Staff
MINISTERS : All members of the congregation
KAREN MARTENS ZIMMERLY - Pastor (she/her/hers)
My roots are on the Canadian prairies, where participation of everyone was central to the vibrancy of the small rural Mennonite church where our family attended. From my parents and the adults who surrounded me, I could tell that faith mattered. Studying the Bible became my goal. So several years after teaching junior high, I left for Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN for what I thought would be one year of study. Little did I realize how that decision would change the course of my life!
I loved studying the Bible and I met the love of my life, Terry. The thought of becoming a pastor was not something I had considered, but a variety of people encouraged me to consider ministry. So I tested that calling in October 1987 when Terry and I became co-associate pastors of a church in British Columbia.
Now after thirty years of congregational and denominational ministry in the Canadian context, I am a transplant into the US context and I wonder again what new thing God will do in this setting!
We have three young adult sons who live on various sides of the Canadian/US border and they have brought two lovely young women into our family. Visits and FaceTime conversations are precious. Gardening, reading, and food, conversation and laughter with family and friends are all things that restore my soul.
TERRY ZIMMERLY - Pastor (he/him/his)
I was born in Ohio and grew up on a dairy farm surrounded by extended family and a tight knit Mennonite and Amish community. My parents and the community around me modeled the importance of faith in Jesus and living one’s life with integrity, even if it meant living a life of non-conformity with mainstream society. Little did I know that the lessons learned in those early years would prepare me for a life of ministry with a bent toward prophetic activism for the inclusion of the socially marginalized into the church!
I delight in the privilege of being married to an extraordinary person, Karen Martens, who is passionate in commitment to following Jesus in all areas of her life and family along with me. Serving the church with her in pastoral and denominational ministry has enriched my life. I am excited to be sharing ministry in the same congregation with her once again.
I am an ordained minister with the Mennonite Church and have been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years serving churches primarily in Canada. Preaching is one of my true joys in life. Journeying with people through life’s challenges and joys is another privilege I enjoy of being a pastor. I am a clinical fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
I enjoy acting and singing, eating, drinking fine wines, warm holidays with Karen and our children, watching and playing sports, photography, bird watching, bread making, and am an avid Cleveland and Ohio State sports fan.
My roots are on the Canadian prairies, where participation of everyone was central to the vibrancy of the small rural Mennonite church where our family attended. From my parents and the adults who surrounded me, I could tell that faith mattered. Studying the Bible became my goal. So several years after teaching junior high, I left for Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN for what I thought would be one year of study. Little did I realize how that decision would change the course of my life!
I loved studying the Bible and I met the love of my life, Terry. The thought of becoming a pastor was not something I had considered, but a variety of people encouraged me to consider ministry. So I tested that calling in October 1987 when Terry and I became co-associate pastors of a church in British Columbia.
Now after thirty years of congregational and denominational ministry in the Canadian context, I am a transplant into the US context and I wonder again what new thing God will do in this setting!
We have three young adult sons who live on various sides of the Canadian/US border and they have brought two lovely young women into our family. Visits and FaceTime conversations are precious. Gardening, reading, and food, conversation and laughter with family and friends are all things that restore my soul.
TERRY ZIMMERLY - Pastor (he/him/his)
I was born in Ohio and grew up on a dairy farm surrounded by extended family and a tight knit Mennonite and Amish community. My parents and the community around me modeled the importance of faith in Jesus and living one’s life with integrity, even if it meant living a life of non-conformity with mainstream society. Little did I know that the lessons learned in those early years would prepare me for a life of ministry with a bent toward prophetic activism for the inclusion of the socially marginalized into the church!
I delight in the privilege of being married to an extraordinary person, Karen Martens, who is passionate in commitment to following Jesus in all areas of her life and family along with me. Serving the church with her in pastoral and denominational ministry has enriched my life. I am excited to be sharing ministry in the same congregation with her once again.
I am an ordained minister with the Mennonite Church and have been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years serving churches primarily in Canada. Preaching is one of my true joys in life. Journeying with people through life’s challenges and joys is another privilege I enjoy of being a pastor. I am a clinical fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
I enjoy acting and singing, eating, drinking fine wines, warm holidays with Karen and our children, watching and playing sports, photography, bird watching, bread making, and am an avid Cleveland and Ohio State sports fan.