Our Staff and Council

Our Staff and Council

Meet our team.

Our Staff and Council - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
Pastor Martha Schwehn Bardwell - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Pastor Martha Schwehn Bardwell

Lead Pastor (on Sabbatical, April 15 – July 16, 2024)
(she/her)
612-871-2967 option 3
martha@oursavioursmpls.org

Pastor Martha Bardwell was called as Lead Pastor in 2022 after serving for several years as Associate Pastor. She graduated from Luther Seminary in 2015. Before that, she worked as a staff member at a drop-in center for people experiencing homelessness, as a recruiter for Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC), and as a summer lead cook at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center and year-round community in the Cascade mountains. All of these experiences have instilled in Martha a passion for building Christ-centered community with others – in a way that trusts that God oftentimes shows up in strangers (Matthew 25:35). Pastor Martha is currently completing a Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith with a global cohort of faith leaders out of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.

Martha and her husband, Sam, live in North Minneapolis with their kids, Naomi and Will.

Esther Sianipar - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Esther Sianipar

Pastor of Community Care
(she/her)
612-871-2967 option 4
The congregation has joyfully called Esther Sianipar to serve as our Pastor of Community Care. Esther grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, and has lived in Ohio, Arizona, and now Minnesota.  Esther graduated from Wittenberg University Springfield Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and her master’s in international studies at Ohio University, Athens Ohio. She has worked as the Outreach Coordinator for Southeast Asian Studies at Arizona State University.  When she lived in Indonesia, her work was in government affairs, nonprofit organizations, and corporate and public policies in Indonesia. Although her passion was to give people access to information, skills, and basic needs to live, her heart was not full until she came to Minnesota to pursue God’s calling to begin her full faith journey to study for her MDiv degree and to become an ELCA Pastor here in the Twin Cities. Esther moved to Minnesota in 2018 from Indonesia with her teenage son, Jonathan Sitorus. During her academic journey at Luther Seminary, Esther served as a student representative to the Seminary’s Board of Directors meetings. She was elected the first International Student Council President in 2021-2022. She also served in various positions on the council, chapel, Seminary Relations, and Admissions. When she was the council president, she led a robust student movement for the Seminary to be a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) institution and managed to present students’ voices at the Board of Directors meeting. Esther graduated from Luther Seminary in 2022 with her MDiv and is currently finishing her Master of Theology (ThM) at Luther Seminary. She looks forward to listening and fostering relationships and doing pastoral and community care especially to those who are vulnerable, elderly, poor, marginalized, and who experience injustice and inequity. She will be leading our community care ministries centered on the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with Shobi’s Table a hunger justice ministry in St. Paul, going for early morning walks, and cooking with her son!
Mary Preus - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Mary Preus

Director of Worship and Music
612-871-2967 option 6
marypreus@oursavioursmpls.org

Mary Preus is first, a song leader and second, a singer, teacher, worship leader and choir director. Music director and song leader at Our Saviour’s since 1994, Mary engages the community not just on Sunday mornings, but at almost every Wednesday Connections evening, too. A colleague once said of her, “Mary could teach a stone to sing.”

Mary has been working in neighborhood businesses, community arts endeavors, and progressive Christian peace and justice communities for twenty-five years. She sings in several different languages and has led singing around the world. She is the artistic director of Minnesota Community SINGS, the worship and music coordinator for the Community of St. Martin, and a co-founder and member of Bread for the Journey, where she co-leads the teaching and singing of songs of justice, community and faith from around the world.

Mary says, “When we join our voices to the song of all creation, we not only build community, but we do what comes naturally which helps us know our place as just one part of the big, beautiful whole. Singing together is irresistible joy!”

Marcin Cienski - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Marcin Cienski

Office Manager
612-871-2967 option 7
marcin@oursavioursmpls.org

Marcin Cienski is born and raised in Poland. After spending 5 years in Philadelphia, moved to Minnesota in early 2018. The lure of a better quality of life, the great arts and culture scene, the progressive and accepting environment, the parks, the nature and the seasons (including winter) made the Twin Cities the perfect new home. He is a trained painter with his own studio and a successful career exhibiting his works with multiple galleries in Europe. He is excited to support the members of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, to advance its mission and promote the many programs that make this congregation so wonderful and blessed and bring the teachings of Jesus to the Ventura Village neighborhood and the wider community.

He is responsible for keeping the church office humming, keeping OSLC’s presence visible in the community through the website and social media, producing the monthly newsletter The Sentinel and assisting with the publication of the weekly worship folder.

Marcin lives in Northeast Minneapolis with his husband Alex, his mother and their two transplanted pups…Bodie- a Lab/ Collie mix from New Jersey and Mala, a Dachshund/Corgi mix from Poland.

Jakob Johnson - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Jakob Johnson

Live Stream Technician

jakob.johnson330@gmail.com

Jakob Johnson is a 4th generation member of Our Saviour’s – starting in 1936 when his Great Grandma and Grandpa joined.  Jakob is a Dec 2021 Graduate of the University of Minnesota and an avid fan of Gophers sports, especially Gopher Men’s hockey.  He also spends time visiting local breweries, playing golf, and following the St Louis Cardinals, Vikings, Wild and many Gopher teams.  Jakob is on the OSLC Foundation and attends the Men’s Breakfast.  Jakob is excited to be doing the live stream so that those who can’t make it to church in person have the opportunity to experience our worship service at home.  He also does most Adult Forums on Zoom.

Sophia Stout - Our Saviour's Lutheran Church

Sophia Stout

Nursery Director

sstout244@gmail.com

My name is Sophia and I am very excited to be the Nursery Director! I grew up attending Our Saviour’s and have had much joy spending my Sunday mornings learning from our community. I am also currently teaching middle school social studies 6-8 at Friendship Academy of the Arts here in Minneapolis. In my free time I also enjoy hanging out with my friends and family and making new crafts that I hope to finish one day. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer in the nursery, you can contact me or talk to me after church!