Pastor Brad Kalajainen joined the Epworth staff as Pastor-in-Residence following 40 years of ministry including 30 years as the founding and lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
This is Brad’s sixth season at Epworth. Brad’s vision for Epworth is to connect people with God and with each other. Leading worship, caring for needs in the community, and bringing people together in creative ways is the goal.
After earning the Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary, Brad continued his education at Calvin Seminary while living in Grand Rapids, MI. He then completed the Doctor of Ministry degree from United Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He retired from full-time pastoral ministry in 2021.
Brad has taught and coached extensively on church planting, church development, multisite ministry, and revitalization. He continues to coach pastors and lead workshops across the country in areas of vision, church growth, preaching, staffing, and church leadership.
Brad is currently employed as a Senior Strategist for Horizons Stewardship company, helping churches and non-profits fund ministry and do Strategic Planning.
Brad has been married to Colleen for 45 years. Colleen retired from teaching after 35 years in both elementary music and middle school choral programs. They now live in Madison, WI. They have two grown married children, and two grandchildren.
WEEK 2- May 31, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Week 3- June 7, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Week 4-June 14, 2026: Rev. Peter Faas
The Rev. Peter Faass is a retired priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Since retiring in November 2022, he has done extensive supply work at various parishes, both Episcopal and ELCA.
His last parochial position was as the Rector of Christ Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio where he served from August 2006 until November 2022. The parish building not only houses a vibrant congregation but serves as an arts and culture center in Shaker Heights, with a growing number of performing and visual artists in residence, as well as performance space.
Prior to coming to Ohio, Peter served as the Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Sanbornville, New Hampshire from 2001 – 2006. One of the great joys of his ministry in New Hampshire was being a part of the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop and serving as co-liturgist and master of ceremonies at his consecration.
Before his pastorate in New Hampshire, Peter was a curate at Trinity Church in Torrington, Connecticut from 1999-2001.
Peter is a 1999 graduate of the General Theological Seminary in New York City, where he earned his M.Div. His undergraduate degree is from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. He has a major in history and a minor in speech arts. He was ordained a Deacon in June of 1999 and a priest in December of that same year.
Peter was born in Delft, the Netherlands. He and his parents immigrated to the USA in 1957 and became American citizens in 1962. He is married to Anthony F. Kastellic. They have one cat, Naomi.
In retirement Peter is completing a memoir about his family’s immigration experience titled On My Father’s Shoulders. He also is engaged in being a supply priest, traveling, cooking, working through the weekly issues of the New Yorker magazine, and reading the stacks and stacks of books he has acquired over the years and continues to acquire.
Week 5- June 21, 2026: Rev. Clay Stauffer
Dr. Clay Stauffer is a fourth-generation Disciples of Christ minister, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was officially installed as Senior Minister of Woodmont in October of 2007 at the age of 27, the youngest minister in Woodmont’s history to ever hold that position.
Clay earned degrees from Texas Christian University (B.A.), Princeton Theological Seminary (M. Div.), and the University of the South (D. Min). His doctoral research at Sewanee focused on the intersection of faith and politics in a polarized world. Before being called to Woodmont, he served The Riverside Church in New York City (2003-2005), Christ Church in Lausanne, Switzerland (2004), and Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis (2005-2007).
In 2010, Clay was named one of Nashville’s “Top Forty Under 40” by the Nashville Business Journal at the age of 29, honoring top young influential people for their leadership, gifts, and accomplishments. In July 2011 he received the Fred Craddock Award for excellence in preaching during the General Assembly of the Christian Church. In 2017, he was honored by Faith Family Medical Center for his leadership and vision in helping offer health care to the uninsured and underinsured in the Nashville community.
Clay is a regular columnist for the Faith and Values section of The Tennessean, and does some church consulting and leadership training on the side. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University focusing his research on moral leadership, character, emotional intelligence, and political polarization. He is an author and a trained speaker and life coach through The John Maxwell Team. He has also served on many non-profit boards.
Clay and his wife Megan, who is a physician, have three children, Montgomery (15), Clayton (13), and Wade (9).
EPWORTH COTTAGEMEMORIAL SUNDAY
Week 6-June 28, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Epworth Heights, Ludington, MI
Methodist
This Sunday is dedicated to those members of the Epworth Family who have passed away during the preceding year.
WEEK 7- July 5, 2026: Pastor Jeff Nelson
Pastor Jeff Nelson grew up in the north woods of Wisconsin in a town called Rhinelander. He grew up attending the United Methodist Church at the end of his street. Jeff has his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire and his Masters in Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Jeff and his wife, Bridget, came to Detroit in 1997 from Wisconsin for a one-year volunteer urban missions program. During that year, God transformed their lives and they finished the year with a sense of God’s call, hearts broken by the suffering of the world, and a desire to partner with God in a ministry of service. Prior to entering seminary, Jeff worked as a social worker with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit and as a community organizer with Groundwork, where he worked on issues of human rights and racial justice.
Jeff was appointed in 2002 to Birmingham First United Methodist, outside of Detroit, where he served in youth ministry and led the Sunday evening worship service. In 2009, he was appointed to Redford Aldersgate United Methodist Church, also in the metro Detroit area. In Redford, Jeff was a solo Pastor until a merger with Brightmoor United Methodist Church in Detroit, when Aldersgate became a two campus church. Once the merger had taken place, Jeff worked with a board to create the Redford Brightmoor Initiative, which included a Free Store, Community Garden and Food Program for the Brightmoor community in Detroit.
In 2016, Jeff was appointed to Royal Oak First United Methodist Church, where he continues to serve as Lead Pastor today. Royal Oak First is a midsize church that offers programs for children, youth, adults and families, as well as serves lunch to people experiencing homelessness 5 days a week. Jeff works with a great team of staff and volunteers to uphold the mission to make Christ’s love real.
Jeff and Bridget have two sons, Casey and Sam.
LARRY SAKSA MEMORIAL SUNDAY
Week 8- July 12, 2026: Rev. Scott M. Chrostek
Rev. Scott M. Chrostek is an Elder in the United Methodist Church who serves as the Executive Pastor of Ministries and Programs at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, which operates nine physical locations throughout the Kansas City area. Scott began his work with Resurrection in 2009 as the launching pastor of the Downtown location which grew from 9 individuals to over 1100 adults in weekly worship attendance. Resurrection Downtown began as a mobile start-up. After two years, they renovated a small bar and concert venue sandwiched between a tattoo parlor and strip club, only to outgrow that space and build the first new church in downtown Kansas City in over 80 years.
Before life in the church, Scott spent five years in the fields of finance and Investments. He has authored several books including Pursuit, which outlines the seven dimensions of a missional life, The Misfit Mission which tells the funny yet poignant story of launching an inner-city church, and most recently, Advent: A Season of Surprises.
Additionally, Scott is active as a coach and mentor and spends time speaking with broad audiences about finding purpose, meaning and connection. Scott is married to Rev. Wendy Lyons Chrostek, and together they are the proud parents of Freddy and Poppy.
This Sunday is dedicated to Larry Saksa. He was a leader and an integral part of the Epworth Activities program for over 28 years. As a West Point graduate, Young Life volunteer, a school counselor and coach, he positively impacted countless lives, especially young people at Epworth. Larry lived to the fullest, loved to the fullest, was a leader, a man of character, and a role model to many. Among his most significant contributions to the Epworth family was “Pizza With Larry”, a Sunday evening activity filled with fun, food, and fellowship for youth, during which Larry not only shared the gospel in an unassuming manner, but also demonstrated through his life, love, actions, and words that we are all valued and that each one of us has a place with our heavenly Father. His spirit was gentle, because his strength was in the Lord.
Epworth League Sunday
WEEK 9- July 19, 2026: Dr. Edward J Thompson
Rev. Dr. Edward Thompson is looking forward to his first visit to Epworth and to Ludington. He grew up in Northern Ireland and then graduated from Durham University, England and next New College, Edinburgh University. Edward was ordained by Edinburgh Presbytery and served the Church of Scotland for 13 years, in Edinburgh, Golspie and Troon. In 1995 he and his family moved to Kansas City at the invitation of Second Presbyterian Church and served there for 13 years. He then served 5 years in Naples Florida before serving The Board of Pensions, an agency of the PCUSA.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three sons and 6 grandchildren. In recent retirement they have moved to St. Louis to be closer to some family. Edward enjoys the challenges of the golf course and finds a lot of pleasure working in the yard with Elizabeth, and together they do a lot of walking and cycling. For some 3 years, Edward has been writing and posting to his blog Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings – which can be found at revdrejt1832.blog – usually posting every 7-10 days! Naturally, they continue to make regular trips back to the UK and other parts of Europe.
Week 10- July 26, 2026: Paige Clingenpeel
Paige Clingenpeel is a licensed mental health therapist and licensed minister. Since 2009, she has combined her therapeutic knowledge, training in ministry, and sense of humor into powerful and practical messages.
Paige has spoken nationwide for parenting, women, youth, and professional counseling conferences and retreats. She is a TEDx speaker and has worked on TV, radio, and web-based media. Paige contributed to the women’s marriage and parenting site iMom.com and can be seen hosting the tween show iShine K’nect on TBN. She works as the Discipleship Lead at Pine Hills Church, is an adjunct professor for the Graduate Counseling Program at Indiana Wesleyan University, and hosts ‘Embracing your Season,’ a parenting and marriage podcast sponsored by Homeword.
You can find Paige laughing with her community of people, reading three different genres of books at the same time, fan-girling over every dog she sees, and having deep conversations over K-cup coffee.
She is living her best life with her husband of 19 years, four kids, and Bauer, the coolest therapy dog!
HOOVER RUPERT MEMORIAL SUNDAY
Week 11- August 2, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Methodist
This Sunday is dedicated to Hoover Rupert. Dr. Rupert first preached at Epworth in 1953 and preached well over one hundred sermons here during his life. He was the Senior Pastor in Jackson, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. He retired from the active ministry in 1983 and was Epworth Chaplain for 14 years. He authored 20 books (three written at Epworth) and over 2,000 magazine articles. He earned a B.A. Degree from Baker University and a M.A. and MDiv. From Boston University. In addition, he was awarded four honorary degrees. He lived in Gaithersburg, Maryland where he passed away on October 4, 2012. He was married to Hazel for 63 years and is survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Wright and Susan Newbry.
Week 12-August 9, 2026: Rev. Mark Westmoreland
Mark is a retired United Methodist minister of the North Georgia Annual Conference. Among the churches he served through his 44 years of active ministry are Glenn Memorial UMC on the Emory Campus, Hamilton Mill, Fayetteville First, and Embry Hills. He also served five years as editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, the official newspaper for Georgia United Methodism. During his editorship, the publication was honored with the Robert F. Storey Award of Excellence for UM newspapers.
Mark has been married to Kathy Creasy Westmoreland since 1984, and together they have two adult sons, Stephen, a police officer, and Matthew, a teacher and assistive technology specialist. Mark and Kathy are also the proud grandparents of James, 5, and Willa, 2, and servants of a chihuahua named Minnie. Mark and Kathy now live in Mark’s childhood home in Ellijay, Georgia. In his retirement, Mark has served part-time as pastor of Nine Mile and Gates Chapel UMCs. He also has a blog you can check out at westmorelandwords.com.
The Westmorelands are delighted to be returning to Epworth after Mark preached here in 2024.
Week 13- August 17, 2025: Rev. Thomas L. Are Jr.
Tom Are Jr. has served 40 years of ministry with his most recent position as Interim Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois
Tom graduated from Presbyterian College in South Carolina; Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia; and Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. He has served the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina; the Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida; and for the past nineteen years, the Village Presbyterian Church in Kansas City.
The most significant continuing education experience of his ministry has been participation in the Moveable Feast. He joined this group in 1992 and participated annually until 2022.
Tom has spoken at multiple events and has been featured in several publications such as Feasting on the Word, Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church, and Joy Even on Your Worst Days: Wisdom from Philippians
He is married to Carol, who is a registered nurse, having spent her career in oncology and hospice nursing. They have two children, the Reverend Sarah Are Speed and Nathan Are.
Tom loves baseball, woodworking, and canoe-camping in Quetico, Canada. He loves a good story, a good laugh, and a bit of time to read every day.
Week 14-August 23, 2026: Rev. Mark Westmoreland
Weeks 15&16- August 30, 2026 and September 6, 2026: Rev. Steve McConnell
Stephen D. McConnell (Steve) is a fourth generation Presbyterian pastor. He attended Westminster College (PA) and Princeton Theological Seminary. He received his Doctor of Letters from the Graduate School at Drew University concentrating on the works of C.S. Lewis. Over his forty years of ministry Steve served three congregations: the Melrose Carmel Presbyterian Church outside of Philadelphia, the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church in Liberty Corner, New Jersey and the Church of the Palms in Sarasota, Florida, from which he recently retired. Steve is the author of four books, Take Me to Aslan: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Trusting, When the Wind is Against You: Encouragement for When Life Pushes Back,Safe at Home: Finding What You Never Lost and A Street Called Detour: Encouragement for When Life Changes Direction. He is married to Amanda and they have a daughter, Brittany, and two grandchildren, Brooke and Jacob.
2026 Visiting Ministers
Week 1- May 24, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Methodist
Pastor Brad Kalajainen joined the Epworth staff as Pastor-in-Residence following 40 years of ministry including 30 years as the founding and lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
This is Brad’s sixth season at Epworth. Brad’s vision for Epworth is to connect people with God and with each other. Leading worship, caring for needs in the community, and bringing people together in creative ways is the goal.
After earning the Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary, Brad continued his education at Calvin Seminary while living in Grand Rapids, MI. He then completed the Doctor of Ministry degree from United Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He retired from full-time pastoral ministry in 2021.
Brad has taught and coached extensively on church planting, church development, multisite ministry, and revitalization. He continues to coach pastors and lead workshops across the country in areas of vision, church growth, preaching, staffing, and church leadership.
Brad is currently employed as a Senior Strategist for Horizons Stewardship company, helping churches and non-profits fund ministry and do Strategic Planning.
Brad has been married to Colleen for 45 years. Colleen retired from teaching after 35 years in both elementary music and middle school choral programs. They now live in Madison, WI. They have two grown married children, and two grandchildren.
WEEK 2- May 31, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Week 3- June 7, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Week 4- June 14, 2026: Rev. Peter Faas
The Rev. Peter Faass is a retired priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Since retiring in November 2022, he has done extensive supply work at various parishes, both Episcopal and ELCA.
His last parochial position was as the Rector of Christ Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio where he served from August 2006 until November 2022. The parish building not only houses a vibrant congregation but serves as an arts and culture center in Shaker Heights, with a growing number of performing and visual artists in residence, as well as performance space.
Prior to coming to Ohio, Peter served as the Rector of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Sanbornville, New Hampshire from 2001 – 2006. One of the great joys of his ministry in New Hampshire was being a part of the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop and serving as co-liturgist and master of ceremonies at his consecration.
Before his pastorate in New Hampshire, Peter was a curate at Trinity Church in Torrington, Connecticut from 1999-2001.
Peter is a 1999 graduate of the General Theological Seminary in New York City, where he earned his M.Div. His undergraduate degree is from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. He has a major in history and a minor in speech arts. He was ordained a Deacon in June of 1999 and a priest in December of that same year.
Peter was born in Delft, the Netherlands. He and his parents immigrated to the USA in 1957 and became American citizens in 1962. He is married to Anthony F. Kastellic. They have one cat, Naomi.
In retirement Peter is completing a memoir about his family’s immigration experience titled On My Father’s Shoulders. He also is engaged in being a supply priest, traveling, cooking, working through the weekly issues of the New Yorker magazine, and reading the stacks and stacks of books he has acquired over the years and continues to acquire.
Week 5- June 21, 2026: Rev. Clay Stauffer
Dr. Clay Stauffer is a fourth-generation Disciples of Christ minister, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was officially installed as Senior Minister of Woodmont in October of 2007 at the age of 27, the youngest minister in Woodmont’s history to ever hold that position.
Clay earned degrees from Texas Christian University (B.A.), Princeton Theological Seminary (M. Div.), and the University of the South (D. Min). His doctoral research at Sewanee focused on the intersection of faith and politics in a polarized world. Before being called to Woodmont, he served The Riverside Church in New York City (2003-2005), Christ Church in Lausanne, Switzerland (2004), and Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis (2005-2007).
In 2010, Clay was named one of Nashville’s “Top Forty Under 40” by the Nashville Business Journal at the age of 29, honoring top young influential people for their leadership, gifts, and accomplishments. In July 2011 he received the Fred Craddock Award for excellence in preaching during the General Assembly of the Christian Church. In 2017, he was honored by Faith Family Medical Center for his leadership and vision in helping offer health care to the uninsured and underinsured in the Nashville community.
Clay is a regular columnist for the Faith and Values section of The Tennessean, and does some church consulting and leadership training on the side. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University focusing his research on moral leadership, character, emotional intelligence, and political polarization. He is an author and a trained speaker and life coach through The John Maxwell Team. He has also served on many non-profit boards.
Clay and his wife Megan, who is a physician, have three children, Montgomery (15), Clayton (13), and Wade (9).
EPWORTH COTTAGE MEMORIAL SUNDAY
Week 6- June 28, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Epworth Heights, Ludington, MI
Methodist
This Sunday is dedicated to those members of the Epworth Family who have passed away during the preceding year.
WEEK 7- July 5, 2026: Pastor Jeff Nelson
Pastor Jeff Nelson grew up in the north woods of Wisconsin in a town called Rhinelander. He grew up attending the United Methodist Church at the end of his street. Jeff has his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire and his Masters in Divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Jeff and his wife, Bridget, came to Detroit in 1997 from Wisconsin for a one-year volunteer urban missions program. During that year, God transformed their lives and they finished the year with a sense of God’s call, hearts broken by the suffering of the world, and a desire to partner with God in a ministry of service. Prior to entering seminary, Jeff worked as a social worker with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit and as a community organizer with Groundwork, where he worked on issues of human rights and racial justice.
Jeff was appointed in 2002 to Birmingham First United Methodist, outside of Detroit, where he served in youth ministry and led the Sunday evening worship service. In 2009, he was appointed to Redford Aldersgate United Methodist Church, also in the metro Detroit area. In Redford, Jeff was a solo Pastor until a merger with Brightmoor United Methodist Church in Detroit, when Aldersgate became a two campus church. Once the merger had taken place, Jeff worked with a board to create the Redford Brightmoor Initiative, which included a Free Store, Community Garden and Food Program for the Brightmoor community in Detroit.
In 2016, Jeff was appointed to Royal Oak First United Methodist Church, where he continues to serve as Lead Pastor today. Royal Oak First is a midsize church that offers programs for children, youth, adults and families, as well as serves lunch to people experiencing homelessness 5 days a week. Jeff works with a great team of staff and volunteers to uphold the mission to make Christ’s love real.
Jeff and Bridget have two sons, Casey and Sam.
LARRY SAKSA MEMORIAL SUNDAY
Week 8- July 12, 2026: Rev. Scott M. Chrostek
Rev. Scott M. Chrostek is an Elder in the United Methodist Church who serves as the Executive Pastor of Ministries and Programs at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, which operates nine physical locations throughout the Kansas City area. Scott began his work with Resurrection in 2009 as the launching pastor of the Downtown location which grew from 9 individuals to over 1100 adults in weekly worship attendance. Resurrection Downtown began as a mobile start-up. After two years, they renovated a small bar and concert venue sandwiched between a tattoo parlor and strip club, only to outgrow that space and build the first new church in downtown Kansas City in over 80 years.
Before life in the church, Scott spent five years in the fields of finance and Investments. He has authored several books including Pursuit, which outlines the seven dimensions of a missional life, The Misfit Mission which tells the funny yet poignant story of launching an inner-city church, and most recently, Advent: A Season of Surprises.
Additionally, Scott is active as a coach and mentor and spends time speaking with broad audiences about finding purpose, meaning and connection. Scott is married to Rev. Wendy Lyons Chrostek, and together they are the proud parents of Freddy and Poppy.
This Sunday is dedicated to Larry Saksa. He was a leader and an integral part of the Epworth Activities
program for over 28 years. As a West Point graduate, Young Life volunteer, a school counselor and coach, he positively impacted countless lives, especially young people at Epworth. Larry lived to the fullest, loved to the fullest, was a leader, a man of character, and a role model to many. Among his most significant contributions to the Epworth family was “Pizza With Larry”, a Sunday evening activity filled with fun, food, and fellowship for youth, during which Larry not only shared the gospel in an unassuming manner, but also demonstrated through his life, love, actions, and words that we are all valued and that each one of us has a place with our heavenly Father. His spirit was gentle, because his strength was in the Lord.
Epworth League Sunday
WEEK 9- July 19, 2026: Dr. Edward J Thompson
Rev. Dr. Edward Thompson is looking forward to his first visit to Epworth and to Ludington. He grew up in Northern Ireland and then graduated from Durham University, England and next New College, Edinburgh University. Edward was ordained by Edinburgh Presbytery and served the Church of Scotland for 13 years, in Edinburgh, Golspie and Troon. In 1995 he and his family moved to Kansas City at the invitation of Second Presbyterian Church and served there for 13 years. He then served 5 years in Naples Florida before serving The Board of Pensions, an agency of the PCUSA.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three sons and 6 grandchildren. In recent retirement they have moved to St. Louis to be closer to some family. Edward enjoys the challenges of the golf course and finds a lot of pleasure working in the yard with Elizabeth, and together they do a lot of walking and cycling. For some 3 years, Edward has been writing and posting to his blog Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings – which can be found at revdrejt1832.blog – usually posting every 7-10 days! Naturally, they continue to make regular trips back to the UK and other parts of Europe.
Week 10- July 26, 2026: Paige Clingenpeel
Paige Clingenpeel is a licensed mental health therapist and licensed minister. Since 2009, she has combined her therapeutic knowledge, training in ministry, and sense of humor into powerful and practical messages.
Paige has spoken nationwide for parenting, women, youth, and professional counseling conferences and retreats. She is a TEDx speaker and has worked on TV, radio, and web-based media. Paige contributed to the women’s marriage and parenting site iMom.com and can be seen hosting the tween show iShine K’nect on TBN. She works as the Discipleship Lead at Pine Hills Church, is an adjunct professor for the Graduate Counseling Program at Indiana Wesleyan University, and hosts ‘Embracing your Season,’ a parenting and marriage podcast sponsored by Homeword.
You can find Paige laughing with her community of people, reading three different genres of books at the same time, fan-girling over every dog she sees, and having deep conversations over K-cup coffee.
She is living her best life with her husband of 19 years, four kids, and Bauer, the coolest therapy dog!
HOOVER RUPERT MEMORIAL SUNDAY
Week 11- August 2, 2026: Rev. Brad Kalajainen
Director of Spiritual Life
Epworth Church Association, Ludington, MI
Methodist
This Sunday is dedicated to Hoover Rupert. Dr. Rupert first preached at Epworth in 1953 and preached well over one hundred sermons here during his life. He was the Senior Pastor in Jackson, Ann Arbor, and Kalamazoo, Michigan. He retired from the active ministry in 1983 and was Epworth Chaplain for 14 years. He authored 20 books (three written at Epworth) and over 2,000 magazine articles. He earned a B.A. Degree from Baker University and a M.A. and MDiv. From Boston University. In addition, he was awarded four honorary degrees. He lived in Gaithersburg, Maryland where he passed away on October 4, 2012. He was married to Hazel for 63 years and is survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Wright and Susan Newbry.
Week 12- August 9, 2026: Rev. Mark Westmoreland
Mark is a retired United Methodist minister of the North Georgia Annual Conference. Among the churches he served through his 44 years of active ministry are Glenn Memorial UMC on the Emory Campus, Hamilton Mill, Fayetteville First, and Embry Hills. He also served five years as editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, the official newspaper for Georgia United Methodism. During his editorship, the publication was honored with the Robert F. Storey Award of Excellence for UM newspapers.
Mark has been married to Kathy Creasy Westmoreland since 1984, and together they have two adult sons, Stephen, a police officer, and Matthew, a teacher and assistive technology specialist. Mark and Kathy are also the proud grandparents of James, 5, and Willa, 2, and servants of a chihuahua named Minnie. Mark and Kathy now live in Mark’s childhood home in Ellijay, Georgia. In his retirement, Mark has served part-time as pastor of Nine Mile and Gates Chapel UMCs. He also has a blog you can check out at westmorelandwords.com.
The Westmorelands are delighted to be returning to Epworth after Mark preached here in 2024.
Week 13- August 17, 2025: Rev. Thomas L. Are Jr.
Tom Are Jr. has served 40 years of ministry with his most recent position as Interim Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois
Tom graduated from Presbyterian College in South Carolina; Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia; and Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. He has served the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina; the Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida; and for the past nineteen years, the Village Presbyterian Church in Kansas City.
The most significant continuing education experience of his ministry has been participation in the Moveable Feast. He joined this group in 1992 and participated annually until 2022.
Tom has spoken at multiple events and has been featured in several publications such as Feasting on the Word, Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church, and Joy Even on Your Worst Days: Wisdom from Philippians
He is married to Carol, who is a registered nurse, having spent her career in oncology and hospice nursing. They have two children, the Reverend Sarah Are Speed and Nathan Are.
Tom loves baseball, woodworking, and canoe-camping in Quetico, Canada. He loves a good story, a good laugh, and a bit of time to read every day.
Week 14- August 23, 2026: Rev. Mark Westmoreland
Weeks 15&16- August 30, 2026 and September 6, 2026: Rev. Steve McConnell
Stephen D. McConnell (Steve) is a fourth generation Presbyterian pastor. He attended Westminster College (PA) and Princeton Theological Seminary. He received his Doctor of Letters from the Graduate School at Drew University concentrating on the works of C.S. Lewis. Over his forty years of ministry Steve served three congregations: the Melrose Carmel Presbyterian Church outside of Philadelphia, the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church in Liberty Corner, New Jersey and the Church of the Palms in Sarasota, Florida, from which he recently retired. Steve is the author of four books, Take Me to Aslan: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Trusting, When the Wind is Against You: Encouragement for When Life Pushes Back, Safe at Home: Finding What You Never Lost and A Street Called Detour: Encouragement for When Life Changes Direction. He is married to Amanda and they have a daughter, Brittany, and two grandchildren, Brooke and Jacob.