Pastor Jeffrey S. Teeple was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended Concordia Elementary School and Concordia High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Calvin College in 1998. He met his wife, Gina, while at Calvin. They were married on April 1, 2000.

Pastor Teeple attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne and served three parishes in Montana for his vicarage. He graduated from the seminary on May 23, 2003 — which also marked his baptismal birthday of May 23, 1976! He was ordained into the Holy Ministry on June 15, 2003 at his home congregation, Concordia Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne.

Pastor Teeple’s first Call was to Pella Lutheran Church in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he served as Associate Pastor from 2003-2007. He then received a Call to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Portage, Wisconsin, where he served from 2007-2010 as Administrative Pastor. In 2010, he accepted the Call to Faith Lutheran Church in Marinette, Wisconsin where he served as Sole Pastor. He has served here at Peace since 2015.

During his free time, Pastor enjoys reading, fishing, and spending time with his family. He and Gina have two children, Lauren Elise and Elliot James.

Kristin was born in Madison, Indiana and moved to Fort Wayne at an early age. Growing up, she was very active at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Grabill, where her father was a minister. Kristin graduated from Northrop High School and received a B.S. in Geography and Travel and Tourism from Ball State University in 1993. After college, she worked for various Indianapolis hotel chains (Signature Inns, Omni Hotels and Hyatt Hotels) in human resources, sales, convention services, operations, and management. She eventually transitioned to the planning side of the hospitality industry and became a meeting and event planner for Eli Lilly. Kristin met her future husband, Craig in 2001 and they were married in 2002 in Indianapolis.

Kristin and Craig moved to Dearborn, Michigan for employment opportunities shortly after they were married. While living in Michigan, they were blessed with two wonderful children, Cameron and Delaney. In 2008, they all moved to Angola to be closer to family. Craig’s career has afforded them the opportunity for Kristin to be at home with and for their kids. Over the years, she has been a volunteer and substitute teacher at her kids’ school and worked during the tax season for her dad, who is a CPA.

Sara was born and raised in the Fremont area. She has an Elementary Education degree from Tri-State (Trine) University. Before taking time off to raise children, she taught for the Metropolitan School District of Steuben County. In May 2008 Sara became the director of Wee Creations.

In 2000, Sara married her prince charming, Scott. Their marriage has been blessed with three children: all three are Wee Creations graduates.

Sara feels blessed to lead a wonderful caring staff! She takes great pride making sure Wee Creations is a fantastic learning environment in which days are spent learning academically, socially, and physically. Most importantly, the children are taught about the love Jesus!

Amber Vonderau was raised in Woodburn, Indiana where she was a member of Christ Lutheran Church and where she attended Woodburn Lutheran School and Woodlan High School.  She and her high school sweetheart husband, Travis, relocated to Steuben County in 2005.  They are proud parents of one son, Carter.

Amber holds an Elementary Education degree from the University of Indianapolis. She is an elementary reading teacher for MSD Steuben County. She and Travis also serve as Dove-Comfort Dog’s caregivers.

Being the youth director, Amber loves growing close to the families of Peace. The teenagers keep her hip, the littles keep her covered in hugs, and all of it keeps her tired but grateful to serve the Lord in His ministry.

Amber loves family time at Lake George, reading, listening to music and singing off key, being outdoors, ALL the dogs, and sour candy.

Jodie is originally from South Bend, Indiana and has lived in Angola for 30+ years with her husband Steve.

Jodie graduated from Bethel College in 1979 with a BA in Liberal Studies. She worked at the Herald Republican in Angola doing commercial layout and design until starting a family in 1983. After working various part-time jobs over the years (probably the most fun was helping to run their own ice cream shop for 3 years), Jodie came to work at Peace in August of 1998. She has been running the church office, answering the phone, protecting the copier from rough-handling, putting together bulletins and the monthly newsletter, and anything else needing to be done.

Jodie and Steve are the proud parents of three daughters, Stacey (Matt) Phipps, Christi (Aaron) Walters, and Haley (Nathan) Stegelmann. All three children are all grown and working, so they are truly experiencing the “empty nest”.

In addition to the kids, Jodie’s favorite hobbies include music (mainly church solos/choir/small group vocals), basket making (look around her office), crocheting, reading, and enjoying the cottage at Crooked Lake in the summer.

Judy has lived in Indiana her whole life … attending Central Lutheran School in New Haven and Concordia High School in Ft. Wayne. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Worship from Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois way back in 1970. That has led to more than 50 years of being passionate about and involved in Christian Education – not only teaching all levels from Preschool to College, but also being involved with Christian education and Youth ministry in the churches she has served. During the past 10 years Judy has also assisted her daughter, the principal at the Lutheran school in Fort Myers, Florida on various projects and accreditation.

Another passion is music – vocal, piano, and organ. Since 8 th grade when her family had a traveling band, she has directed children and adult choirs, taught classroom music and private piano lessons, directed a multitude of Lutheran elementary school musicals, and travelled with two youth-ministry singing groups (Free to Be and Sonlight). At the present time Judy is a worship planner/coordinator as well as organist and Praise Team leader at Peace.

Judy and her husband Ken of 52 years have three adult children and ten grandchildren – two of whom just got married this past year. In her “spare” time, she enjoys their new RV and finding interesting places to camp.

Mary Anne grew up on a dairy farm in Sturgis, Michigan. She loved music from an early age and started piano lessons at age 5, from her mother.  At 10, she was given the opportunity to play the piano for Sunday School Opening and Closing at Trinity Lutheran in Sturgis.  At 14 she started organ lessons and fell in love with the instrument.  She started playing organ for worship at 15.  She studied European Music History (that was primarily church music) and Keyboard Performance at Western Michigan University.  With only a semester left before graduation, but feeling a call to serve with the church in a fuller way, she finished her undergraduate work at Concordia University – Wisconsin, majoring in theology, as well completing deaconess training from Concordia University – Chicago.

In 40+ years in full time ministry, Mary Anne has served parishes in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, including many years in metro Detroit. In each call she has always served in the area of music and worship, including introducing and developing contemporary worship, while also working to strengthen traditional worship.  As deaconess she has also served in areas of children’s ministry, mercy ministry, grief ministry, and overseas short term mission work.  Besides serving in parishes she has served as a hospital and hospice chaplain and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Concordia Theological Seminary, teaching deaconess students.  Now semi-retired, she is delighted to have the privilege of directing the Peace Handbell Choir and Adult Vocal Choir, as well as occasionally playing the organ for worship.  She also does some visitations for Peace and leads a Women’s Bible Study.

Mary Anne has three sons, including Larry who is also very happy to be at Peace, four grandchildren, and three great grands. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking, and gardening.   A theme Bible verse for her life is, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

Rick was born and raised on a farm in central Illinois near Gridley, Illinois. He moved his family to Angola thirty years ago after teaching high school business and social studies in several Indiana and Illinois communities.

Rick has been active at Peace leading adult and men’s Bible classes, serving as an elder, church board vice-chairman, chairman, and a member of the Strategic Planning committee.

After graduating from high school, Rick attended and graduated from Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio, in 1979. His BA degree was in business and education. He earned his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from Indiana University in 1985. In 2014, Rick retired from teaching at Angola High School after teaching for 35 years. Rick and his family began attending Peace in 1993.

Rick and his wife, Gay, have two grown children, Katie and Thomas. They spend much of their time traveling to see their kids and Gay’s parents. Recently, they enjoyed a trip to Europe, as well. Rick enjoys reading, watching football, baseball, and basketball whenever he gets a chance, and also taking care of the yard.

Being a Stephen Leader at Peace has been such a blessing in his life. Rick says, “It is humbling to be serving God along with all of our Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers.”

Born in Chicago, Illinois. Graduated with a major in theology from Valparaiso University where she met Don Luepke of Fort Wayne and married in 1966. Served as Director of Youth Ministry and later as church secretary at Shore Haven Lutheran Church in Euclid, Ohio. In 1974 Don accepted a call to teach mathematics at Concordia Lutheran High School and the family of four including sons Matthew and Nathan moved to Fort Wayne. Ellen renewed her passion for music with teaching classroom music from preschool and primary grades at Concordia Lutheran School as well as piano lessons at home. She was part of a team to establish Stephen Ministry at Concordia Lutheran Church and served as Director of Care Ministry there until her retirement.

Ellen and Don moved up to Clear Lake where they cared for Don’s parents. Both found their niches of service at Peace Lutheran Church. Stephen Ministry was established and Ellen again assumed a leadership role. She facilitated a Men/Woman’s Bible Class which she led for 15 years. She is a member of the Comfort Dog Ministry and “sticks her nose” into as many volunteer agencies as possible including 10 years as a consultant with the Compassion Pregnancy Center in Angola.

Ellen received the Maxine Rippe Award in 2022 from the Lutheran Foundation for service in helping people in Allen County and beyond who were hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. She is still most thankful to be able to “gift” organizations and individuals who are committed to serving in a caring ministry with the generous monetary gift that came with this award.

She is also blessed to have been with the same Cottage Bible Group for the last 50 years as well as three precious grandchildren, Danielle, Lukas and Caleb as well as a most wonderfully talented and ministry-focused daughter-in-law, Melissa.

Hope was born and raised in Fort Wayne, IN. She moved to Fremont in 2004. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Purdue University. She has volunteered on many committees and boards (Daybreak Children’s Shelter, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Steuben County Community Foundation). She became Top Dog in 2019.

She married her husband, Chad in 1997. She has two children, Josey and Grant. Her favorite time is when all 4 of them can be traveling, playing on the lake, or just sitting around a fire talking.

Hope feels blessed to be a part of the Comfort Dog Ministry. She leads a team of volunteers that work in and out of our community. She takes pride and enjoyment out of being there for those hurting and grieving, sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

Dove came to Peace Lutheran Church in 2021. She is a precious golden retriever that was trained through a national organization, Lutheran Church Charities. She works in the community to comfort those hurting, grieving, or for those that just need a smile. She has a team that works with her daily and provides care and love to her.

Dove works within the community at Fremont Community Schools, Trine University, first responders, nursing homes, Cameron Memorial Hospital, Carnegie Library, RISE and Heritage Club. She has also been deployed to areas of tragedy, including Oxford (MI), Michigan State, Van Wert (OH), and Fort Wayne.