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Hosanna employs a staff of six paid professionals. The dedicated leadership, Christian service, and commitment to excellence of all our staff supports, enriches and empowers our mission as a congregation. Their gifts, skills, and abilities help us all as we strive to continue and extend the work of Christ into all the world.
Pastor Bill Meiers grew up about sixty miles south of Glacier National Park in Polson, Montana. His undergraduate years were spent at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where he majored in music. Following graduation, he taught public school music in Troy, Montana. Heeding God’s call to the ministry, he enrolled at Luther Seminary in St. Paul and received a Master of Divinity Degree, which included a year’s internship at Farmington, Minnesota. He has served as Pastor of Zumbro Lutheran in Rochester, Minnesota, Bethany Lutheran Church in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota and, for the past sixteen years, Calvary Lutheran in Rapidan, Minnesota. His wife Sonja (Boyum) Meiers grew up in Battle Lake, Minnesota. She has a PhD in Nursing
and currently serves as the Director of the Minnesota State University, Mankato School of
Nursing Graduate program. Their oldest daughter, Heidi Kamrath, is enrolled in her first year of medical school, and her husband, Jon, is a student at Iowa State University in the Master of Fine Arts Program. Our middle daughter, Britta, is a junior at Concordia College, Moorhead with a double major focus in Spanish and history. Their son, Christopher is a senior at Mankato West High School. Music, biology and computers are his primary interests. Their family includes their dog, Kari, and a cat, Sammy.
Pastor Karl F. Rist IV was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in Menomonie, Wisconsin with his parents, K. Fred and Pastor Tanya Rist (presently in Aberdeen, SD) and younger brother John. In 1995, he graduated summa cum laude from Luther College in Decorah, IA with a BA in History and English. He spent his junior year at Luther studying in Nottingham, England. After college, he attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Pastor Rist served his pastoral internship at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Long Beach, CA and, after a final year of study, received his Master of Divinity degree in May 1999. After seminary and a sixth summer on staff at Luther Park Bible Camp in Chetek, WI, Pastor Rist was called as Pastor of Education Ministry at First Lutheran Church in Fremont, Nebraska. The Rist family lived and ministered in Fremont, NE from January 2000 through March 2008. Pastor Rist has two children: daughter Sela Grace (born April 2001) and son Karl Frederick the Fifth (“Erick”, born September 2004). They have lived in Rochester since June 2008, when they joined the Hosanna family. In his free time, Pastor Rist finds renewal in music, reading, writing, exercising (especially outdoors), traveling, playing cards and games, watching movies—all of which he enjoys doing with family and friends.
In 1994 Nancy Wales was hired as the Director of Music at Hosanna. Previous to holding his position she fulfilled other roles in this congregation. Ms. Wales started the third-sixth grade choir in 1990 and the junior high choir in 1992. She was the director for each of these groups for several years. In 1992 Ms.Wales became one of the organists for Hosanna and continues in this role on a part-time basis. Beginning in 1993 she has directed several Christian musicals for this church which have included people of all ages. As Director of Music she is the administrator of the entire music department, she is the director of the Senior Choir, and she consults with the pastors in regards to the congregational music in the services. Ms. Wales graduated from the University of Kansas at Lawrence with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree and a Bachelor of Music Therapy Degree. She has received Orff-Schulwerk Certification in Levels I, II, and III from Hamline University in St. Paul. Ms. Wales has presented seven mini- workshops to professional music educators and early childhood educators. She is a member of The Choristers Guild and the Rochester area chapter, the American Guild of Organists and the SE Minnesota chapter, the American Choral Directors Association, and the American Orff-Schulserk Association. Ms. Wales was employed as an elementary general music teacher and a secondary vocal
music teacher for a total of 14 years in three different public schools in Iowa and
Minnesota. She has taught students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. In a Lutheran
church in Iowa she was an organist, the Senior Choir director, and a youth choir director.
In her past experience, Ms. Wales has worked as a private voice, piano, flute,and guitar
teacher. For eleven years she was employed as the music director for a high school summer
theatre. She has been director, vocal music coach, accompanist, choreographer, and/or
actor in over 35 musicals and theatre productions in public schools, community theatres,
and churches.
In 2006, Barb Anderson was hired as Administrative Secretary for Hosanna. She is a founding member of Hosanna and was the secretary for the Steering Committee that began the church. Barb has held a variety of positions in her 27 years at Hosanna, including President of the congregation. She is currently a Stephen Minister. Barb graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN with a Bachelor's degree in English. She received her Master of Education degree in Counseling from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Barb has worked as a middle school and high school English and Speech teacher, as a Rehab Social worker on Guam, as a Work Adjustment Counselor, Supported Employment Coordinator and Marketing Specialist at Ability Building Center, as a Staff Development Coordinator for Olmsted County and the City of Rochester, as Student Success Advisor at Rochester Community College and she recently retired from John Marshall High School after 10 years of high school counseling. Barb has two boys from her first marriage, Carson Romme, who is married to Abby and they live in Rochester, and Taylor Romme who is married to Jennifer and they live in Duluth. She met Paul Anderson at Hosanna and they were married here in 1987. He has three boys; Eric Anderson, who is married to Carla. They have two sons, Logan and Conner and live in Rochester. Jeremy Anderson lives in Rochester. Timothy Anderson is married to Heike and they have a daughter, Morgen, and live in Bonn, Germany. Barb and Paul also have two cats, Desi and Buster, who live with them in a new town home only a mile and a half from Hosanna. Being a member of Hosanna for 27 years has been a wonderful part of Barb's life and work. She's inspired by the strong Christian faith and sense of caring and service in the members and friends she's come to know over the years, and feels privileged to have the opportunity to serve Hosanna in a new way.
Lisa Modry was born and raised in Rochester. Her parents are John and Sue Modry and she has a younger brother, Michael. After graduating from John Marshall High School, Lisa attended Luther College in Decorah, IA. During the spring semester of her junior year at Luther, Lisa had the opportunity to study and live in the small country of Malta, which is just south of Sicily. In 2007, Lisa graduated from Luther with a major in Religion and minors in Psychology and Communications. She then moved back to Rochester to serve for a year as an Americorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) with Habitat for Humanity. Her main focus at Habitat was to develop an InterFaith program and to work with their Youth United program. In her free time, Lisa enjoys singing, reading, running, traveling, being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.
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Rev. Bill Meiers, Pastor 
Rev. Karl Rist, Associate Pastor
Nancy Wales, Director of Music
Barb Anderson, Administrative Secretary
Lisa Modry, Director of Youth Ministry
Charlie Bohlke, Custodian