Faith Lutheran Church operates under the guidance of our Church Council, who adhere to the Faith Lutheran Church Constitution, as well as our staff consisting of our Pastor, Manager, Director of Worship & Music, Director of Family Life, and Bookkeeper. Other leadership roles include the Property Manager, Endowment Committee, Columbarium Committee, and Financial Secretary.
Pastor Ben graduated from Reed College in Portland, OR and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA, and served a Spanish-speaking congregation in Brooklyn, NY before arriving in Chico. He has been presiding over Faith Lutheran Church since 2016. Michael Nicholson has been the manager at Faith since 2019 and is responsible for social media, newsletters, and other content and publications, as well as maintaining connections between members and ministries. Luke Nicolay, our Director of Worship and Music, began work at Faith in 2020. Having earned his masters from KU in Lawrence, KS, Luke oversees our choir, bell choir, organ, and sanctuary arts & environment in tandem with teaching organ at CSU. Dani Vogel is our Director of Family Life. She started her job at Faith in 2021 and oversees family ministry, kids, youth, and young adults. Dani attendeded Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. She received her certificate in Progressive Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 through United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
Our council provides the highest level of oversight to ensure that Faith Lutheran lives out its mission of being a community reflecting God's love with a place at the table for everyone. In conjunction with the staff and church members, they provide appropriate spiritual leadership to the congregation, and always -through prayer and discernment- keeps the welfare of the congregation at the center of its activity. To join the council, one must be an active member at church and be a non-paid staff member.
The purpose of the endowment fund is to provide for mission work beyond the operational budget of this congregation. It provides support for mission work at home and around the world and to strengthen and extend God’s mission through Faith Lutheran Church, reaching out in response to human need, by making grants to promote and support education for Christian life and service. It will provide ways for members who have the desire to benefit Faith Lutheran Church through charitable giving that is consistent with its mission of witnessing to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ on both a local and global level. Funds are managed by Thrivent Charitable Impact and Investing.
Have you noticed the loving care that enhances Faith Lutheran’s Columbarium and Memorial Garden? Take time to enjoy the pond, or the beautiful flowering dogwood tree and azaleas that surround our beloved interred. Not only is our Columbarium a peaceful place in which to hold the ashes of our Faith family, but it is an area where you are welcome to sit, meditate, and breathe.
Our Property Committee is led by council member (and former council president) Joel Zimbelman. We address concerns about the property from broken sprinklers and light timers to the full installation of new building areas. Our goal is not only to maintain our campus, but to make sure that each area is a good fit for our parishioners, and to consider new, creative, and cost-efficient options for improvement. If you are a handy-person with experience in electrical, plumbing, landscaping, etc., or are an organized person looking to apply your skills, consider joining us!
The Equipping Ministry is a team of church members that meet about once a month, brainstorming and implementing ways to support all of our other ministries here at Faith Lutheran Church. They work to rally the congregation, getting them excited for events and hosting 'thank you' events for those who volunteer their time, talents, and treasure.
Mark Kimmelshue is our long standing council treasurer. His responsibilities include sending quarterly financial reports to the staff and council to keep them updated on expenses-to-date. He also creates every financial report you see in our newsletter, Faith Talks, and compiles and presents the proposed budget for the annual meeting.
Jeanette Joslyn is our bookkeeper, and she's been here longer than any of the staff have! Jeanette takes good care of banking, transfers, and payments, ergo, outgoing money.
Lynette Stensrud is our financial secretary, volunteering her time in order to manage our church giving, ergo, incoming money. She organizes our money counters and keeps a watchful eye on our paperwork to make sure that our records are clean and accurate.
