Hesston Mennonite Church Staff
John Murray | Pastor
Phone | 620-327-4885 ext. 108Email | johnm@hesstonmc.org
John C. Murray joined the pastoral staff at Hesston Mennonite Church on June 15, 1999.
John was born and raised in Kouts, Indiana. He is a graduate of Hesston College, Hesston, Kansas and Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana and has attended Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana and Fuller Theological Seminary Extension, Phoenix, Arizona.
John is married to Krista and they have three children, John N., Joel and Meghana.
Prior to coming to Hesston Mennonite Church he served as pastor of the Emma Mennonite Church, Topeka Indiana for 11 years and was a member of the pastoral team of Holdeman Mennonite Church, Wakarusa, Indiana for 5 years. He has served as Moderator of Indiana Michigan Mennonite Conference and South Central Mennonite Conference. He was co-chair of the Integration Committee of the Mennonite Church and General Conference Mennonite Church.
Along with his congregational responsibilities John is a member of the board of Directors of Menno Clinic, India, a medical mission in the southern India village of Chiluvuru. For further information on this mission work please visit the Menno Clinic India website. He has also been involved with the Council on Foreign Relations in their religion and foreign policy initiative.
John enjoys raising blueberries and riding motorcycle.
Nadine Friesen | Interim Associate Pastor
Phone | 620-327-4885 ext. 110Email | nadinef@hesstonmc.org
Nadine Friesen joined the joined the pastoral staff at Hesston Mennonite in September of 2012.
Nadine grew up in Minnesota until moving to Kansas to attend Tabor College. After college, she went on to complete a masters in biblical studies from North American Baptist seminary in Sioux Falls.
Ministry experiences have included almost 27 years as part of the pastoral staff at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church in the area of discipleship ministries and an interim position at First Mennonite Church in Hillsboro. For the last 6 1/2 years she has served as a hospice grief support chaplain.
Nadine feels it is a privilege to walk alongside others, offering encouragement and support for whatever their life journey may include. She also finds joy in assisting others in discovering and rediscovering their God-given gifts and passions which free them to live and serve with joy.
Nadine's present interim role at HMC is 3/4 time and includes visitation, offering support to various groups within the church and some preaching.
Relaxing time for Nadine includes time with friends, puttering in the yard, reading and jigsaw puzzles.
Ryan Kopper | Associate Pastor
Phone | 620-327-4885 ext. 102Email | ryank@hesstonmc.org
Ryan Kopper joined the pastoral staff at Hesston Mennonite Church on July 6, 2010.
Ryan was born and raised in Ingalls, Kansas. He is married to Sarah and has a son, Noah.
Beginning in high school with trips to Mexico with his youth group to build homes, Ryan’s call to ministry has followed a path that includes mission in all three countries of North America as well as Europe, Asia and Africa. While attending Tabor College, Hillsboro KS, he participated in a one-month study in Kenya doing service work with refugees from neighboring countries. Following graduation from Tabor in 2000 with a BA in Biblical Studies and English, Ryan was a member of a TREK (Youth Mission International) team that spent a year in Kazakhstan. There he developed youth programming for local Kazakh churches and began and maintained an English school for the Kazakhstani people. “Through these times, I have learned and experienced some key issues in my life such as grace, contentment, suffering because of faith, how to love and forgive those who have deeply hurt me, and peacemaking.” Ryan has also been a youth group sponsor, at First Mennonite Brethren Church in Hillsboro and at Hesston Mennonite.
To date, Ryan’s professional career has largely been in the field of mental health, with a focus on youth (ages 12 –18) and their families. Ryan was employed by Prairie View in Newton, KS (where he met wife, Sara) for seven years before coming to Hesston Mennonite. His experiences there have been extensive, and reflect strong gifts in the areas of communication, developing and facilitating programs and curriculum, teambuilding, conflict management, leadership, critical thinking skills, education/training of youth and adults in various settings. Ryan has pursued certification and become a trainer in many areas relevant to his work at Prairie View as well as ministry in the church setting, including Strengthening Families and Servants by Design.
Amy Nissley Stauffer | Associate Pastor
Phone | 620-217-0454 (cell)Email | amyns@hesstonmc.org
Amy Nissley Stauffer joined the pastoral staff at Hesston Mennonite in September of 2012.
Amy was born and raised in Williamsburg, Iowa. She appreciates her Iowa roots and her time spent at Iowa Mennonite High School as well as the congregations there that nurtured her spiritually. She furthered her education at the University of Iowa with a degree in Elementary Education specializing in reading. She explored her call to ministry at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, where she completed her Master of Arts in Christian Formation.
Amy is married to Ardell and they have two sons, Max and Graham.
Prior to the call from Hesston Mennonite, she served as associate pastor at Bethel Mennonite Church, Mountain Lake, MN. In her former conference she served on the Congregational Ministries Committee providing resourcing for congregations in different areas of congregation life. She also served on the planning committee for conference Annual Meeting. Being a part of the broader church is a high priority for Amy. She has served for a number of years at MCUSA bi-annual convention as a delegate for both conference and congregation. She was part of a team who planned events for Young Adult Delegates to Assembly (YODA) and most recently has coordinated Children's Convention.
Amy's philosophy of ministry is shaped by the understanding that we are formed by spiritual practices from the cradle to the grave. She desires to be a lifelong learner and brings that passion for learning to pastoral ministry.
Norma Diller | Office Manager
Phone | 620-327-4885 ext. 100Email | normad@hesstonmc.org
Ted Stuckey | Finance Secretary
Phone | 620-327-4885 ext. 101Email | teds@hesstonmc.org