{"id":54234,"date":"2018-07-12T20:26:11","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T20:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/ccv\/?p=54234"},"modified":"2023-01-24T21:03:19","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T21:03:19","slug":"meet-the-riverside-innovation-hub-coaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/ccv\/2018\/07\/12\/meet-the-riverside-innovation-hub-coaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Riverside Innovation Hub Coaches!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
Photo of Innovation Coaches
Top row (left to right): Lindsay Boehmer, Emily Kindelspire, Mason Mennenga, Baird Linke, Tim Thao, Asefa Melka Wakjira
Bottom row (left to right): Amanda Vetsch, Michel\u00e9 Crowder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We have brought together eight dymanic and dedicated leaders for the role of Innovation Coach. The Twin Cities, Iowa, Rwanda, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Argentina, South Dakota, California, Texas, Europe, Philippines, China, Missouri, Montana, Norway, Germany \u2013 these are just some of the places our coaches have lived and learned and led. We are thrilled to bring them all and their collection of experiences across the globe together at Augsburg this August. We are prayerfully holding them up and the new places they will be called to lead and serve this coming year as coaches.<\/p>\n

We are thrilled to let our team introduce themselves!<\/p>\n

Meet Lindsay Boehmer…<\/h2>\n
\"headshot
Lindsay Boehmer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My name is Lindsay Boehmer and I am from Sioux Falls South Dakota. I grew up in Sioux Falls and attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls where I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. The past couple years I have spent very little time in Sioux Falls, but my favorite thing about going back is visiting my home church. I was very active in my church from the time I was young all the way through college and I love to go and catch up with the staff and kids. They always welcome me with open and loving arms and that place continues to feel like home. Since graduation I have spent most of my time learning and discerning about the world, my faith and what my role is here. I spent a year in Cambodia with the Young Adults in Global Mission program and this past year I served as an intern at a Christian camp near Kansas City. Both of these experiences have shaped the person I am today and challenged me in exciting ways. I am thrilled for this new position with the Riverside Innovation Hub and the opportunity to work with others who are passionate about the church. I am eager to learn more about and be in discussion with others about what Christian community looks like today and how we foster authentic and welcoming environments for that community. One superpower I am bringing to this position is a harkened heart. By this I mean I love to listen to people and to hear what sits on other people\u2019s hearts. I am excited for all the people I will get to meet and work with and hear through this position!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Michel\u00e9 Crowder…<\/h2>\n
\"michele
Michel\u00e9 Crowder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am a singer, actor, worship leader and educator with ultra healing hugs and soothing voice super powers!\u00a0I was born in Germany and raised around Fort Hood, Texas.\u00a0I attended Texas Lutheran University for Music as well as Social Entrepreneurship before volunteering a year to Urban Servant Corps in Denver, Colorado. Beginning in 2014, I have\u00a0worked with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as a musician-educator in the Glocal organization, the collective of musician-educators embodying “accompaniment” as formed by the ELCA Global Mission Unit.\u00a0Since coming back to Texas,\u00a0I have spent time acting on various stages and teaching in Creative Action’s after-school programming. Creative Action is a nonprofit, arts-based, youth development organization located in Austin, TX. The best thing about Austin is it’s diverse cuisine offered at various price points. This lover of the color green is exited to learn what is most valued in the hearts of Minnesotans as well as how to grow that love in my own heart.\u00a0I am truly excited to walk beside each congregation and experience the joy of the Lord with them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Emily Kindelspire…<\/h2>\n
\"Emily
Emily Kindelspire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I grew up in New Hope, Minnesota, one of the first suburbs outside of Minneapolis. I lived down the street from my grade school, which meant rain or snow, I walked- or sprinted, as junior high me slept until the last possible minute- to school. I\u2019m still running today, having completed my second marathon this summer. The best thing about where I grew up were my neighbors, Mark and Beth, and their two sons Mark and Tom. I spent most of my childhood hopping the fence into their yard, as I was their honorary daughter. They invited me for dinner, brought me to their family gatherings and on vacations and made me feel seen. My desire to be the house on the block where kids know they can come and be cherished is derived from my experience as a part of Mark and Beth\u2019s family. With a background in Justice and Peace Studies and Family Studies, I am able to critically examine the ways that power and privilege show up in relationships. After spending the better part of 16 years caring for children of all ages, I move through the world with gentleness and empathy. These parts of me combine to produce a dynamic superpower, one that allows me to say \u201cI see you\u201d and \u201clet\u2019s figure this out together\u201d. I am excited to embark on this journey of community engagement and building! In the next 10 months, I hope to learn how to assist others in telling their stories in captivating, change producing ways. I am eager to l live in community with strangers, learn the rhythm of life in Cedar-Riverside,\u00a0and build and sustain deep relationships.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Baird Linke…<\/h2>\n
\"Baird
Baird Linke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was born and raised in beautiful Montana near the Great Divide where I learned to love being outside and exploring. I ran cross country and studied Biology and Spanish at Carroll College in Helena, MT. During the summers, I worked at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp, south of Glacier National Park, and I\u2019ve spent the last year living in Buenos Aires, Argentina through the ELCA\u2019s Young Adults in Global Mission program. I\u2019m excited to bring my curiosity and creativity to this new role as an Innovation Coach in the Twin Cities this year to learn about and join in the work being done there!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Asefa Melka Wakjira…<\/h2>\n
\"Asefa
Asefa Melka Wakjira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My name is Asefa Melka Wakjira. I was born and raised in rural Ethiopia. My father finished grade four. He is retired Lutheran Church evangelist. My mother is strong and wise but she has never been to school. I have 10 siblings and I\u2019m the 9th<\/sup>. \u00a0I like to say I\u2019m a child of a farmer from rural Africa who got opportunity to be educated because of committed missionaries from Norway, Sweden, Germany and other countries. I finished college in Ethiopia and got my bachelor in Sociology. Besides that, I led campus ministry. After working as a graduate assistant for two years, I got scholarship to study Sociology of Children in Norway for two years. Living in Norway opened my eyes to new culture.\u00a0 During my study in Norway, I got clear vision that I will serve in congregations. Then I prayed and God opened opportunity to study here in the USA.\u00a0 \u00a0I finished my Masters of Divinity last May from San Francisco Theological Seminary in California.\u00a0I hope to bring diverse educational backgrounds like sociology of children and theology. In addition to that, I will bring new culture of food, worship and ministry from Ethiopia. \u00a0I also like to step out of my comfort zone and try new things.\u00a0 But it was not easy for me to be outgoing person before I went to Norway. I remember the difficulty I faced to adjust to new food and weather in Norway. It was very confusing to see sun at 10PM for me and I could not sleep on time for the first two weeks. I also could not try new food for almost a month except the Ethiopian food that I brought with me from home. I believe, adjusting to new environments takes time. I like to continue to learn new culture and listen to stories of people. That is one of the important lessons I look forward to learning more during the next 10 months of ministry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Mason Mennenga…<\/h2>\n
\"headshot
Mason Mennenga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am Mason Mennenga (do not feel ashamed for not being able to pronounce my last name on the first attempt. Baby steps, friends). On top of being an Innovation Coach, I work with the wonderful youth at Solomon\u2019s Porch, a holistic missional Christian community in Minneapolis. I also podcast, write, snob about music, and scroll through Twitter. As an Enneagram 4 I think less about my superpowers and more about my superweaknesses; however, many who know me well would perhaps suggest I have the superpower of creating. I derive much of my energy in my creativity. As of recent, I have been constructing what a church may best look like in our day\u2013 a church that values art, is self-subversive, equitable, and kenotic. Therefore, my gift of creativity I bring as an Innovation Coach will hopefully be generative in creating compelling practices and systems that fully engage with the values and longings of young adults. I grew up in the expansive farmlands of South Dakota, so my most cherished memories involved my best friend and I driving around the country roads talking about faith, music, and politics. Little did I know at the time those conversations would later became foundational to the spiritual journey on which I have found myself. I hope I learn, over the course of the 10 months as an Innovation Coach, ways in which our abstract theological commitments concerning young adults\u2019 engagement with the church can be concretized\u00a0in practice. One of my passions is colliding the theoretical with the practical and this opportunity provides a space for me to creatively explore that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Tim Thao…<\/h2>\n
\"Tim
Tim Thao<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My name is Tim and I grew up right here in the beautiful Twin Cities of Minnesota. I am a graduate of the University of Northwestern (previously known as Northwestern College) in St. Paul and I am currently attending seminary at Bethel Seminary in pursuit of a Masters in Ministry. I have been happily married to my gorgeous wife Anna for about 9 months. We live just north of Minneapolis in the city of Brooklyn Park. Our home church is a multi-generational Hmong church in Coon Rapids. We both previously served in the youth ministry for almost a decade. Currently, I serve as the Worship Director for our church. We enjoy being active and playing music together. Our current hobbies include volleyball, playing our guitars, and do-it-yourself, home-improvement projects. Compassion is my big thing. I believe that every single one of us has a beautiful story to tell and we all deserve to be heard. It hurts to see that, even in our society today, people are stripped of their own voice and are told that their experiences, their opinions, and their perspectives are not valued. The Church ought to be a place where individuals find value in themselves in the context of community. Christ loves the lowly and the meek and I believe that we ought to as well. In these next 10 months, I am incredibly excited to see the work that God has begun in the churches of the Twin Cities. I believe that God is moving here in our city and I think that we are all blessed to be able to be a part of God\u2019s kingdom-building work. Apart from my home church, I have not had the privilege to work with other congregations. I am eager to see churches seeking to honor and glorify Christ in their unique context.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet Amanda Vetsch…<\/h2>\n
\"Amanda
Amanda Vetsch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hi! My name is Amanda and I come from the great state of Minnesota, born and raised in Minneapolis.\u00a0 I have recently returned from a year of service in Rwanda through the Young Adult Global Missions (YAGM) program. While there, my work was a mashup of sports coach, youth group leader, and educational support staff.\u00a0 Before that I got a degree in Biology from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. One of my everyday superpowers is the ability to regularly spill or drop things. One might not think that is a superpower, but I like to think that it translates into the ability to accept being bad at things and resiliency. I’m proud of my Minnesota heritage,\u00a0there are many great things about this state, but especially the accessibility to nature as well as all of the amazing food at the MN state fair.\u00a0 In these next 10 months, I’m eager to develop my abilities to work with adults. The majority of my work experience is with children and youth so I’m trepidatiously excited to work with full sized humans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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