Welcome to Evangelical.I feel very blessed that God has called me to serve as pastor of this congregation. My family and I joined the family of Evangelical in September of 2009. After having served my previous congregation for 18 years, coming to a new area and a new family was quite a transition. I am happy to say however, it has been a wonderful transition! As we have settled in our home and in this community, we have found the people here very welcoming, and many share a deep desire to be faithful to God. We have especially come to appreciate the growing desire to honor God in many of the members of Evangelical. I am very excited about the direction our Heavenly Father is leading this congregation. Although we have a tremendous amount of work to do, I know if we trust God, He will do wonderful things in and through us. Our main focus in the coming years is to help our members grow deeper in their love for Jesus and for His people. We also want to help strengthen our families to be able to pass their faith on to their children. We are well aware that the conditions of our current culture make achieving these goals quite challenging. We are also aware that we serve a powerful God who promises to do greater things than we could ever imagine.(1 Corinthians 2:9) If you are looking for a congregation of people who are pretty much “down to earth” and people who are growing in their faith, then we would love to have you come visit us. If you would like information before you visit, please feel free to contact either myself or our church office. On another personal note, I am married to my wife Linda for over 25 years. We have two children, Joshua and Bethany. I enjoy hunting , fishing, and just about any outdoor activity. I also am a Rams, Knicks and Mets fan. I know I really shouldn’t list them!! We hope to meet you.
Pastor Dennis Beaver
Welcome to ELC! Hi, I'm Pastor Drahus. My name may seem a bit strange—it is Slovak, just like me. I was born and raised in Slovakia, and attended school and Seminary there. People call me Drahus (Dra-Hoosh). Though I’m Slovak, I have spent a great deal of time in the US, starting way back in high school when I studied for a year in Appleton, Wisconsin, and continuing through to the time that I came to serve as a counselor for summer months at Camp Nawakwa in Arendtsville, PA. During my first summer at CampNawakwa, I met my wife, Andrea, who grew up here in Waynesboro. Our story is a fascinating one, but too long for a website.She loves to tell it, so you can find her and ask! J We were married in 2004 at CampNawakwa, and moved to Slovakia where we lived for the first three years of our marriage. I have studied at the Evangelical Seminary of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic and graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia in 2005. I served my internship and first call in a 4,000 member city congregation in Eastern Slovakia. I have also taught religion at a Slovak-EnglishBilingualLutheranHighsSchool in Kosice, Slovakia. Andrea worked as a missionary with ELCA’s Division for Global Mission. Our experiences there were wonderful and blessed—in ministry and family life. We have three children Jakub (4), Annamary (2) and George (1). We strongly believe in the importance of family and love every moment we can spend together with our children. They keep us busy but fill our lives with much joy.
After our stay in Slovakia we re-located to the States in May, 2007. Upon our return I worked on the leadership staff of CampNawakwa through the summer and then took a call as an Associate Pastor at TrinityLutheranChurch in Robesonia, PA. God blessed us with three amazing years at Trinity, meeting new people, starting new ministries, serving God in real and visible ways. But the time came when God had a new plan for us; he called us to a new ministry at Shepherd of the HillsLutheranChurch in Issaquah, WA.Our year in Pacific Northwest was full of blessings as well as challenges.We met new friends and established valuable relationships with people of Shepherd of the Hills.It was an honor to serve Christ with such energized community of faith.
God has called us back “home” to Pennsylvania, starting another exciting faith journey here in Waynesboro, serving the Lord with the people of Evangelical Lutheran, acongregation excited to know Christ and to make him known to all people.I believe that as a community of believers we’re called to do so, and I’m thrilled that Andrea, Jakub, Annamary, George, and I can be a part of this wonderful ministry here.
Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, come join us, and explore together with us the ways God can touch your life with his love and grace! I would love to share more of my story with you and hear more of yours. Please get in touch with me and let's get together.
Peace,
Pastor Drahus
Kathy Dukes is our Office Manager. Kathy was born in Lexington, Kentucky and spent most of her life there. She attended the University of Kentucky and is a "Big Blue" fan. Kathy and her husband, Chris, are the parents of three children, Logan, a freshman at Dickinson College; and Lauren and Lindsay, students at Waynesboro Area High School.
Kathy and Chris moved to Waynesboro in 2000 when Chris took a job at Grove Worldwide. They stay very busy with all the activities their children are involved in; football, softball, field hockey, band, and of course, church activities.
Andy Rovelstad
Music Staff - Susan Gift, Dan Dietrich, and Debbie Zacher
