Pastor Carolyn has been a member of Good Shepherd for 35 years. She moved down from her home state of Minnesota in 1988 and joining this church family was one of her first priorities. She has been active in many of the church’s ministries including Adult Education, Confirmation, choir, and Stephen Ministry to name a few. Pastor Carolyn received her MBA from the University of Minnesota and her MDiv from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. Her first career was in data and telecommunications management, but she claims her true vocation as being pastoral care. Once she completed seminary, she served for several years in non-parish ministry in the field of specialized pastoral care. She earned national certifications as both a Chaplain and as a Chaplain Supervisor/Educator. She has served on the NC Synod’s Specialized Pastoral Care committee as its chair, and she has also been an active member of the Via de Cristo movement. She is currently serving as one of the pastors on their governing board.

Pastor Carolyn is married and officially retired. She met her husband, Will, here at GSLC, being wed as part of a Sunday morning church service. Since she retired, she swims laps with Will a few times a week, and spends her free time doting on their elderly cat, Andre, doing word and jigsaw puzzles, and watching BBC and old movies. 

Pastor Carolyn is passionate about sharing God’s grace with God’s people, and she is delighted to be offered this gift of being able to support the pastors, staff, and parishioners during Pastor Marsha’s sabbatical.

Pastor Marsha Anderson is happy to return to her hometown as Associate Pastor at Good Shepherd. In the intervening years, she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Spanish at Wake Forest University (Go Deacs!), earned her Master of Divinity at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, served her first call in a large congregation in Minnesota, and was the solo pastor at a small and feisty city church in Reading, PA. She also spent time in California, serving for a year as a hospital chaplain on mental health units and forming an intentional living community with her husband Brian and two other couples.

While God’s call and her healthy sense of adventure have led her to surprising and varied ministry opportunities, the threads that connect them are a passion for radical inclusivity, creative prayer, social justice, and accompaniment through joy and sorrow.

Pastor Marsha is a people-loving introvert. She enjoys good music, especially if it is live. She loves a long walk in the woods. She would rather sit around good food and drink talking about life, love, and God than almost anything else. She lives in Durham with her husband and three children: Drew, Caroline and Brigid.

Aaron Spangler (He/Him) is a graduate of the Lenoir Rhyne/LTSS class of 2023, as is his his wife, Joanna. They did their undergraduate programs at Purdue University (Boiler up!) and got married December 28, 2019. Their household is also home to their cat, Maizie, who they rescued from the LTSS campus. Both of their families call Indiana home, and most of them still reside there.

Outside of the church, Aaron could talk about snowboarding, photography, art, computers, and video games for hours on end. However, the most interesting hobby he's into right now is competitive powerlifting, a sport that involves lifting as much weight as possible for 1 repetition in three different lifting movements. He hopes to compete on October 14 in the Raleighwood Rumble, hosted by the USAPL. He also has a special interest in ceramics and hopes to find a local pottery studio nearby.

John D. Jahr is Director of Music and Organist at Good Shepherd.  He is a native of Hitterdal MN, a rural community near Moorhead MN. It was at his home church,  Salem Lutheran, where he first played organ in worship at a young age. He studied music at Concordia College,  Moorhead, and has his Master of Sacred Music from Luther Seminary in St. Paul. He has served churches in Fargo ND, the Twin Cities, Dallas TX, and just completed 10 years at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar MN.

John loves to lead singing. When he isn't at church, John spends time with his rescue dog, Rocky. He enjoys live theatre and music events, and all things Star Trek. John is thrilled to join the staff of Good Shepherd and is looking forward to many years of making music together.  

Andrew grew up in Virginia, studied at Roanoke College and spent his summers on staff at Camp Kirchenwald in Colebrook, PA from 2005-2008. For seven years, Andrew served as the youth ministry coordinator at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Vienna, VA during which he received his certificate in Youth Ministry through Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Andrew joined the staff at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in 2016 and works closely with ministry staff and volunteers, equipping and supporting them while exploring ways for all generations within the congregation to be church together.

Andrew enjoys books, biking, thrift store shopping, genre films at the Alamo Drafthouse, and all things Nintendo. He and his wife live in Raleigh with their son, cat and dog, and vermicomposting earthworms.

Dana Kruse grew up between Plymouth, Minnesota and Sioux Narrows, Ontario, Canada. She graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with a BA in History and Secondary Education. She was a high school history teacher for 15 years. Dana, her husband Mark, two cats, and dog moved to Raleigh in 2019. They joined Good Shepherd later that year and have loved being a part of such an open and welcoming community of faith. 

In her free time Dana loves to cook, watch movies, and explore the area with Mark and her exchange students from all over the world. She also loves to listen to audio books, discover local history, and watch a good hockey game.

Yvette was born and raised in New Bern, NC, where she met and married her husband Mike. Together, they moved to and lived in Charlotte for ten years before settling down in Raleigh in 2005. Yvette and Mike have two grown children, Kate and Michael. The family transferred their membership from St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Charlotte to Good Shepherd in 2005. 

Yvette has enjoyed working at the church preschool over the years prior to accepting the position of Preschool Director. She enjoys traveling, yoga and tennis.

Hailing from South Bend, Indiana (Go Irish!) Verna moved to Raleigh from Naperville, Illinois in 2000. She lived in Myrtle Beach from 2009-2015, but then  moved back to Raleigh where it feels most like home. In 2016 she married Ted, who is a Senior Plumber at Duke (Hospital). Ted has two grown sons, and Verna has three grown sons - Steve, Josh and Caleb.

Spending time with family is Verna's favorite activity. Exploring our city's amazing restaurants, festivals, concerts, attending local sporting events, and enjoying our great state are regular forms of relaxation. 

Eileen grew up in Northern Virginia, but ended up in the Boston area where she went to college and where she and her husband, Jay, raised their two children, Rachel and Daniel. After one too many winters, they decided it was time to put away the snow blower and head south to Raleigh. Eileen has worked in a variety of administrative roles, including 10 years as the Administrative Assistant at a church in Massachusetts where she thoroughly enjoyed supporting a community of faith. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to work in a similar role at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

In her leisure time, Eileen loves to take road trips and go exploring with her family. She also enjoys sporting events, crafting, puzzles, the theater, and watching cooking shows.