Our Leadership
Rev. Miriam Samuelson-Roberts, Lead Pastor
Lead pastor at Christ Church since 2020, Pastor Miriam loves her call at Christ Church Lutheran. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 2008, and later attended seminary at Yale Divinity School, graduating in 2015. She previously served as associate pastor at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, MN. She and her husband, Daniel, have two children and live in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Rev. Erik Haaland, Associate Pastor
Associate pastor at Christ Church since 2013, Pastor Erik has been a member of Christ Church Lutheran since 2010. He graduated in 2000 from St. Olaf College, where he majored in music and religion. He later received his seminary training at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. From 2006 to 2009 he held the position of Village Pastor at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in Washington State. He and his husband, Daniel, make their home across the river in St. Paul.
Mark Sedio, Cantor
Mark recently retired from his position as Cantor at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, where he had served since 2000. Prior, he was Cantor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church (Minneapolis) from 1974-2000 and Director of Music at Saint Paul Lutheran in Davenport (IA) 1979-1982. He is an active recitalist, clinician, conductor and composer, with over 125 of his compositions for organ, piano, choral and instrumental ensembles available from a variety of publishers. An ordained deacon in the ELCA, Sedio lives in the Twin Cities with his spouse Jeffrey Sartain, an ELCA pastor.
Martha Mutch, Cantor
Martha Mutch joined Christ Church after serving as organist at Roseville Lutheran Church since 2007. She grew up in Larimore, ND, and received a B.A. in music from Concordia College, Moorhead, and a Master of Music degree in organ performance from Northwestern University. She also spent two years studying organ and piano in Germany. She worked for more than 25 years full-time in Information Technology while also serving as organist for several churches both in the Chicago area as well as the Twin Cities. Martha loves to play tennis, knitting (especially Norwegian mittens), gardening, and cats.
Breanne Hewitt,
Office Administrator
Bre serves as the Office Administrator at Christ Church Lutheran, where she supports the daily operations of the church office with organization, dedication, and a welcoming spirit. A Minnesota native, she returned to the Twin Cities after spending nearly two decades pursuing her education and a career in the archival field. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Arizona. Breanne is passionate about creating a warm, efficient environment for members, visitors, and staff. In her free time, she enjoys cooking new recipes, crocheting, and spending time with her rambunctious dachshunds, Rufus Riley and Bean Crosby.
Ally Reitz, Director of Children’s Ministry
Ally Reitz lives in South Minneapolis with her husband, Drew, and their pets Willie, Nelson, and Dolly Purrton. She is currently a student at Luther Seminary and recently completed time as a student chaplain at Fairview Southdale. Ally has a passion for working with our youngest members, meeting them where they are on their faith journeys, and helping them build relationships with God and with each other.
Peter Stork, Facilities Coordinator
Peter grew up in South Minneapolis in the Sibley Park area, went to Hiawatha, Standish, Follwell and Roosevelt schools. After high school he went to Augsburg College and began a career in Property Management, managing apartments, office buildings and shopping centers. He retired at the end of 2023 and wants to keep busy using building and maintenance skills from his career. Pete has been married for 38 years to Cathy, has 3 kids and 3 awesome grandkids. He plays in a band, plays golf and pickleball, and loves to write songs.
Current Council Members
Drew Benson, Melody Pauling, Michael Bly, Lynn Larson,
Sarah Brunsvold, David Denton, Brad Hubert, Judi Iverson, Matthew Jobe