Robert is a teaching elder at large in the Presbytery of Twin Cities Area. He has served on committees that focus on ministry for people with disabilities. In addition, he has been assisting small congregations in Minnesota by preaching and providing transitional pastoral care for the past several years. He lives in Northfield with his wife and daughter.
Robert graduated from Muskingum College in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in religion and philosophy and from McCormick Seminary in 2001 with a Master's of Divinity. He was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2008, and he has served as a pastor in small rural congregations in Kentucky and Minnesota.
Momoko Tanno is a singer/actor, voice teacher, who has performed with numerous theaters in the Twin Cities and across the nation, appeared in operas, musical theatre, oratorios, and recitals in the Twin Cities, Japan, and Germany. She currently teaches voice at MacPhail Center for Music.
She has a Bachelor of Arts from Nihon University and Master of Music from the University of Minnesota, and continued her studies in Paris, France.
She is an active member of the ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering Musician/Educator team leading worship in the US and around the world.
Momoko lives in White Bear Lake with her husband and two children.
Dennis Sanders is a native of Flint, Michigan, the son of two retired autoworkers. He went to Michigan State University with a degree in Journalism.
Dennis graduated in 2001 from Luther Seminary and was ordained as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2002. From 2004 to 2007, Dennis was the founding pastor of Community of Grace Christian Church in St. Paul. From 2008 until 2013 Dennis was Associate Pastor at First Christian Church in Minneapolis.
He lives with his husband Daniel in Minneapolis with their cats. You can follow Dennis at his blog A Clockwork Pastor where he blogs on two issues near and dear to him; faith, autism and ADHD. You can also follow his podcast on faith called En Route.
Born in rural western Pennsylvania, Luke Swanger began his piano studies at the age of four. He attended Johnson State College in Vermont where he studied with Diane Huling. While there, he completed a B.A. in piano performance and also accompanied the Cambridge Classic Chorale. His studies continued with Eli Kalman at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. There, he discovered a love for chamber music while working as a collaborator and accompanist. In the summer of 2011, he was the co-winner of the annual Rocky Ridge Concerto Competition (Estes Park, CO). He completed an M.M. in performance with Sergio Gallo at Georgia State University and has since relocated to South Minneapolis.
Luke recently joined the keyboard faculty at the MacPhail Center for Music. His passion for music serves as an inspiration to his students and through his support, he helps them achieve their goals. Luke’s wide teaching experience includes instruction as a graduate assistant at GSU, as an employee for the Community Music Centers of Atlanta, and continues as a private instructor. He lives with his wife, Adia, and their son in St. Paul.