SPACER
John Roberto
John is president of LifelongFaith Associates (www.lifelongfaith.com), editor of the journal Lifelong Faith, and coordinator for the Faith Formation 2020 Initiative (www.faithformation2020.net). John also works on the Vibrant Faith Ministries team as project coordinator of the Faith Formation Learning Exchange (www.faithformationlearningexchange.net). John works as a consultant to churches and national organizations, teaches courses and conducts workshops in faith formation, and has authored books and program manuals in youth ministry, family ministry, and intergenerational faith formation. John created the theory and practice of Generations of Faith—an intergenerational, lifelong approach to faith formation; and administered the five-year Lilly Endowment funded project to develop lifelong faith formation in Catholic parishes across the U.S. His latest publications include Faith Formation 2020: Designing the Future of Faith, The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry (co-authored), Living Well: Christian Practices for Everyday Life, Becoming a Church of Lifelong Learners, and four volumes of intergenerational learning programs in the People of Faith series. John is the founder and was director of the Center for Ministry Development, where he worked for 28 years.
Debbie Streicher
Debbie is a life-long Lutheran and has been involved in the ministries of the Metro Washington D.C. Synod serving as the Chair for Congregational Life for the past 10 years. She has also been a volunteer and on staff in two synod congregations working with children, youth, and families since 1991.
She has a passion for family ministry and has shared with congregations from her experiences throughout the US, Australia, and Canada in her role as Consultant for Children and Family Ministries at Faith Inkubators. Debbie was Region 8 representative for LACE (Lutheran Association of Christian Educators) and now serves as VP for Communications. Her background is in language. She is fluent in Spanish and approaches her ministry through the lens of one who is learning to speak a language for the first time. She believes the most important language to learn is the language of faith and that there is an urgency to reach out to congregations with help, support, and suggestions to equip volunteers and staff alike with steps needed to immerse congregations in faith formation programs that move towards fluency in the language of faith.
Her vision is to involve all ages in Christian education, strengthen family relationships through Spiritual growth, and empower God-given gifts to do ministry in the congregation, in the home, and in the world.
Debbie and her husband Burt have three sons and two grandsons.
Gregory Villalon — ELCA Representative
Pastor Greg Villalon was born in New York City and was baptized and raised at Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the Bronx where he met his wife Letty. They have been married to for 40 years, and have been blessed with two children, Jennifer Lee and Joseph James. Today he is the proud grandfather to three grandchildren, Rebecca, Sarah and Matthew.
Greg completed his undergraduate studies at Hunter College and in 1983 earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. On June 1995 he was granted an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Newberry College, and later earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in missional leadership from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
His first call was to Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Queens, New York where he helped establish the Queens Community Service Organization, and began a food distribution center at the church. In 1988 he accepted a call to Sión Lutheran Church in Puerto Rico, and later Santísima Trinidad Lutheran Church and School.
In 1992 he was elected Bishop of the Caribbean Synod, which includes the congregations on the islands of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
In 1998, Pastor Villalon accepted a call to the churchwide offices in Chicago where he presently serves as the Director for Missional Leadership and Director for Candidacy in the Congregational and Synodical Mission unit in the churchwide organization. Pastor Villalon also developed and oversees the Theological Education for Emerging Ministry Program, another route for gifted leaders to meet the educational requirements for ordained service in the church.
Our Musicians
Dr. Jared Chase, trumpet
Dr. Jared Chase is the Director of Bands and Chair of the Department of Music at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Before coming to Bethany, Dr. Chase was the music director of the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble and a doctoral conducting associate at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). From 2004-2010 he was the music director of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Thomas, Kentucky and taught trumpet at Sinclair Community College. Dr. Chase has also taught at Central State University and grades 4-12 band and choir in the public schools of Ohio and Colorado. His primary conducting teachers include Allan McMurray, Dr. Terence Milligan and Rodney Winther.
Also an accomplished trumpet player, Dr. Chase studied music education and trumpet performance at the University of Colorado, Boulder and trumpet performance at CCM. He has studied trumpet with Phil Collins (former Principal Trumpet, Cincinnati Symphony), Alan Siebert and Terry Sawchuck. While at CCM he performed as principal trumpet in the prestigious CCM Chamber Players, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Wind Symphony. He was an active freelance performer in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas and has performed with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band, Springfield Symphony, Blue Ash Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Dayton Bach Society, and as a member of the Cincinnati Brass Quintet.
Diana Chase, trumpet
Diana Chase, originally from Zelienople, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Pittsburgh), holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from Western Illinois University. While at Western Illinois University, she was the graduate assistant for the trumpet studio and played second trumpet in the Lamoine Brass Quintet, comprised of faculty members from WIU. She has performed in various ensembles throughout the United States and Europe, including the Opera Theatre and Music Festival of Lucca in Lucca, Italy, the Lausitzer Opernsommer in Cottbus, Germany, the Quincy Symphony, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, River City Brass Band, SouthWinds Swing Jazz Dance Band, Wichita Grand Opera, Salina Community Theater, the Salina Symphony, and the Wichita Symphony. Diana has an active trumpet studio utilized by students throughout Salina, Lindsborg, McPherson, and Central Kansas, is the Administrative Assistant at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Salina, and is currently finishing her Music Education Certification at Bethany College.
Kyle Hopkins, horn
Kyle Hopkins is in his 11th year as Director of Bands for the McPherson Public Schools. He received a B.A. from the University of Kansas in 1989, a B.M.E. from Washburn University in 1999 and an M.M. from Kansas State University in 2009. Prior to returning to college for his education degree, he did graduate work in Russian language and culture and worked for seven years as a Disability Examiner for the State of Kansas specializing in childhood disabilities. Before accepting the position of Director of Bands in McPherson, he taught in Topeka and Shawnee Mission. Kyle has been a board member of the South Central Kansas Music Educators Association and has served as the district’s Jazz Chair. He has also taught at Bethany College and McPherson College as an adjunct faculty member and Director of Bands. In 2011-2012, he was voted USD 418’s “Teacher of the Year” by its faculty and staff.
Kyle and his wife Christi are both accomplished horn players. Kyle has performed with the Topeka Symphony and the Kansas City Philharmonia. Currently he performs with the Wichita Grand Opera, the Salina Symphony and the Salina Symphony Woodwind Quintet. Kyle studied horn with Dave Everson (Detroit Symphony), Dr. Nicholas Smith (Wichita Symphony) and James London (Dallas Symphony). Kyle has two sons, Isaac, who is a trumpet performance major at Washburn University and Ben, a 5th grader who excels in piano and tae-kwon-do.
Rob Tierney, trombone
Rob Tierney is the director of instrumental music at Goessel USD411. Mr. Tierney is an active professional trombonist playing lead trombone in the Salt City Big Band as well as the Newton Mid Kansas Symphony Orchestra. Other local groups he has played with have been: the Friends Community Big Band, Wichita Grand Opera and the Wichita Wind Ensemble’s Professional Band. Before moving to Kansas he has performed with: The Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Tierney holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Potsdam in Music Education, and a M.M. from the New England Conservatory in Trombone Performance. Other accomplishments include a summer tour with the American Wind Symphony and having performed with soul legend Aretha Franklin. Mr. Tierney is a member of Phi Beta Mu, a band directors honor’s fraternity, and currently serving on the board for the Kansas Bandmasters Association.
