I was born in Minneapolis and raised in Cottage Grove, the oldest of three girls. One of the greatest blessings of grace in my life was to have the love of Jesus shown and shared through my parents and grandparents. At a young age, the Lord opened my eyes to my need for a savior—and gave me a love for his word. A favorite memory is memorizing Colossians 3 together as a family on a road-trip vacation.

After high school graduation, I attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, MN, where I met my husband, Barry through Fellowship of Christian Athletes and we were married in the summer of 1982. I double-majored in chemistry and biology and worked in medical research until God began to bless us with children. We lived in Minneapolis and Duluth, MN, during Barry’s medical school and residency training, and I was active in Community Bible Study, teaching in the children’s program. In 1988, we moved to Austin, MN, where our four children (Matthew, David, Sara and Jacob) grew up.

I was active in ministry during 27+ “stay-home-mom” years: teaching Sunday School, leading youth small groups, mentoring young women, developing a children’s Wednesday night curriculum, coordinating the children’s program for Community Bible Study and teaching women’s Bible studies. I also began volunteering for Vernacular Video Mission International, a small mission agency, by doing bookkeeping/accounting, donor relations, website development and leading short-term trips.

In 2010, we moved back to the Twin Cities as “empty-nesters.” In January 2011, I came on staff at Bethlehem as a ministry assistant for Women’s Ministry. In that role, I learned much about the vision and philosophy of ministry to women at Bethlehem, and began teaching women’s Bible studies and mentoring. Since August 2016, I have served as Minister for Women’s Ministry at the North Campus.

Grandchildren began arriving in January 2012, and being Mimi to the growing bunch is a delight! Each summer we host “Mimi and Papa Camp,” welcoming the littles to a week or two of fun, excitement and fellowship together as cousins.

In 2018, I attended my first Charles Simeon Trust workshop, a wonderful opportunity to grow in how to faithfully teach the Bible and point to Jesus. I also began writing Bible studies that year. Writing and teaching women to love God and His word is a sweet blessing. See the Bible Study Resources page for more information on those Bible studies.