Prairie Hill Evangelical Free Church: Meet our Staff

Dr Jerry Erickson, Sr. Pastor

Jerry has an intense love for the Word of God, and loves to share it in a relevant manner with his congregation. He considers it a joy to lead a church where the people truly love God and each other and desire to share that love with the world around them. He is passionate about missions and has worked hand in hand with missionaries and national leaders abroad, and is excited as he sees Prairie Hill sending its people out as missionaries.

Jerry loves sharing his life with his wife Rebecca, and they are the proud parents of three children. In his spare time he is a sports fan, enjoys reading, travel, biking, and music, as well as spending time with family and friends.

Jerry came to Prairie Hill after successful pastorates in Iowa and Colorado. His education includes The University of Minnesota (B.E.D.) and Bethel Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry).

Jerry's prayer and passion for his congregation is that they "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Stieg and Marilyn Strand, Sr. High Youth

One word to describe Stieg and Marilyn Strand is "passionate". The Strands are passionate about God, Youth and Youth Ministry. They feel that the greatest "job" in the world is introducing teenagers to Jesus! They have had the opportunity to be Youth Pastors at PHEFC since 1999.

Stieg grew up in Int'l Falls & Coon Rapids, MN, graduated from Coon Rapids High School and has a Bible Degree from International Ministerial Fellowship. Marilyn grew up in Bottineau, ND, graduated from Hillcrest Luther, an Academy in Fergus Falls, MN and has a Travel degree as well as majored in Psychology. The Strands were married in 1994 - have 3 great kids - Katie, AnnaMarie (at Bethel University) & Taylor (at EPHS) and have a 9 yr. old Golden Retriever - Maxine.

Stieg & Marilyn's other passions are: Youth Mission Trips, Ministering in Jamaica, fishing, spending time with family & friends, driving with the window down (Stieg only!) & planting flowers (Marilyn only!).

A favorite Bible verse is II Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (NKJV)

Kyle and Emilie Schmitz, Jr. High Youth

Kyle and Emilie are the newest members of the Prairie Hill staff and are excited and passionate about teaching Jr. High students, worshiping God, and training current and future leaders in the Church. They both grew up attending Free Churches (Kyle in the Twin Cities and Emilie in northern Wisconsin). Kyle and Emilie met at Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN as Freshmen and quickly became good friends. Kyle graduated with a degree in Youth Ministry and Bible, while Emilie graduated with a degree in Psychology and Bible. They each have over 10 years of experience in youth ministry.

Kyle loves to go Bass Fishing, play Disc Golf, and take his black lab, Nya, to the dog park to play fetch. Emilie loves her husband, Jesus, coffee, good books and hiking (not necessarily in that order).

Their life verse for ministry comes from Psalm 71:18, "Do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."

Kathleen O'Connor, Children's Ministries Director

Kathleen began as Director of Children's Ministries for Prairie Hill in August 2004. She grew up in Bloomington, MN, graduated from J.F. Kennedy High School, and holds a B.S. in Administration from Northwestern College in Roseville, MN.

In the 1980's, Kathleen served as the Ministries Coordinator for Eden Prairie Community Church. Her desire to share the love of Christ with people in pain led her to serve in Public Safety for 15 years as a firefighter, Emergency Medical Technician and fire chaplain. Upon retiring from the fire department, Kathleen entered the mission field, as the Tour Director for the African Children's Choir until it became necessary for her to return home to help care for her aging father.

Kathleen has two married daughters and one granddaughter. Her daily companion is her red Doberman, Karli, who makes sure she gets out for daily walks, and shares Kathleen's love for children. Most free time is spent working with the Prairie Hill Stuffed With F.L.U.F.F. Puppet Team. The team keeps her busy with directing, training, and scheduling, as well as creating puppets, props, and scripts.

Erik Sundman, Worship Director

Erik Sundman loves to share his passion for music in his role as Worship Director at Prairie Hill. He possesses both a profound appreciation for the great hymns of the church and a strong desire to engage the contemporary praise and worship movement, making Prairie Hill an ideal environment for sharing his gifts. Erik appreciates the congregation's desire for authentic worship and the conveyance of spiritual truth through song. He also enjoys bringing his love of jazz to bear each Sunday.

Erik previously served at Sauganash Community Church in Chicago for two years as interim music director and pianist/organist. As the grandson of Salvation Army officers, Erik grew up attending Salvation Army corps, where he began his studies in cornet and piano at an early age. Erik studied music and business administration at North Park University in Chicago, Illinois, where he was twice recognized as Outstanding Soloist at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival. During that time Erik was also involved in Willow Creek Community Church's Chicago church plant for two years, serving on the planning committee and playing with the worship team.

In his spare time Erik enjoys playing and listening to music, reading modern poetry and fiction, and following European soccer. He lives in Minneapolis with his lovely wife, Lynnea.

Erik's prayer is found in Psalm 19:14: "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart may be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

Audrey Haverstock, Administrative Assistant

Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Audrey had eight younger siblings. Helping with them on a daily basis fostered in her a love for the innocence of childhood and also for the awesome potential that lies within each little one. She sponsors children through programs and annually packs hundreds of shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. She maintains ongoing contact with the recipients when possible. Audrey's wonderful husband, Bill, puts up with all the things she drags home year round that are saved for the shoeboxes. It's a good thing their storage building is bigger than their house!

Audrey taught Bible classes for over forty years to every age group from two year olds through senior citizens and often wrote her own curriculum. She enjoys spending time with people of all ages, marveling at the Creator's design in each new person she meets. Every age group has something wonderful and unique about it.

Some of the things she enjoys doing include spending time with her husband, training her Shelties, Mika and Molly, reading, learning about other cultures (past and present), gardening, and observing the beauty of God's creation.

One of Audrey's favorite Bible verses is in Deuteronomy. It reads: "The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms." No matter what we encounter in life, He is there with those everlasting arms of love.