Pastor Dave Miller was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and was very active in sports, clubs, and youth groups throughout childhood and into undergrad. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a degree in Religious Studies and received his Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. He was ordained in November 2009 and has served as pastor for 14 years in the ELCA. In some instances, he has worked bi-vocationally - working in retail, tech service and sales, pharmaceutical sales, security, and most recently, carpentry.
Pastor Dave met Natalie at the Graduate Theological Union, where she was also attending seminary, receiving her dual master’s degrees at the Franciscan School of Theology. They fell in love over everything nerdy and bookish and married in 2011. Between the two, they have almost 40 years of theological study in 5 different schools and over 20 years of practical experience combined. They currently live in Santa Rosa with their kids, Atticus and Gemma, and their little pug, Cora.
Pastor Dave enjoys spending time with his family out in the community, at home watching movies, and playing games. He can be found in coffee shops reading books, working on his laptop, or haunting nerd and game stores. Current hobbies include books (comic, audio, and real books), sports, LEGO, and history.
Most of you already know me; my name is Tiffani Lanting, and I am the new Youth Director for Shepherd of the Hills. I've been at Shepherd of the Hills my entire life. I was baptized at SOTH and went through Sunday school, confirmation, KFC, GAS, and SHY. I actually met my husband, Kenny, in confirmation class; we have three children. I have so many great memories and lifelong friendships that started here at Shepherd of the Hills. I am very excited about this new adventure.
Our youth ministry will have three groups: Kids for Christ (KFC) for children in 3rd-5th grade, God's All Stars (GAS) for children in 6th-8th grade, and Sr. High Youth (SHY) for teens in 9th-12th grade. KFC will meet the 2nd Sunday of the month from 11:45-2 pm starting August 13th. GAS will meet every 2nd and 4th Sunday from 11:45-2 pm starting Aug.13th. KFC and GAS will combine on the 2nd Sunday of the month. SHY will meet Sunday nights from 7-9 pm.
Chris Holmes has been a professional musician for 40 years. He attended Solano Junior College, majoring in music, and was then employed there as an accompanist for choirs and voice classes. He has been in various bands since the 8th grade, including a video on MTV with Laserboy, and a record deal with CBS with the band Workforce.
His ability to program and sequence all instruments with a keyboard has seen him employed by studios and musical theaters, doing orchestrations of everything from "Wizard of Oz" and "Into the Woods" to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
He has used his abilities at Shepherd of The Hills Lutheran Church since 1995. He loves what he does and who he performs with. In addition to serving as Director of Music Ministries and Shepherd of The Hills, he plays and sings with the Rhythm Method Trio, and teaches piano, beginning guitar, and voice.
