Staff - St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Staff of St. Paul's

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The Reverend John C. Misenheimer (Senior Pastor)

Pastor John is from Salisbury, NC. He graduated from Lenior-Rhyne College, Hickory, NC, in 1970 and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC in 1974. Before coming to St. Paul’s in 1994, Pastor John served churches in Concord, Lexington and Hickory, NC. He and his wife Martha have been married 33 years and they have 2 children: Marcus (27) works in Charlotte and Jessica (21) is a student at UNC Chapel Hill. Molly (15), a miniature poodle, helps to fill the empty nest.
   Pastor John has served the wider church as an elected member of the Synod Council for 3 terms, the synod’s Educational Ministry and Evangelism Committees, and Dean of the Coastal Conference. He has also been a voting member at national assemblies of the ELCA. As the Confirmation Ministry Facilitator for the NC Synod, he pioneered the “Campfirmation” program at Lutheridge for middle school youth, which now draws pastors in congregational clusters from all over the southeast.
     Pastor John, with his passion for evangelism and making disciples, has been a Spiritual Director and leader for both “Teens Encounter Christ” and “Via de Cristo” in Eastern and Western North Carolina. As our much-loved pastor of 12 years, he has brought spiritual renewal and growth to St. Paul’s.
   His favorite thing about being a pastor is preaching and sharing the faith in close interpersonal relationships. His favorite way to relax is getting on their boat with Martha and cruising the Intracoastal Waterway.

The Reverend Mark Opgrand (Associate Pastor)

Pastor Mark Opgrand was born and baptized in Medford, Oregon and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. After graduating from high school in Beaverton, Oregon, he attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma Washington, graduating in 1970. He began seminary work at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California before transferring to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, where he graduated in 1979. His faith shaping years are first credited to the six summers and winter he spent in the 70’s at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in the Cascade Mountains near Chelan, Washington.

After ordination in 1979, Pastor Mark served as Pastor at Elizabeth Lutheran Church in Caldwell, Texas before moving to Odessa Texas, where he served as United Campus Minister at Odessa College and the University of the Texas-Permian Basin. He served eleven years as Lutheran Campus Pastor at Purdue University before following his wife, Dr. Carol Thysell, who received a teaching position at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. In June, 1997, Pastor Mark was called to ministry at St. Paul’s. The congregation showed great love and support for Mark and Carol through Carol’s illness with cancer and death in 2001.

With great joy Mark married Rebecca Higgins on May 20, 2005. Rebecca moved from Georgia to North Carolina in 2000, following the death of her husband with cancer. Rebecca’s son Reed and daughter Laura live in Wilmington and work and attend college. Rebecca is the principal of College Park Elementary School in Wilmington.

Pastor Mark enjoys preaching, study, creating children’s sermons, pastoral care, and playing guitar, saxophone, and recorder with our instrumental ensembles. He also enjoys digital photography, technology, and all the latest gadgets. E-Mail: mopgrand@stpaulswilmington.org

William H. Remele Jr. (Director of Music and Administrative Services)

A native of Birmingham, Alabama; Bill has worked in church music and taught in schools and community colleges in the southeast and midwest. His degrees are from Centre College of Kentucky (BA) and Samford University of Alabama (MM). Bill has served St. Paul's twelve years in the capacities of principal organist , music director and facilities administrator. He also is an adjunct instructor of mathematics at Brunswick Community College.

Emily Clamser (Director of Youth and Family Ministries)

Emily Clamser was born in Queens, NY but later moved to Long Island, NY, where she lived for 26 years. She graduated from St. Joseph’s College with a Bachelors Degree and received her Master’s Degree from CW Post College.
     Emily married Kevin in April of 1984 in St Judes Church, where she had been a member for 22 years. Kevin is now retired from the New York City Dept. of Corrections. While members of St. Judes, Emily and Kevin started a Church Soccer League. Kevin served on the Board of Directors for the Church Soccer League and she held the position as registrar. They both coached soccer and hold a “C” license.
     Prior to becoming the Directory of Youth and Family Ministries, she was employed with the Pender County Board of Education. Her last two years she taught Special Education at the Pender Learning Center. She taught in the school system for four years and holds a license in Special Education K-21, General Education K-6, and a Reading Specialist. She volunteers at Eugene Ashley High School as the secretary for the HSNJROTC booster club.
     Emily and Kevin have two children, Kevin, 18, who attends UNCW and Amber, 15, who attends Eugene Ashley High School. They were both baptized in St Judes Church.
     In her spare time, she loves to read, scrapbook, and share time with her family and her St. Paul’s family.

Kathleen Kalish (Office Administrator)

Kathleen Kalish has been with St. Paul?s since May 2001. She comes to us with a diverse background, including working with Habitat for Humanity while in high school in Americus, Georgia and a coordinator for special events for the Arthritis Foundation in Los Angeles, California. She has also been an office manager for an internet start-up company in Baltimore, Maryland as well as a homeowners association in coastal North Carolina. All of this varied experience helps her juggle the various (and unique!) needs of St. Paul's.

Kathleen's greatest pride and joy is her young son, Joshua, of whom you will see plenty of pictures if you come into her office. She enjoys spending time at the park with him, reading a good book or making yummy treats to bring in the office to share!

In addition to her work as Office Administrator, Kathleen is also the Wedding Director for all weddings at St. Paul's

E Ray McNeely (Church Choirmaster)

After retiring from serving in church music for 43 years, Ray McNeely was called to St.Paul's to serve as Choirmaster of the Church Choir in January of 2003. Most of his church music service was the Director of Music at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Conover, NC. A career musician, Ray was a Professor of Music at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC. During his 33 year tenure at the Lutheran Institution, the musician was conductor of the A Cappella Choir for 29 years. He led the well known organization in more than 500 concerts touring in 20 states and through 7 European tours. His career with the choir ended with a gala concert at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in June of 1999. He also served as Chairperson of the Music Department. An endowed fund for Excellency in Choral Music was named in his honor at the College at the close of his tenure.
     His service to the Lutheran Church included a six year span as President of the Southeastern Conference of the American Lutheran Church. He served on the constituting committee of the North Carolina Synod after the merger of the various Lutheran denominations. He also was instrumental in introducing the Lutheran Book of Worship in many workshops across North Carolina.
     His wife of 42 years is an award winning early childhood teacher who is still teaching and directing the pre-school program at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church. They are the proud parents of three children, Chris, Andrew and Anne Elizabeth and two grandchildren.
     Ray believes that every worship event should be carefully prepared and executed so that the leadership provides the worshippers with a service which gives the very best in the adoration and praise of the risen Christ. He is an avowed traditionalist who enjoys teaching the rich musical heritage of the Lutheran faith.

Marcia Bremer (Music Associate)

Marcia Bremer has been involved with church music most of her life. She began playing the piano at age seven and began playing the organ for church services when she was in the eighth grade. Throughout the years, Marcia has served various churches as an organist and choir director. Prior to her move to the Wilmington area in August of 2004, Marcia was a prosecutor for 10 years in Minnesota. Marcia was also employed as the Director of Music at Shalom Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Minnesota. In that capacity, she directed the adult choir, played for and sang in an intergenerational contemporary group called "Spirit of Shalom", organized a children's choir, and played the organ for services. As Music Associate for St. Paul's, Marcia assists Bill Remele, Director of Music, as needed; fills in as organist on occasion; directs "Joyful Voices", a children's choir, coordinates the 8:30 am choir, and plays piano with the instrumental ensemble.

Marcia currently works as an Assistant District Attorney for the 4th Prosecutorial District in North Carolina. The 4th District is composed of Sampson, Duplin, Onslow, and Jones counties. She lives in Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation with her "family," a crazy puppy of questionable ancestry named Muppet and her beloved tuxedo cat, Hannah Banana Bremer.