Each Grace staff member has chosen a question to answer that will help you get to know them better...
Q: What is your favorite Church holy day?
All Saints is one of my favorite church days. It is a day that reminds us that even though we are imperfect and make mistakes that we are saints because of Jesus. I think this is a good reminder for me especially on the days when I feel I mess up that even though I am a sinner, I am also a saint. But what I really love about All Saints in the chance to remember the saints who have gone before us. On All Saints we are given the opportunity to find new and tangible ways to remember the people we have loved and who have already joined God in the heavenly kingdom. Each year, on All Saints the list of people who have inspired and taught me about God’s love grows and I feel their presence surround me. It is a vulnerable day with tears and a chance to name those we miss. I find the day to be deeply meaningful.
Pastor Joanna grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota. As the daughter of a florist, Joanna is one of the first to notice if there are dead flowers in the church and is quick to remove them. Although she has knowledge of flowers of all types, the gardening gene did not get passed on to her. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Business Administration. Go Badgers! Even though she wears red practically every Saturday in the fall, she grew up going to Gopher football games with her dad and has affection for her home team. She attended THE seminary in Chicago, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). She has served as a pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minnesota (2004-2012), Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Edina (2013-2019), and became the Senior Pastor at Grace in August of 2019. She is married to her high school sweetheart Jeff. They have two daughters, Helena and Lily, and a black lab named Clara. Joanna loves to learn, read, swim, hike, and enjoy time with her family and friends. Even though she was born and raised in Minnesota, she is still shocked by the cold every winter and often complains about the cold. One of her passions as a pastor is engaging the community and also contemplating complex questions about God.
