STAFF

  • THE REV. DAVID LANGILLE

    Rector

    The Rev. Dave Langille is our Rector, coming back to serve at Messiah in 2020. Before accepting this call, he was Rector of St. Martin’s by-the-Lake in Minnetonka Beach, MN.  Fr. Dave is no stranger to Messiah, having served here first as Lay Associate, then as Priest Associate, from 1999-2011. Dave is married to Diane, a Minneapolis Public Schools teacher. They have two sons, Sam and Luc who are students in Montreal, Canada.


    Fr. Dave is a Canadian citizen, having lived in Minnesota since 1994. He is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, and Regent College, Vancouver.  He completed his Anglican year of study at the Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax, Nova Scotia.


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  • JEFF KIDDER

    MUSIC DIRECTOR

    Jeff Kidder has led Messiah’s Music Ministry since 1991. He is grateful for his family heritage of music and Christian worship, which provided roots for his own ministry and faith renewal, rekindled when he began attending Messiah in 1989. Jeff's main work is to plan and lead music for Sunday worship and other services, working closely with Paul Johnson (Music Minister, organ/keyboard). Jeff directs the Festival Choir, serves on the Worship Arts Committee and coordinates music and worship for the community, offering resources and supporting activities in a variety of contexts (adults, youth and children, small groups, etc.)

    Jeff also offers music ministry in other contexts in ECMN and in his neighborhood, including Shobi's Table food truck and Recovery Cafe Frogtown.

    Jeff is married to Kristen (who first brought him to Messiah), teaches private guitar students, enjoys performing for special events, spending time with his grown sons and grandchildren, bicycling and other outdoor recreation.


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  • PAUL JOHNSON

    Director of youth ministries

    music minister

    Paul came to Messiah in 2002 after graduating from St. Olaf College. After working with Messiah’s Youth as an intern and volunteer he became the Music Assistant in 2004, and was Interim Youth Coordinator in 2011.  Paul has been the Youth Director since 2018, as well as Music Minister.  Paul's happy place is driving a 15 passenger van full of teenagers on an adventure (really!) and is passionate about seeing youth become lifelong disciples of Jesus. He plays keyboard instruments, leads vocals, and partners with Jeff Kidder in the leadership of Messiah’s Music Ministry. His wife Libby grew up attending Messiah. They have three boys, Gibbie, Ezra, and William. He is also an award-winning fine art photographer and has been a missioner to St. Martin’s by the Lake.


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  • LORI GOETZ

    CHILDREN'S DIRECTOR

    Lori and her husband Doug started attending Messiah in 1988 and she began serving as Messiah’s coordinator for children’s ministry in 2012. Her past ministry commitments include campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Illinois and Carleton College. Her theological interests include bible exegesis and family faith formation. Lori has a master’s degree in English from Texas A & M University and a biology degree from Harvard. The mother of four adult children, Lori relishes the joys of family life, reading Tolstoy and Austen, baking bread, and running.


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  • rev. chris boehm carlson

    Preist associate

    Rev.  Chris is our Priest Associate with a focus in Evangelism and Management. She will be focused on our outward facing ministries including Fresh Expressions and Alpha, as well as our inward facing ministries such as Sunday worship, supporting ministry teams, and church management. Chris completed her Curacy at Messiah from 2020 - 2022, and prior to that served as a transitional deacon and Associate Priest at St. Martin's By-the-Lake. Rev. Chris graduated from Oberlin college with a major in geology. She had a 20 year professional career in environmental consulting before following a call to ordained ministry. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA and was ordained to the priesthood in June 2020. She served on staff at St. Luke's in Minneapolis as the Healing Ministry coordinator prior to seminary. Rev. Chris lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two children and enjoys her numerous pets, camping, being outdoors, cooking, and reading. 


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  • karen carr

    connections coordinator

    The connections coordinator responds to callers, congregation, and clergy, complies reports, assists in financial record keeping, and provides support for ministries. Karen and her family came to Messiah in 1999 and she started in her current position at the beginning of 2018. Karen worked in the Registration Office of the Extension School at the University of Minnesota for a number of years before being an assistant to Edith Schaeffer and later homeschooling her children. Karen lives in Saint Paul and loves spending time on the North Shore. She is an avid reader of literature and participates in two book groups.


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  • the rev. judith desharnais

    deacon

    Judy has served as deacon at Messiah since she was ordained and assigned here by Bishop Brian Prior in 2013. She had attended Messiah with her family for more than a decade before that. The ministry of vocational deacons is entirely voluntary. Besides her liturgical role on Sunday mornings Judy carries out a ministry among our Karen parishioners.


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  • the rev. dr. george slanger

    PRIEST IN RESIDENCE

    In May, 2001, George Slanger retired from 30-year career as an English professor and administrator at Minot State University in North Dakota. That same month, he was ordained as an Episcopal Priest in All Saints Episcopal Church in Minot, where he served as a volunteer Assisting Priest until 2011, when he moved to Lakeville. He and his wife Joanne have four grown children. Their daughter, Julie Saxton, and her husband, Paul, are also members at Messiah.


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  • the rev. dr. mary gustafson

    PRIEST IN RESIDENCE

    Mary served as Interim Rector at Messiah during our last search process in 2015 and 2016.  Before entering the priesthood in the mid-1990’s Mary served as organist and music director along with her husband Ray at Calvary Episcopal Church in Rochester, MN. She attended seminary at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA, and served as rector of a church in western Massachusetts before returning to Minnesota to retire.


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