• Pastor Richard Goeresemail

    Senior Pastor

    Baptized in the NC Synod at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Lincolnton at just 2 weeks old, Pastor Richard Goeres is glad to continue calling both the Lutheran Church and North Carolina home. His path to ordained ministry included degrees in Mathematics (Roanoke College) and Statistics (N.C. State) before graduating from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 2014. Pastor Richard has served in large urban, small rural, and mid-sized suburban congregations, finding particular value in each. Immediately before joining the staff of Good Shepherd, Pastor Richard spent 5 joyful years among the saints at Macedonia Lutheran Church in Burlington, just an hour west of Raleigh.

     

    Pastor Richard is hopeful about the church’s future and particularly energized by what the Lutheran expression of church has to offer the world these days. His wife, Lindsey, has roots in Raleigh and serves as a family physician. Their son, Bennett, brings tremendous light (and some longer nights!) into their life.

     

    Pastor Richard loves his work, but he also enjoys getting away for time with family, golfing (so long as he is with his Dad, brother-in-law, or grad school roommates), and cheering on all things University of South Carolina athletics.

  • 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 Jahr  email

    Director of Music Ministry & Organist

    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 buck email

    director of cross+generational ministries

    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 email

    Director of children and youth ministries

    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 DESILVA email

    preschool director

    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.

  • Verna Klamerus email

    operations manager

    Hailing from South Bend, Indiana (Go Irish!) Verna moved to Raleigh from Naperville, Illinois in 2000. She lived at the beach for several years, but then  moved back to Raleigh where it feels most like home. Verna is married to Ted, who works in specialized maintenance at Duke (Hospital). They have grown children living in nice places to visit, such as southern California, Denver, France, and the beautiful Virginia mountains. 


    Spending time with family is Verna's favorite activity. Exploring our city's amazing restaurants, festivals, concerts, sporting events, and lake boating are great forms of relaxation. 

  • EILEEN YATES email

    Administrative assistant

    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.

  • SEAN ALLEn

    finance manager/bookkeeper