Jerry gives leadership as the Senior Pastor of Woodcrest Church. Prior to planting Woodcrest in 1992, Jerry ministered at Bethany Baptist Church (now Eagle Heights Church) in Omaha, Nebraska . During his college and seminary studies he served on ministry staff in churches in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, San Deigo, California and Wooddale church in Minneapolis-St Paul. He is a graduate of Crown College. Jerry received his Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degree from Bethel Seminary. He is married to Deb and they have three children, Jason, Jessica, and Jennifer. Jason and his wife Mindy are the proud parents of Calvin and Sadie.
 
Email: jerry.schommer@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 11

Favorite movie: Bourne Trilogy

Favorite musician: Chris Tomlin

Favorite restaurant: Kincaids

Favorite verse: "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He has was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit"  1 Peter 3:18

Pete has served as the Executive Pastor of Woodcrest Church since May of 2003. Pete's primary responsibility is providing leadership to adult ministries including prayer, missions, adult education and small groups. Pete has twenty years of ministry experience including eleven years as a Senior Pastor. He most recently served as the planting pastor of Oakwood Community Church (a Wooddale daughter church) in Waconia, Minnesota. Pete and his wife Dawn, have three children. He is a graduate of Northwestern College and received his Masters of Divinity from Bethel Seminary in 1991.

Email: pete.parker@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 16

Favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz

Favorite musician: Gaither Vocal Band

Favorite restaurant: El Azteca

Favorite verse: "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this..." Psalm 37:4-5

Steve joined the Woodcrest staff in September, 2005 after serving over 11 years in the private sector. His primary responsibility is to oversee the Worship Arts Ministry, and he also helps manage our facilities and IT. He has a passion for worshiping God through music and has served as a volunteer in that capacity for many years. He is also a song-writer and performer, and has been involved with several different music groups throughout the years. Steve holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in management. He is married to Lese. He has three great step-sons; Tony Joel and Tim. In addiiton, Steve and Lese are the proud parents of a new daughter, Laney.

Email: steve.olson@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 12

Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings (The Return of the King)

Favorite musician: Big Daddy Weave

Favorite restaurant: Itchiban's Japanese Steakhouse

Favorite verse: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Brent began to serve as the Director of Community Life at Woodcrest in September of 2011. Brent is passionate about the Gospel and desires to see the Good News of Jesus Christ celebrated by individuals in Christian community. His primary focus at Woodcrest is leading the small groups ministry. Brent graduated from Northwestern College and Dallas Theological Seminary, and has served in a variety of ministry rolls. He lives in Woodbury with his wife, Danielle, and their fun-loving twins, Logan and Makayla .

Email: brent.hall@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 15

Favorite movie: Dumb & Dumber

Favorite musician: Coldplay

Favorite restaurant: Benihana

Favorite verse: "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God." Philippians 4:6

Darla has a passion for sharing the Word of God with children in a relevant and active way. It is her desire to fully equip children and their families to grow in their relationship with Christ and to live their lives in a way that impacts others with His love. She came to Woodcrest in August 2006, after serving eight years as Director of Children's Ministry in Northfield, MN. She has a BS in Education from Western Illinois University and an MA in Educational Administration from the University of Northern Illinois. Darla also holds an MA in Children and Family Ministry from Bethel Seminary. She is married to Jim and they have two children.

Email: darla.benjamin@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 22

Favorite movies: Witness and The Incredibles

Favorite musician: Michael W. Smith

Favorite restaurant: Olive Garden - what could be better than Ravioli di Portabello and Olive Garden's salad and breadsticks... Okay, so Red Lobster is right up there, too! Gotta' love the crab legs, coconut shrimp, baked potato, caesar salad and cheddar bay biscuits!

Favorite verse: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Joshua has been with Woodcrest Church since August of 2005 and he loves talking and hanging out with middle schoolers! Joshua started ministry as the Student Ministry Director in Hampton, IA for five years. After that he was the Youth Director at Oakwood Church in St. Paul before being invited to Woodcrest. Joshua holds a BA in Youth Ministries and Bliblical/Theological studies from Bethel University. He is married to Kristina and has two children.

Email: joshua.kirsch@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 24

Favorite movie: Star Wars

Favorite musician: Andrew Peterson

Favorite restaurant: Famous Dave's

Favorite verse: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Becki is a recent Bethel University graduate with a BA in Relational Communication and a minor in Biblical & Theological Studies. Becki began her journey in ministry as an Assistant Preschool teacher at the end of high school and has since been a youth leader, a camp counselor, a resident assistant, and an assistant resident director. She has a heart for missions and advocating against human trafficking. Some of her favorite things include Dr. Pepper, writing fiction or blogging at coffee shops, and hanging out late into the night with friends!

Email: becki.smith@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 x 14

Favorite movie: The Count of Monte Cristo

Favorite musician: Tenth Avenue North or Kristene Mueller

Favorite restaurant: Olive Garden (fancy) or Subway (weekly)

Favorite verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified nor discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Koby came on as a High School Ministry Associate in September of 2011. He has previously served as a youth leader and intern at Bridgewood Community Church. He has been on multiple mission trips to Guatemala and New York. Working with youth is a big passion in Koby's life as well as mission work. Koby graduated from Bethel University in May 2011 with a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies. He traveled to Israel in 2011 which was a life-changing event. Koby loves anything to do with sports. He also loves pets and has a cat named Sox!

Email: koby.radcliffe@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 x 23

Favorite movie: National Treasure or 3:10 to Yuma

Favorite musician: David Crowder Band or Tenth Avenue North

Favorite restaurant: Applebees

Favorite verse: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31

Helen grew up in a farming community about 60 miles out of St. Louis, Missouri. She attended college off and on while working in the computer operations of the local phone company where she met her husband, Peter. They have two children. She has been happy to be a part of the Woodcrest Church staff since May 1997.

Email: helen.mcdonnell@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 10

Favorite movie: The Great Escape

Favorite movie star: Charlton Heston

Favorite restaurant: Macaroni Grill

Favorite verse: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 and "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

After many years of a career in management, Beth felt a strong calling to switch gears, cut back on work hours, and spend more time with her family. She joined the Woodcrest staff in April 2006 and works part-time as an Administrative Assistant. Beth has a BS in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is married to Erick and they have two children.

Email: beth.westerback@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 25

Favorite movie: Sound of Music

Favorite musician: Steve Olson

Favorite movie star: Tom Hanks

Favorite verse: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Barb attended her first six years of school in a one-room country school, went to Hinckley Junior and Senior High (through grade 10), and graduated from White Bear Lake High School. She took classes at Inver Grove Community College in the Working Women's Institute. She's worked in secretarial positions at 3M, for a law office, for another church, for a congressional campaign, for the State of Minnesota, and now part-time at Woodcrest Church. She has three children and her husband Ed has two children.

Email: barb.wing@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800 ext. 29

Favorite movie: Several, but really enjoyed "The Passion of The Christ"

Favorite musician: Mary Beth Carlson, Dino

Favorite restaurant: Pannekoeken Huis and Applebee's

Favorite verse: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

After escaping the difficulties of violence and communism in his native country of Laos, Pao found refuge in the U.S. in April of 1978. Pao's journey both to faith and to Woodcrest are truly unique, and Woodcrest has been blessed to have him on staff since February 2002. Pao is married to Song, and they have three children.

Email: pao.her@woodcrestchurch.org

Phone: 651-681-9800

Favorite movie: The Matrix/Star Gate

Favorite musician: Michael W. Smith

Favorite retail store: Best Buy

Favorite verse: "Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Psalm 86:11

Dick is an engineer by trade, and retired from a full-time career with Zeigler/Cat Corporation in 1997. His passion has always been working with his hands, and he has taken on various projects both personally and professionally for at least 30 years. Currently, he maintains a very busy schedule working on everything from professional grade cabinetry and construction, to other miscellaneous repairs around the church. He has been married to his wife, Lynn, since April 2003 and has five children.

Phone: 651-271-8339

Favorite comic strip: Dick Tracy

Favorite musician: Lorie Line

Favorite restaurant: Timber Lodge

Favorite verse: “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:26