Pastor Caitlin Trussell

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Born in Boston, raised in Pasadena, married a Nebraskan, and now in Denver for the past 20 years, Pastor Caitlin Trussell has covered a lot of ground literally as well as professionally, personally, and theologically. She was a Registered Nurse for 16 years, working in hospitals with families caring for children with cancer and then managing home hospice teams of RNs, Chaplains, Social Workers, and CNAs who supported families caring for dying loved ones at home. During that time, she received a Master’s in Nursing from UCLA as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pediatric Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Pain Management. She moved to Colorado and married Rob in 1995. Their family soon grew to include their two children.

Baptized through the Roman Catholic Church while living with her first father, then baptized again through the fundamentalist Christian tradition of her step-father, Pastor Caitlin spent about ten years as a religious refugee wondering if there was a place to hang her theological hat. When their children were born, Rob’s unscathed Lutheran memories, and Pastor Caitlin’s fond memories of older church ladies, drew the Trussells into a neighborhood Lutheran church.

Pastor Caitlin was captured by God’s love that is constant as we struggle with our flaws, doubt, and despair; and as we delight in life earnestly, ironically, and irreverently. The pastor there invited her to preach which instigated Rob and their congregation’s encouragement of her to become a pastor. By 2011, she completed her Master of Divinity degree at Iliff School of Theology which includes concurrent coursework at Luther Seminary.

The two-year wait for a congregational call found her speaking and teaching at church retreats; leading funerals and weddings by referral; and preaching for various Metro Denver congregations including New Beginnings Church within the walls of the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility which she is still doing intermittently.

A pastor of Augustana since February 2013, Pastor Caitlin preaches, teaches, and leads worship in addition to providing pastoral care and congregational leadership. She is grateful that God bestows grace in and through flawed people called the church and is grateful to be both a recipient and preacher of this grace with Augustana Lutheran Church—a group of people who live into this grace together by tethering into a rich worship tradition and free to figure out what it means to be people of faith in this place and time.

Contact Pastor Caitlin at 303-388-4678 ext. 115 or by email. You can also visit her website: http://caitlintrussell.org/.

Bridge Pastor Gail Mundt

Pastor Gail first felt the call to “full-time Christian ministry” while at summer camp with her church youth group. One evening, the youth director extended an invitation to consider a call into ministry and Pastor Gail felt her heart warm and excitement at accepting that call. During college, she worked as a church youth director in Florida and Georgia. She met her husband, Randy, in Greek class at Florida Southern College! They married and moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and attended Lutheran Theological Seminary where they both received their Master of Divinity degrees.

Pastor Gail served as an intern pastor in Richardson, Texas and then moved to Colorado with Randy where they served in God’s ministry and started a family. All three of their children were born in Pueblo. From Pueblo, they moved to Evergreen where Gail continued an eclectic work history while still volunteering in many and various ways in the church. She worked as a letter carrier, customer service manager, background screening agent, and at a credit reporting agency.

From Colorado, they moved to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, taking their youngest daughter with them. (The older two had graduated to college.) Pastor Gail was the Operations Manager for Habitat for Humanity West Hawaii. From there, they moved to Vienna, Austria and began their calling and career in international ministry. As their youngest moved into her senior year of high school, Randy encouraged Gail that it was time to officially become ordained and continue in the path of Word and Sacrament ministry. During the years in Vienna, she worked long distance on the various requirements, as well as traveling back to Colorado to meet with the synod committees. She served a second internship at Lutheran Church of the Master (LCM), Lakewood, CO.

Pastor Gail was ordained at LCM in 2013 after receiving the call to Tokyo Union Church (Japan) as an Associate Pastor. Upon returning to the U.S., she served as a Bridge Pastor in Colorado Springs. In 2015, she and Pastor Randy were asked by ELCA Global Missions to go to Bratislava, Slovakia to serve as interim pastors and schoolteachers in bilingual Lutheran schools. Upon returning to Colorado, they served as Intentional Interim pastors in Fort Collins. From there, Pastor Gail served as a Bridge Pastor and then was called as Executive Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Highlands Ranch.

When that call was completed, Pastor Gail returned to her love of interim ministry, serving as Intentional Interim Pastor at Lutheran Church of the Master, Lakewood.  Interim ministry and serving as a Bridge pastor brings the joy, excitement and energy similar to working in international settings. In each, the pastor and the people know that we have only a short time together, so it is important to work quickly, faithfully and to communicate openly in order that the church positions itself in as healthy as manner possible to call the next settled pastor.

Pastor Gail loves God and God’s people. She enjoys hearing your stories of life and holy moments. She loves that wily Holy Spirit and how she comforts, convicts, and moves us to be better than we can be on our own. Pastor Gail adores her family and delights in their three grandsons!  She enjoys exercising in the pool and looks forward to trips to the beach. Her house is filled with house plants and mementoes that tell stories. She’s happy and honored to be at Augustana during this season of transition and looks forward to serving in God’s ministry alongside each of you.

Contact Pastor Gail at 303-388-4678 ext. 105 or by email.

Shanna VanderWel

Director of Youth and Family Ministry

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I grew up on a farm and ranch in southwest North Dakota and never expected God would lead me to a city that had more than a handful of traffic lights.

I discovered my call to youth ministry while working at a Bible Camp during my summers at college. Trying to avoid listening, I majored in Horticulture with plans to work in the agriculture industry but instead ended back at camp and a church serving as a youth director full time in Williston, North Dakota, after college. It was then that I decided to continue my education at Luther Seminary and go through candidacy to become a deacon. I realized youth ministry had less to do about age but more to do about all of God’s children living out their calls to serve.

My first call was in a congregation in Virginia. After the birth of our daughter, Cora, my husband, Ryan, and I decided it was time to be closer to family. I enjoy discovering the beauty of this new place I call home and spending time with my family. When time permits, I enjoy quilting, baking, reading, and playing strategy board games.

I have enjoyed meeting many of you and look forward to meeting you all. I give thanks for the Youth and Family Ministry at Augustana Lutheran Church, and I am very excited for the ways we will serve together.

Contact Shanna at 303-388-4678 ext. 107 or by email.

Andrew Peters

Director of Music and Organist

A native of West Caldwell, New Jersey, Andy is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the Cleveland Institute of Music. A recipient of numerous awards, he plays as ensemble organist with the St. Louis Symphony. His first season in 2013 included performing Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes at Carnegie Hall on what would have been Britten’s one hundredth birthday. In addition to playing solo organ recitals and leading hymn festivals, he often accompanies silent film comedies starring Harold Lloyd.

Andy is an active member of the American Guild of Organists (AGO). He has been dean of the Nashville chapter, director of the 2010 St. Louis Pipe Organ Encounter, and chair of the 2015 Region VI Convention. He also filled several terms on the national AGO’s Committee on the New Organist.

Before coming to Augustana in November 2021, Andy served Episcopalian, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist congregations in Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. He has been featured as a guest commentator on the radio program Great Sacred Music and organist on Pipedreams. His music is published by Augsburg Fortress, MorningStar Music, and Paraclete Press. Andy and his wife Christine and cat Garfield live in the city of Denver.

Contact Andy at 303-388-4678 ext. 122 or by email.

For more information, visit andrewjpeters.com.

Sue Ann Glusenkamp

Faith Community Nurse

Nursing is a second career for Sue Ann. She was an elementary school teacher before attending nursing school. Her BA degree in Elementary Education is from Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois, and her BS in Nursing degree is from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Sue Ann has practiced adult Medical/Surgical nursing combined with Faith Community Nursing (FCN) for most of her nursing career.

After receiving her Master’s degree from Regis University in Nursing Leadership and Nursing Education, Sue Ann was a Clinical Educator for six years before coming to Augustana. The daughter of a Lutheran pastor and spouse of a Lutheran pastor, she feels blessed to be a part of health ministry in Lutheran congregations. Sue Ann was a FCN both in St. Louis and Minneapolis in ELCA churches, prior to moving to Colorado. Growing up in the Lutheran tradition and attending Lutheran schools for the majority of her education equips Sue Ann with a rich appreciation for congregational life and Lutheran theology and worship. Sue Ann’s spouse is a retired ELCA pastor. They have three adult children living in Chicago, Seattle, and Atlantic Beach, Florida. Sue Ann enjoys travel, gardening, cycling, hiking, cooking, reading and singing. She practices yoga and runs several times each week. Sue Ann is a certified Health & Wellness Coach and taught Silver Sneakers at the YMCA in the recent past. She is committed to promoting healthy behaviors for body, mind, and spirit. One of her favorite Bible verses is 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in LOVE.”

Contact Sue Ann at 303-388-4678 ext. 106 or by email.

Bill Crossen

Finance Administrator

Bill is a long time Coloradan who grew up in Boulder, completed his undergraduate degree at Colorado State University and received a master’s degree in taxation from the University of Denver. He worked in public accounting for 13 years with Ernst & Young before spending the last 28 years of his career in various finance roles at Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health). Bill is a retired CPA and, following a brief retirement from corporate accounting, has accepted the Finance Administrator role at Augustana where he and his wife have been members for more than ten years.

Bill is married to Rhonda and they have two adult children. Each of them is far more interesting than he is. In his free time, he enjoys reading, movies, volunteer work, Sudoku and traveling.

Contact Bill at 303-388-4678 ext. 103 or by email.

Lyn Goodrum

Publications Administrator

Lyn-GoodrumWhen Augustana’s Publications Administrator Lyn Goodrum began working at Augustana in 1992, she used WordPerfect 5.1 in DOS to create Augustana’s bulletins, newsletters, and other print media. Thirty years later, Lyn is grateful for the Windows and Apple environments and Adobe’s great publication software.

When not at Augustana, Lyn and her cat Sammy can be found in Bennett, or in Strasburg worshiping and serving at Saron Lutheran Church where she is a member. Lyn enjoys reading mysteries, walking, drinking tea, throwing the Frisbee, doing Jumble, Cryptoquip, and crossword puzzles, baking, road trips, and the practice of yoga.

Contact Lyn at 303-388-4678 ext. 114 or by email.

Asmir Hodzic

Building and Grounds Manager

AsmirAugustana’s Building and Grounds Manager, Asmir (Seki—pronounced Shekee) Hodzic, has been a beloved member of Augustana’s staff since 2000. He and wife, Mira, and daughter, Sanja, and grandson, Blaze, live in Aurora. Originally from Bosnia, the Hodzics immigrated to the United States in 1996 and settled in Denver. When asked what he does on his days off, Seki smiles and says he works. He also enjoys watching CNN and other news channels.