It’s Easter!
Spring is in the air, warm temps return, and the winds of change are blowing in Northgate’s direction once again as we celebrate some upcoming staff transitions.
We are excited to announce that Pastors Linnea Grey and Wayne Skaff are approaching their retirement dates and ready to begin new chapters in life and ministry. As we commend them for their jobs-well-done and they pass the baton, we’re also thrilled to be welcoming some new talent with the addition of Shannon Hepner, our new Executive Director.
It’s truly an exciting time for these three, and for all of us as we celebrate them.
Pastor Linnea is the first to take the leap into retirement at the end of May, though she quipped,
“Rather than ‘retire’, I'm really going to be transitioning to ‘stay-at-home mom” status...makes me feel younger this way.”
Linnea has served as an Associate Pastor at Northgate since our inception and during that time has been a champion for women’s empowerment, innovative teaching & marketing, and has had a heart for neighborhood outreach. She has an exceptional talent for identifying gifts in people and putting them in a position to use and develop them. While being in a supervisory role over a handful staffers, she’s also managed to sneak in a major overhaul on [pretty much] our entire data and registration processes, making sure that all of our systems—the app, our forms, check-ins, website, and giving are totally integrated. Not a bad way to make an exit!
Beginning in June, Linnea and her husband Joe will be enjoying more hours on the lake with friends, hanging with their kids & grandbaby, traveling--when it becomes safe to do so--and watching how God might surprise them with new ventures. She’ll still be at Northgate, but now in a volunteer capacity with an Emerita status.
When asked about her time on staff she beamed,
“It has been an honor and quite a thrill, actually, to be a part of the launch and ongoing life of Northgate. My most cherished memories will be to reflect back on how those I've mentored, connected with, prayed for and supervised have grown to be such devoted, talented and faithful servants and Christ-followers who are now helping so many others find and live out their purposes as well. This staff and congregation are the best ever! And, I hope that part of my legacy will be that as a by-product of my leadership all women of Northgate, with all the challenges our culture offers, will feel called, encouraged and empowered to be exactly the leaders God has purposed them to be in the settings he has placed them in.”
Pastor Wayne will end his tenure as Executive Pastor and move into his retirement by the end of the calendar year. His major plans include spending tons of time with his grandkids and to continue his ministry passion by leading 9 more trips to the Holy Land over the next 3 years.
Wayne is man of integrity, one-of-a-kind, and a productivity machine. His relationships with city officials, and his planning & negotiating skills were invaluable to the inception of our church. He’s been a source of quiet strength and assurance through seasons of uncertainty and has a contagious admiration for our Heavenly Father. Staff have often joked that Wayne’s stoic nature comes from his “CIA training” but we know it’s simply because of his unwavering faith.
Reflecting on his work these past years, he remarked,
“I remember sitting in my sunroom with a laptop on Father’s Day 2010, when the Lord laid on my heart to write a ministry plan to launch a new church. Seven weeks later, the Lord gave birth to Northgate on 8/8/2010. To see the ministry reach thousands of people over these past 10 years has been a blessing to Arlene and me. The best is yet to come!”
Like Linnea, Wayne too will continue to attend and serve at Northgate as an Emeritus and may also stay on part-time to help with church accounting.
As Linnea and Wayne step onto new ministry paths, so does longtime Northgater, Shannon Hepner, as our new Executive Director, starting later this month.
In addition to being with Northgate since day one, Shannon has been a leader in our women’s ministry, a graduate of our leadership track, and a personal mentor to many. She’s a big picture leader with an eye for details & opportunities and she was hand-picked because of her keen ability to recognize and develop new leaders…which just happens to be her passion in life.
Outside of her accomplishments at our church, she’s also got an impressive history in her 24 years of service with The Home Depot. If you’re picturing an orange apron and paint mixer, you’ve only got it half-right. Though she had humble beginnings in the company, working part-time while raising two boys and holding off on career aspirations while helping her husband through a health crisis, Shannon quickly rose up in the ranks because of her exceptional skills in customer relations, de-escalation skills in difficult situations, and her instincts surrounding operations.
She’s served in a Human Resources capacity, as an operations manager, and as a specialty manager. Wherever there’s been a need, Shannon has answered the call and jumped in with both feet, helping her co-workers (and company) grow, thrive, and live their values. In fact, she was recently awarded a “Values Based Leader” recognition, which is a pretty high honor within the organization.
Shannon is incredibly excited to get started in her role at Northgate. She’s noted,
“What I love about Northgate Church is the people and how they pour out the love of Jesus in everything that they are and do. Ministry has had a huge impact on my personal life and in the lives of the people around me. What excites me and humbles me about this new opportunity is to be able to serve in a new way in the name of Jesus.”
Though it will be several more weeks before we’re together in person, if you happen to cross paths with any of these three amazing Northgate staffers online, give them a virtual high five and bless their future endeavors.