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.
Cheryl Hershberger | Associate Pastor
Phone | 620-327-4885 ext. 109Email | cherylh@hesstonmc.org
Cheryl Hershberger joined the pastoral staff at Hesston Mennonite in June of 1995.
She lived the first years of her life on a farm in a small community in Northern Indiana. After receiving a degree in Elementary Education from Goshen College, she taught in Indiana, Puerto Rico (with Mennonite Board of Missions) and Florida (in a Mennonite school) where she also served as principal. Wanting to enrich her spiritual life and her relationship with God, she attended Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary for a year. The one year grew into two and then three during which she received her Master’s of Divinity Degree. Cheryl believes God led her back to Florida where she became a chaplain in a retirement community and eventually chose to move to Hesston, Kansas.
Cheryl finds her ministry opportunities at Hesston Mennonite Church challenging and fulfilling. She enjoys interacting with the children and older adults. She finds meeting new persons energizing. She welcomes one-on-one conversations with individuals and encourages the growth in circles of support and faith.
Cheryl greatly appreciates the relationships she has developed in the communities she has lived and the opportunities afforded her. Through her Mennonite church involvement she has traveled to El Salvador with Mennonite Central Committee, played with Hesston Mennonite Church bell choir in Europe, experienced Mennonite World Conference in Africa and spent a sabbatical in Guatemala being tutored in Spanish by a local woman.
Cheryl continues to find energy as she shares hospitality with persons of the church and community. She also enjoys the out-of-doors, gardening, writing poetry and photography. She dreams of being bi-lingual and an artist.
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.
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