Leadership
Pastor Charles J. Miller II
Senior Pastor
Pastor Charles J. Miller II
Senior Pastor
Reverand Doctor Charles Miller brings us wisdom and knowledge through his experiences and education. Coupled with his masterful gifts of delivery and dedication, we are so blessed to have his leadership at Messiah. He was born near Detroit, Michigan and grew up in the upper Midwest. He attended Carthage College (ELCA) in Wisconsin for two years, and completed his Bachelors in Illinois at Elmhurst College, double majoring in History and Business Administration. Then he attended The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago where he earned his Masters of Divinity. Because of his scholarly calling, he later earned his Doctorate of Ministry from the Chicago seminary and specialized in missional leadership, and he completed The Beeson Institute for Advanced Church Leadership which was offered by Asbury Seminary out of Kentucky.
He has served congregations in Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Florida, and now by the Grace of God and the leaders of our congregation, he is serving in Brownsburg. While in Florida, he was also an Adjunct professor of religion at Southern Florida College and he served as a congregational consultant in the Florida/Bahamas Synod.
He and his wife, Sue, have been married for 33 years and have two grown sons: Micah, who is married to their beloved daughter-in-law, Erin, and Stephen, who works for an electrical engineering firm in Indianapolis. Sue is a college graduate as well and works as a CPA. Pastor dedicates a great deal of time and energy to his work, but he also enjoys riding his motorcycle, scuba diving, traveling, spending time with family and friends, playing chess, and has been known to get involved in a very competitive game of table tennis! So far, his favorite thing about Messiah is “The sense that this is a genuine Christian community.”
Ken Hebel
Director of Ministries
Ken Hebel
Director of Ministries
Ken Hebel, Director of Ministries Ken rounds out the office staff enabling and equipping individuals and groups in their discipleship. Supporting existing ministries and encouraging new ministries is his focus. He was born and raised in Oakland, California, graduating high school from Concordia High School in Oakland, and completing his Bachelors in Education from Concordia University - Nebraska. He earned post-graduate degrees from the University of Missouri at St. Louis in History, and IPFW in Education. He has served as a called rostered leader in the church for over 40 years.
Ken and his wife Nancy, also an Associate in Ministry is a retired Lutheran principal and teacher, have six children and eight grandchildren between them in a blended family. Their children live in Indiana, Virginia, Canada, and Switzerland. Needless to say, when Ken is not working and dedicating himself to the needs of others, he and Nancy enjoy visiting each of the grandchildren. He also enjoys gardening, reading, and watching sports, and seems convinced that a warm cup of coffee is actually just an extension of his arm.
So far, his favorite thing about Messiah is “that it is a place where people are “doers” and not just “talkers”. Although we are growing, it maintains a small church feel, with folks caring about each other and about addressing needs through hands-on ministries and financial support of relief efforts”.
Steve King
Director of Youth and Family Life
Steve King
Director of Youth and Family Life
Steve was born and raised in Lebanon, Indiana where he attended Harney Elementary School, and Lebanon Middle and High Schools. He attended Cornerstone University, a non-denominational Christian University, and doubled-majored in Youth Ministry and Bible. Steve graduated from the Grand Rapids, Michigan University “Cum Laude” with his Bachelors degree, but he brought home much more than a diploma with honors; his wife, Caity, also attended Cornerstone where they met in an “Old Testament” class. Apparently, they have been practically inseparable ever since.
Steve and Caity live in Brownsburg and this position at Messiah has been Steve’s first professional Ministry. Caity, who also majored in Youth Ministry, does a great deal of assisting with Steve and the duties of the church youth, but she also has a full-time job as the Assistant Manager for PNC Bank in Lebanon. To further his calling, Steve is currently attending The Wesley Seminary, which is affiliated with Indiana Wesleyan University, to complete his Masters of Divinity.
School, work, and family life keep Steve very occupied, but he does like to play video games when he has time. He enjoys playing them, but he also appreciates having the commonality with the youth. Without a doubt, Steve is highly inspiring to the groups he works with and is clearly dedicated to their Christian influences. It is no surprise that Steve’s favorite part about Messiah is “the families I get to work with”.
David Webb
Organist; Choir Director
David Webb
Organist; Choir Director
David was born in Indianapolis and has lived in Brownsburg all of his life. He attended Brownsburg schools and graduated from Brownsburg High School. He has 2 adorable sons, Charlie, who is 11, and Nathan, who is 8.
David owns his own real estate business, and because of his musical talent, he is able to perform professionally in various capacities outside of his responsibilities at Messiah. If he isn’t working, you can usually find him hanging out with his boys or riding his motorcycle. David can always be counted on for a friendly “hello” and a hearty laugh, and he yet he also claims that his favorite thing about Messiah is “the warm and giving members”.
His musical gifts prompt a spirit of praise and inspiration to our services. We are so fortunate that he utilizes his talents to direct our vocal choir, play organ and piano accompaniment, and occasionally the guitar during worship services and events.
Cathy Canfield
Music Coordinator
Cathy Canfield
Music Coordinator
Our point-person for recruiting, scheduling, and coordinating musical activities for services has a great deal of experience in worship support. She was born and raised in Iowa and is the daughter of a Lutheran Minister. Although she attended public schools throughout high school, she graduated from Wartburg College, a liberal arts college of the Lutheran Church in Waverly, Iowa. Cathy completed her studies with a double-major in Psychology and Sociology for her BS degree. Before moving to IN, she worked for 30 years with developmentally disabled children and adults in residential settings. This included 20 years participating in Adult Foster Care with a couple named Bob and Faith, in her home. Bob and Faith continue to live with Melissa, Cathy’s oldest daughter, and her family.
Cathy has three lovely daughters and a delightful husband, Roy, who is the Manager for Technical Publications for Republic Airlines. The oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Ryan, and they live in Minnesota with their two children Lyla (daughter) and Kieran (son). The second daughter, Sarabeth, is married to Joe, and they also live in Minnesota with their two daughters, Izzie and Ayva. Margaret is the youngest daughter. She is 13, and fortunately shares her mother’s love for music, as all the daughters do. Living with Cathy, Roy, and Margaret, is Cathy’s mother, Arlen Heupel. You will see many, if not all, of their smiling faces involved in multiple activities at Messiah…particularly Cathy’s in the music support roles. She even assists Pastor Miller in selecting appropriate hymns and musical selections for worship services, and because of her background, she assists with Thursday evening Friendship Bible study classes.
Along with her love of music, when Cathy isn’t working at the church or assisting one of her family members, she enjoys reading, walking, doing needlework, and working puzzles of any kind. She, too, spends a great deal of her time giving to others, but claims that her favorite thing about Messiah is certainly the people. We are so fortunate to have her warm heart and talents in our midst; however, she appreciates the variety of people and the enthusiasm we show for Christ. As with the other staff members, she believes she is the lucky one. In referring to the people of Messiah, Cathy reflects, “They care so much about each other and they care about people within the community and want to help them”.
Tracey Shaw
Administrative Assistant
Tracey Shaw
Administrative Assistant
When you call Messiah or come into the administrative office area, you are certain to be greeted by a friendly face and welcoming voice from our receptionist and administrative assistant, Tracey. She and her family reside within the community and have been involved in Brownsburg activities since moving here in 1994. Her family consists of her husband, who she refers to as “wonderful”, a daughter named Devan, and a son named Dylan. Tracey and her husband have been married for 23 years. Devan, their daughter, is attending Ball State University, and their son, Dylan, is at Brownsburg High School.
Before moving to Brownsburg, Tracey was born and raised in Lebanon and attended school there. After high school, she went to Indiana University for a time and was majoring in physical therapy. When she isn’t working, she enjoys being active and gets involved in camping, hiking, and riding bikes. Tracey also enjoys spending time with her friends and family, and loves to become engrossed in a good movie.
We are so blessed to have her warmth and talents at Messiah, but once again, she feels that she is the lucky one. When asked what her favorite part was about Messiah, she replied: “All the wonderful people that I get to meet and talk to”.
Christie Hoaglin
Financial Administrator
Christie Hoaglin
Financial Administrator
Christie was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana. She went to William Henry Harrison High School and then attended Purdue University and graduated with a BA in Communication. She and her husband Doug, who is a fireman for the city of Indianapolis, have been married for a little over four years. They have two wonderful little boys and two cats named George and Lucy. Her three year old, Jackson, is a typical, active, pre-schooler that keeps her very busy- but, he has to share her with his new baby brother Ethan, who was born on January 23, 2012!
Like any parent of two small children, Christie doesn’t have a lot of free time outside of her dedication to work at Messiah and to family. At this point in her life, she spends most of her time serving others and enjoying her boys. Occasionally, she finds time to tend to her flowerbeds, scrapbook, and dreams of travels to warm places by the ocean.
Once again, we are so blessed to have such friendly and dedicated people supporting Messiah in our office. Christie also claims that her favorite thing about the church is the members, and she especially enjoys coming to work when groups are meeting at the church. … “Our members are SOOOO friendly! I love coming to work on days when there are groups meeting at church. Days are so much better when people pop in to see us!”
Hope Moran
Communication Coordinator
Hope Moran
Communication Coordinator
Hope comes to us from Detroit, Michigan where she was born, raised, and lived until 12 years ago when she moved to Greenfield, Indiana. She attended kindergarten through 12th grade at St. Matthew’s Lutheran School in Detroit, completed her Associates in Dearborn, Michigan, and then her Bachelors from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. Hope has been working in churches doing Associate in Ministry work for 30 years, but only became rostered with the ELCA in 2005. Currently, besides working part-time at Messiah, She is a part-time pastor at First Trinity Lutheran Church at 42nd and Emerson. Hope also is the Indianapolis Conference Coordinator for the 28 ELCA congregations in our area, and has spent her summers directing camps and training youth directors.
She has two daughters: Liesal, who is married to Jim, and lives in Michigan, and Shannon, who is married to Nick, and lives in Illinois. Shannon and Nick have one son, Elijah, who is 9 months old. She also has two sons: Jason, who is married to Erin, (a daughter, Ellis, who is 14 months old) and Aaron, who is married to Faisa (a daughter, Nadirah, who is 1 year old). Both sons live in Minnesota.
Although she loves visiting her children and their families, Hope also enjoys going out to movies, reading, scrapbooking, visiting one-on-one with friends, seeing live concerts, and taking walks on the canal. We are so fortunate to have the talents and skills of such a warm and wonderful person working among us; however, she claims to be the lucky one! “I have been amazed with the warm greeting I have received at Messiah, along with the respect and encouragement. Such dear people! Every Wednesday-Friday I wake up and say: Yes! It’s a Messiah Day! Thanks for being such hospitable Disciples of Christ!”