in Northeast Minneapolis, where he led community engagement and faith formation efforts.
Nick grew up in Rosemount, Minnesota, and attended the School of Environmental Studies on the Minnesota Zoo property. He studied English at the University of Minnesota, and graduated with a Master of Arts in Leadership, with a focus in Social Transformation, from United Theological Seminary.
A Benedictine Oblate at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Nick is passionate about contemplative and monastic spirituality. In his free time, Nick enjoys hiking and backpacking, road trips with his spouse Kristin, and discovering new breweries and coffee shops across Minnesota.
Mercy Zou Taithul, m.zoutaithul@mpls-synod.org
Assistant for Administration and Communications
For Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices
Mercy Zou Taithul joined the synod staff in August 2023 as the Assistant for Administration and Communications for Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices.
A citizen of Manipur, India, Mercy attended Augsburg University with the ELCA International Women Leadership Scholarship. While at Augsburg, she participated in the Augsburg Asian Student Association, the International Student Organization, and Campus Ministry. She has also volunteered in several capacities including with Vespers at Central Lutheran, and at Fairview Children’s Hospital. Mercy graduated with a degree in Psychology and is very passionate about helping others in any way she can – spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Mercy is fluent in English, Hindi, and Zou languages, and enjoys singing in choirs in her free time. Mercy is dedicated to her own spiritual practices so her role with Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices is a great role for her.