Lutheran Church of the Atonement
Pastoral Call Committee Biographies
Greg Viehman
Greg Viehman - My wife Paula and I joined in the late 1980's. Sons Joshua and Evan both graduated from Atonement School. I coached the school's soccer team for 25 years. Paula is involved with the Adult Choir and Bells. Son Josh and his wife are members, and his wife Suzie is a teacher at Atonement.
I've served on several boards (Elders, School, Nominating Committee, Congregation Vice President) and am currently on my second run as Council At-Large member. I'm involved with the Men's Club and serve as an assisting minister on Saturday and Sunday services.
I look forward to chairing this talented Call Committee. My Email address gtviehman@gmail.com
Kristy Mandrell
Kristy Mandrell - As a lifetime member of Atonement, I hold this congregation near and dear to my heart. My mom came to Atonement when she enrolled me in Kindergarten at Atonement. I went through Atonement and graduated from the school. I have 3 children, one of whom is an alumni. My son is currently in 7th grade and another daughter in 5th. I have been involved in Sunday School, VBS, school board and many other areas. I am currently the APTO president for the school. I look forward to serving on this Call Committee.
Mary Beth Sandcork
Mary Beth Sandcork - My husband Jeff and I have been Atonement members for 27 years. Jeff and I have been married for nearly 30 years. My husband Jeff has served as an Elder and is presently active in our awesome Men’s Club. We were blessed with two daughters, Jessica and Katie. Our daughters were baptized, confirmed, and our eldest recently married at Atonement. Our children had the opportunity to attend Atonement School from pre-K through 8th grade. It was assuring to have our children attend Atonement School where academics and faith went hand in hand. I have served as a preschool Sunday school teacher, tended our tea rose gardens, served as a School Board member, Nominations Committee, Elder, I currently serve as a Member at Large on the Church Council, and have the opportunity have a role on our Call Committee.
Fun fact- Our daughter Jessica is married to Chip. Chip’s mother, Kris, and I taught pre-K Sunday School together over 23 years ago!
Keith Tomazi
Keith Tomazi, PE, PhD. - Keith was confirmed in Lutheran Church of America, later joined the Missouri Synod throughout middle
school (Salem Black Jack) and High School, and became a member at Atonement in 1981. He has served
Atonement on the School Board (became Chair) and is also serving as a groundskeeper and is a member
of the Choir. Keith’s wife Linda is a lifelong member of Atonement and attended school here. Their son
Alex was baptized and confirmed at Atonement, attended school (Pre- K through 8 th Grade) and, like
both parents, is a graduate of Lutheran High School North.
Keith is a Chemical Engineer, holds Adjunct faculty positions at two universities, teaching undergraduate
design, ethics, and graduate – level mathematics. He is also a consulting engineer, mostly in
chemical process safety.
Keith plays the pipe organ, and is a staff organist at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.
Joycelyn Pugh-Walker
Joycelyn Pugh-Walker - My husband and I were married at Atonement in 2013 and have been active worshipers since moving to Florissant in 2000. I have served on the Elder and School Boards, am a collection counter, and have served on many committees.
I was drawn to Atonement because of the welcoming relationships formed and the bible focused sermons. My hope is that we continue to connect with our school families and further our reach in the community. While there is change on the horizon, I am believing God's promises and trusting in his faithfulness. Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
Tom Blight
Tom Blight – A member of Atonement for over 30 years.
I have served as president of congregation, chaired the of board of Elders, head usher, trustee, church grounds maintenance, update message board, Member of Atonement Men’s Club.
Our son Josh attended Atonement Lutheran School (pre-K to 8th grade). My wife Brenda has worked at Atonement for over 25 years.
Dave Steinbruegge
Dave Steinbruegge – My wife Cindy and I have been members of Atonement since the 1970s. We have been married for 49 years. Our four children were baptized by their Grandfather Pastor Leo E. Wehrspann at Atonement. I am a product of the Lutheran education system attending Grace Chapel Lutheran School, Lutheran High School North and I received my bachelor’s degree in business from Concordia Mequon.
At Atonement I have served as an Elder and am currently on my second assignment on Atonement’s Church Council. In addition, I am serving as the chair for the three-member Atonement Web Committee working to redesign Amendment’s web site located at https://www.alcs-web.com/
PASTORAL CALL COMMITTEE STATUS REPORT UPDATES
21 January 2024
On 21 January 2024 with a quorum of 108 eligible voting members of Atonement Lutheran Church, members voted to call Pastor Delaney Schlake-Kruse as our Senior Pastor.
Meeting on 24 October 2023 the Call Committee began the call process for selecting a Senior Pastor. The Pastoral Call Committee included - Keith Tomazi, Joyce Pugh-Walker, Dave Steinbruegge, Mary Beth Sandcork, Kristi Mandrell, Tom Blight, with Greg Viehman elected as Committee Chairman.
Following the Transition Manual provided by ELCA Central States Synod and equipped with Atonement’s Reflect and Revive Site Ministry Profile the committee began the call process in earnest.
7 November, we received a slate of two candidates from the Central States Synod.
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The call interview process followed a structured interview process where behavioral questions were asked - tell us about a time when - what were your actions - what were the results. Two candidates were interviewed following the structured interview process.
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Initial Zoom interviews were scheduled for 15 November and 16 November.
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After prayerful deliberation, one candidate was released back to the Central States Synod
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A second Zoom interview was scheduled for November 20 with the preferred candidate.
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After the two-hour interview, the Call Committee scheduled a site visit with the preferred candidate for 11 December
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At the conclusion of the site visit, the Call Committee unanimously decided to present the preferred candidate to the Atonement Church Council.
On 18 December 2023, after a unanimous vote of the Pastoral Call Committee and Atonement Church Council, it was decided that a call request would be submitted to ELCA Central States Synod for Pastor Delaney Schlake-Kruse to become our Senior Pastor.
More details regarding the timeline for Pastor Delaney Schlake-Kruse’s installation as Atonement’s Senior Pastor will be communicated by email, Sunday’s printed copies of Atonement News and Notes and the church’s website.
24 December 2023
Big News! The Call Committee has made a formal report to the Congregation Council recommending that a Call be extended to the Pastoral Candidate. The Council formally approved moving forward in the Call process. This means that we are moving ever closer to getting a new Pastor at Atonement!
Over the next few weeks, we will be scheduling a Meet and Greet with the candidate and family, after which we will have a Congregational meeting to vote on extending a call.
We are not quite at liberty to announce the candidate’s name, although we expect to have permission to do so once we have a date set for the Meet and Greet. Many thanks to the Call Committee for making this happen so quickly.
12 December 2023
A site visit was conducted on Monday, December 11th. The candidate's day with us was planned through the efforts of the Call Committee and Pastor Nolde. It included meeting with some of the Church/School staff and concluded with a dinner with Call Committee members. Thank you to all who took time out of their day to meet and share with the pastor. Special thanks to Pastor Nolde, whose guidance and leadership throughout has helped tremendously. The Call Committee met at the end of the day and decided unanimously to move forward with the candidate and is working on creating its report to present to the Council. Next, the Council will meet to act on the Call Committee's recommendation. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
4 December 2023
The Call Committee is planning an initial site visit for the candidate of choice. This visit is intended to give the candidate the opportunity to meet with key members of the church/school and with selected congregational members. After the site visit, the Committee will gather, discuss and prayerfully consider the next step with the candidate. We are still in the early stages of the call process so we ask for the strictest confidentiality regarding the candidate's information. Thank you for the continued support and prayers as we seek guidance by the Holy Spirit in this journey.
27 November 2023
The Call Committee completed a second Zoom interview with the candidate of choice and are working with the Synod and the candidate on the next steps. The Committee thanks you for your continued prayers and support.
20 November 2023
The Call Committee completed initial interviews with the two candidates. After careful discussion, the committee will pursue a second interview with one of the candidates. The other candidate has been released from our Call Slate.
7 November 2023
The Pastoral Call Committee met for the first time on October 24 with Rev. David J. Whetter of the ELCA Central States Synod. Greg Viehman was elected chair and a review of Committee responsibilities was discussed. The committee determined that they would meet on Tuesdays and they were charged with reviewing the Transition Manual and preparing personal bios for the website.
November 7th the Call Committee received a list of two candidates, also known as the call list, from ELCA Rev. Dave Whetter. The packet included biographical information, recommendations, and reflections. During the meeting, Committee members began reviewing possible interview questions and determined the format for the initial interviews. A survey was used to ensure consensus. Initial interviews have been scheduled for one hour Zoom sessions beginning next week.
While the Call Committee members will share updates, we appreciate your respect for the confidentiality of the list. Candidates’ respective churches may not know that their pastor is on such a list and hearing about this via word of mouth could be very damaging.
We requested senior pastor nominations from you and are still taking them. We’ve received one Candidate Referral form so far and it has been forwarded to Rev Whetter for review. Please keep in mind that they may not be returned to us to consider. There is a preliminary filtering process at the Synod that determines if people on the list are open to a call at this point in their career and if they meet our needs.
Please continue to pray for Atonement and the Call Committee members. Pray that we quickly recognize the person God has already chosen to lead our church. Should you have any questions about the call process or our proceedings, please reach out to committee members, check the website, weekly email blasts, News and Notes, and or the family room tv for updates.
24 October 2023
The Pastoral Call Committee had an initial meeting with Rev. David J. Whetter of the ELCA Central States Synod last week. Greg Viehman was selected as Chair. The Committee also discussed their responsibilities and synchronized their calendars for the exciting work ahead. The Ministry Site Profile (MSP) which indicates the type of leader we are seeking was approved by the synod and our Call Process Minister (Rev Dave Whetter) started the process of reaching out to potential candidates.
We as a congregation can also submit names of candidates. If you would like to submit a candidate’s name, please contact Greg Viehman at 314-422-2657 or gtviehman@gmail.com and we’ll complete the necessary form.
While the call committee must keep all verbal and written information about each and every candidate strictly confidential, they intend to keep the congregation informed about the work and progress as they are able. We encourage you to continue to pray for the committee and the work of the Holy Spirit as they seek to discern God's will for the congregation.