Meet Our Staff
Pastor Karl Hester
Pastor Karl was born in New Haven, CT, and grew up in Madison, WI. He graduated from Reed College in Portland, OR, with a physics degree in 1987. He then got his secondary education certification at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Karl then went on to teach physical science at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, for 7 years.
Karl was baptized on October 13, 1985 while a student at Reed. He was ordained on July 28, 2001. He has served in a youth pastor capacity at Bethlehem Lutheran in Aberdeen, SE, St. James Lutheran in Lake Forest, IL, and Resurrection Lutheran in Portland, OR. Pastor Karl began serving as solo pastor here at Christ the Good Shepherd on October 22, 2012.
Pastor Karl has two children: Nicholas who is a freshman at PLU (Pacific Lutheran University), and Natalie who is in the 8th grade. On November 10, 2012 (Martin Luther's birthday), Pastor Karl married Pastor Kim (nee Conway) of St. Luke Lutheran in Portland.
If you are so inclined, please check out http://e-vos.blogspot.com where you can find and subscribe to Karl's weekly e-mail devotion that is based on the lectionary reading for the upcoming week.
Karl fills his spare time with wrangling hedgehogs (Dimsdale, Romona, Pierce, Pierre and Sabrina) and drinking in as many movies as he can. Disc golf is always a welcome distraction as is pool.
If you would like to find out more about Christ the Good Shepherd or Pastor Karl, please feel free to contact him at pastor@christthegoodshep.org or drop by the office.
Michele Wallace
Michele is our newest staff member and serves as our office manager. She comes to us after recently relocationg with her husband (Jack) from southwest Washington. Jack and Michele have two children, Sarah (21) and Aaron (18). Michele grew up in Monmouth, OR and attended college at OSU (Go Beavs!) as well as WOU. She and her family spent 10 years in Utah where they became active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Layton, UT. After returning to the NW, Michele worked with special needs children for five years. She loves to cook, garden, hike and spend time in the great out doors.
You can reach her through: office@christthegoodshep.org
Tanya Elias
Tanya is our Director of Contemporary Worship and Choral Director. Her primary duties at Christ the Good Shepherd are to create and produce the contemporary worship service, including aspects of music, drama and other activities within the service. She is also the choir director for the traditional worship service.
Tanya received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. She has served as choral director in the Pacific Northwest since 1987. She studied conducting under the direction of Dr. Richard Sparks while obtaining her Bachelor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University. She has also written and directed several children's musicals. Tanya has taught private vocal instruction, most recently on staff at Chemeketa Community College. As a soprano, she has portrayed stage roles in musical theater such as Angelina in Trial By Jury, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Guenevere in Camelot, and both Hodel and Fruma Sarah in the same production of Fiddler on the Roof. Her operatic roles include Pamina in The Magic Flute, Madame Lidoine in Diaglogues of the Carmelites, and Anne Trulove in The Rakes Progress. Locally she has performed with the Portland Opera, Lakewood, Broadway Rose, Sylvia's, and the Tacoma Youth Symphony. Vocal awards include first place in the Tacoma Opera Guild Competition, and The National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition.
Christopher Wicks
Christopher is our organist for the traditional service as well as the accompanist to the choir and director of the handbell choir. He has a life-long love of keyboard playing and of composition. Christopher holds a Master of Music degree in Organ from the University of Oregon, and is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organist, considered the equivalent of a doctorate. He has played the organ since the age of twelve for several churches. Although his home church is Silverton United Methodist, he insists that no one loves Lutheran hymn tradition more than he does.