Pastor Nathan Allen

     Pastor Nathan Allen comes to Holy Spirit Lutheran from Tulsa, Oklahoma where he served as pastor of Joy Lutheran from 2006 to 2015. He received his Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). At LSTC he completed a Biblical Studies Emphasis, a one-year pastoral internship at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and also interned in the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious office at the ELCA’s Churchwide headquarters.

    Pastor Nathan was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan where he attended Kalamazoo College. At K-College, Nathan majored in Classical Studies and minored in History and Latin. He was also active in the music program, playing bass trombone in the Kalamazoo College Symphonic Band and as director and conductor of the student-led Pep Band during his sophomore and senior years. During his junior year, Nathan studied in Rome, Italy for a semester at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. He later returned as part of the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii where he spent a summer as a field excavator.

     Preaching the Word of God and administering the Sacraments are at the heart of Pastor Nathan’s ministry. In addition, Pastor Nathan served on a variety of Synod committees in the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod including the First Call Leadership Team, Assembly Worship Planning Team, Eastern Oklahoma Conference Dean and on the Synod Council. In Southeast Michigan, he has become an active member of the Grand Blanc Ministerial Association, served on the Synod's Flint Water Crisis Task Force in 2016, was one of the Synod's voting members at the 2019 Churchwide assembly, and was appointed the Dean of Conference 1 in 2019.

     Pastor Nathan is passionate about Ecumenical and Inter-Religious work, having served as the Lutheran Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Representatives Network (LEIRN) Liaison for the Arkansas-Oklahoma and Southeast Michigan Synods, a member of the LEIRN Board, an ELCA delegate to the National Council of Churches, and as President of the Board of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches.  In 2024, pastor Nathan completed his Doctor of Ministry degree in Transformational leadership from Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. His thesis, One in Mission:  A study of Best Practices for Federated Lutheran/Episcopal Congregations, examined best practices for congregations considering federation and presented a case for their role in the ongoing reception of the ELCA's Full Communion agreements as people from two different denominations come together to become one congregation.

     Pastor Nathan and his wife, Laura, are the proud parents of a son and daughter.

Associate Pastor Cassie Todd

      Pastor Cassie grew up in nearby Davisburg, Michigan and attended Holly Presbyterian Church. Receiving her Bachelors from Michigan State University (GO GREEN!) and her Masters of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, she became ordained as a Presbyterian Church (USA) Minister of Word and Sacrament in 2011. Having previously served as both the pastor of Williston Presbyterian Church in South Carolina and the associate pastor of Burnt Store Presbyterian Church in Punta Gorda, Florida, she began her service as our Associate Pastor of Christian Education in 2018.

 In addition to the ministry she does for us, Pastor Cassie currently serves on the Commission on Ministry and Ministry Preparation as an active clergy member of the Presbytery of Lake Huron. Serving on this commission, she recently aided in re-writing their manual for preparation for ministry. She believes in supporting local churches working together for the greater good of God’s hands and feet at work here in the Metro-Flint area.

     At her core, Pastor Cassie has a deep love for Jesus and her family: which includes her husband, Matt, and their daughters, Kennedy and Kinsley. It’s not uncommon for her family to always seek to find a way to have dinner together…even if it is at a softball game! They support one another’s passions which currently include soccer, dance, softball, jeeping, baking, kayaking, and just having some family fun together.

     With a heart for serving families, Pastor Cassie is passionate in growing the faith of the children of our church! Whether it’s prepping for Vacation Bible School, planning for Sunday school, leading Wednesday night programming for children, or writing out engaging lessons, she truly cares for the youngest of our congregation. Serving us part-time, you can usually catch here in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the day, and of course on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

Music Director - Frank Pitts

     Frank E. Pitts is Director of Music for Holy Spirit Lutheran. He joined the staff in October of 2015 where he conducts the choir and plans and plays for the church services. Frank has a Bachelor of Art degree in voice performance with a minor in biblical studies from Harding University, and in April, 2023, he completed a master of Music in Voice Performance from Oakland University.  In addition to his work at HSLC, Frank is a K-6 music teacher at DTM Elementary school for Flint Community Schools and continues to serve on the faculty of Oakland University, where he is a vocal coach, accompanist, and music theatre director.

     Frank works with multiple theater companies in southeast Michigan as a music director/pit conductor and he performs regularly as a guest artist with regional symphonies and opera companies.   He also performed internationally in Canada, Austria, Germany, France, and Spain.

     For 33 years he was married to his amazing wife Terry (McClure) until her untimely passing in 2019.  In his spare time,  he enjoys spending time with his 3 sons and their families, especially his 4 grandchildren.  He also enjoys hiking, traveling, learning new languages, and cooking for friends and family. He feels especially blessed to be part of the music ministry and the entire HSLC church family!

Church Administrative Assistant - Marie Copeland

     Marie, like most administrative assistants, keeps the church organized.  She updates the directory, crafts bulletins, announcements and slides for worship.  She handles scheduling for staff, events, and is coordinator for outside events.  She heads the weekly Sew and   Craft group.  She is not a member of the church, but volunteers for outside community activities sponsored by the church because of her strong faith and commitment to causes. 

     Marie was previously a math teacher for middle and high school students.  She has a 17 year old son Franklin who graduated high   school in 2023 and a faithful companion dog, Ari.