Our Staff

Glen Schlecht - Senior Pastor

I love my family! My wife, Kathy, and I are blessed with four adult children (Zachary, Karina, Jonathan, and David), three daughters-in-law (Anna, Leah, and Cassie), one son-in-law (B.J.), and three grandchildren (Elijah, Payton, and Adelyn). I continue to enjoy sports of all sorts and, in spite of several knee surgeries, I play basketball regularly and softball in the summertime. Camping in Rocky Mountain has been a favorite summer get-away for years and Kathy and I still enjoy going up as often as we can. You need to know that I’m a Green Bay Packers fan – and I bleed green and gold!

As Senior Pastor I love the ministry and the people here at Immanuel. Loveland and the Front Range is an awesome area in which to do ministry and live out the Gospel of our Savior. I also love spending the time I do on preaching and looking for ways to help people more clearly understand the relevance of Jesus and the Scriptures to their lives and the place Jesus wants to have in their hearts – that was what I did my doctoral work on, studying Semiotics and Future Studies at George Fox Seminary under Leonard Sweet. (If you’re interested in reading all or some of my dissertation, just click on the attachment below – I would love to hear any feedback or thoughts you have on this important topic!)

The people and the possibilities are what excite me about ministry at Immanuel. The people here at Immanuel are so gifted and have such a heart for the Lord, compassion for others, and a willingness to try lots of different things for the Kingdom. The Lord’s resources never go dry and I love to see people discover where God is calling them to serve and minister in their lives.

Read my dissertation here:

GIVING PERMISSION FOR CREATIVE PREACHING IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH—MISSOURI SYNOD: RETURNING TO OUR CREATIVE ROOTS

Kathy Schlecht - Director of Worship and Music Ministries

I was born and raised in the great state of Minnesota, attending Concordia University-St. Paul for my undergrad degrees in Church Music and K-12 Music Education. It was there I met my husband, and it was his call to Immanuel that brought us to the also great state of Colorado.

My greatest joy in life is being a Mom and parenting together with my husband (who gives the info on our kids and grandkids in his bio). Along with that privilege, God has called me to serve him in the areas of worship and music, something for which he started preparing me early in life.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to use the gifts God has given me in the area of both music and worship here at Immanuel, a unique and truly amazing community of God’s people. There are so many here who give of their time and talent through the music and worship ministry, serving together to enhance our times of worship. At Immanuel, when we enter the sanctuary for worship, we know we are leaving the “me” behind as we, together, receive God’s gifts offered in worship and respond together to those gifts.

Many churches, across denominations, have experienced change in what worship looks like—style of music, elements included or discarded from the service, the addition of technology, etc. To help Immanuel navigate these changes in a God-pleasing manner, I returned to school in the area of worship, receiving my Master of Worship Studies, followed by a Doctor of Worship Studies, both from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

I hope you have an opportunity to visit and discover how welcoming Immanuel’s community is. We’d love to worship with you and your family!

Read my dissertation here:

ENHANCING THE ESCHATOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF RESTORATION AT IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, LOVELAND, COLORADO

Cheryl Gilbert - School Principal

Immanuel Lutheran Church and School is a very special place and I am blessed to be the Director of Immanuel Lutheran School. As the Director of the staff I am able to serve with a talented staff who love God! I have been part of the Immanuel ministry since 1990. During these years I have had the joy and privilege of teaching preschoolers about Jesus, and see the Holy Spirit work in families. I also have enjoyed organizing the child development center and planning Immanuel’s Kings Kids Summer Camp. It is a true blessing to be part of a community that shines the love of Jesus through worship, bible studies and activities for all ages!

My husband and I have lived in Loveland since I started at Immanuel. During that time God has blessed us with three beautiful children. Most of our “free” time is spent with our children and watching them participate in sports and activities! All three of our children were blessed to attend Immanuel Lutheran School from preschool through eighth grade. During those years they received a great academic education and were told about God’s love on a daily basis.

My family and I have been extremely blessed to be part of the Immanuel family and I continue to look forward to what God has in store for Immanuel’s ministry.

Rick Overton – Executive Director of Immanuel Lutheran High School

For four marvelous weeks I was happily retired after 25 years of serving in public education! Then, with gladness and excitement, I followed God’s leading to this new role and opportunity at Immanuel. I am blessed with Annette as my wife, our four adult children (Ashley, Adam, Stephen and Susannah), a daughter- in-law (Jessie), a son-in-law, (Colt) and three grandchildren (Meredith, Zoe, and Ryan). Annette and I moved to Colorado over 20 years ago after living in California (where I served as a LT. in the Navy, and New Mexico (where I worked for an insurance and investment firm). Over the years I have taken on many hobbies – I love to fly fish, ride motorcycles (I have a BMW RT-1200), draw, paint, hike, camp, and cook (especially BBQ!). As an educator, I love working with students, staff, and families! Learning is fun and a part of all our lives! I’m especially looking forward to working at Immanuel where the love and redemptive work of Christ can be openly shared in the process of academic learning! My background experience well equipped me for this new adventure (I have 3 master’s degrees in education as well as a master’s in theology and a doctorate in theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary). I look forward to our journey of a Christ-centered and God-honoring high school here at Immanuel Lutheran Church!

Marcus Howard - Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries

I was born and raised in central Florida, growing up in the LCMS and even going through our church's PreK-8th grade school. I went to the University of West Florida and received a Bachelors in Marketing and a Master's of Business Administration. After much prayer, I felt called to go back to school in 2018 to do youth work professionally. I attended Concordia University Irvine (Go Eagles!), and in August of 2021, I graduated as a Director of Christian Education with a Master’s of Theology.

My family is spread out all over the country, but my parents, brother, and grandparents still live in Florida. We love spending time together. I am a bit of a dork and a big kid. I love movies, especially Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars. For the last couple of years, our family has been passholders at Disney World, and we often go when I am home visiting. I also have a lot of hobbies, including playing video games, playing bass and guitar, photography, and more.

My church work career had an interesting path. I was a last-minute fill in as the primary leader for our church at the 2016 National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, LA. After that trip, I ended up becoming the Volunteer Youth Director for my home church, and eventually went back to school to become a DCE. I am so fortunate that God led me to accept the call to Immanuel Lutheran. It was amazing how quickly the staff and families here have made me feel like I am home. I am blessed to get to work with our youth and young adults. These are the times in our lives where our faith truly becomes our own, through Confirmation, study, worship, and fellowship, and it is a true joy to get to walk alongside these young men and women in their faith journeys. One of the biggest blessings in ministry is how we get to be a part of other’s families. I love these relationships I get to have with the folks here at Immanuel, and I hope you’ll come and meet our family, too!

Martha Harkins
Director of Children and Family Ministries

I have the incredible opportunity to serve as Immanuel’s Director of Children & Family Ministries. I was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota and while I absolutely love Colorado, I’ll always be a Midwest girl at heart who loves a good hotdish and has a side of ranch with any meal. I attended Concordia University Chicago (go cougs!) and graduated in May 2020 as a Director of Christian Education with minors in both Education & Theology. I’ve got the cutest rescue dogs, Ginger & Lily and I've got the best husband named Codie!

I’ve had the heart & passion to do ministry since I attended the National Youth Gathering in 2013. God continued to open doors by placing people in my life who encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a DCE. My years at CUC gave me so many unique experiences to learn and grow in my calling & it all culminated in my internship experience here at Immanuel. Getting to serve and love the children and families in both our church and school brings so much joy to my life. I believe that we should all, even as adults, have a bit of a child-like faith. They just get it! They don’t question it or try to complicate it. In my role here, I spend my time getting to build relationships with our kiddos and families and, from there, create ways to help them to grow in their relationships with others and with God. My favorite part is that I get to have a lot of fun doing it! Immanuel truly is a family place & we want all people to be a part of our family!

Robin Dugall - Director of Discipleship and Connecting Ministries

Hi friends in Jesus! My name is Robin and I'm a Husband (to Vicky for more than 30 years), Father (to three adult children), Papa (we have seven grandgirls), Friend, Ministry Leader, Musician, and your Brother in Jesus. In the Spring of 2021, we moved from the small town of McCall, Idaho, where we had lived for six years, to Loveland, Colorado. After more than 40 YEARS of serving churches as a Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor, Youth Ministry leader and Musician/Worship leader, I "retired" from full-time church work in August of 2021 to dedicate myself to my academic/teaching journey as well as new opportunities to serve the Lord in a new season of life. Besides the joy of being a part of the Biblical Studies Faculty of Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, CA), I also teach and mentor church leaders (online) for the Mission Training Center at Concordia University in Irvine, California (classes in Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation/Care). In early 2022, I received an invitation from Pastor Glen and our congregation’s leaders to join the ministry staff at Immanuel. Truthfully, it is one of the greatest blessings in my life as a follower of Jesus to be joining the staff to champion our church’s ministry values of discipleship/spiritual formation and relational connecting!

Vicky and I love our church and praise God for how the Spirit is using our gifts, passions, and talents to make a difference in the ministry of our congregation. In addition to serving the Lord besides you in this wonderful community, I am often a guest preacher, teacher, and ministry trainer/consultant for Christian churches/congregations across the country on areas of Kingdom ministry, which include leadership development and discipleship. I'm a firm believer in participating in the "Missio Dei" (the Mission of God). In other words, no matter where I live, I pray that I can have "eyes to see and ears to hear" what the Spirit of God is doing in my spheres of influence and relationships so that I can join Him in His redemptive work. I'm a musician, dreamer, catalyst, and family guy. So, in addition to living life for Jesus and being a committed Christ-follower, I live a full life as a family man and friend. I have written several published works: a book on Worship Experiences for Students, a major essay for a book entitled, The Gospel According to Superheroes, in addition to numerous articles and devotionals published in magazines, websites and blogs. I have a deep spiritual passion for participating in the work of God’s Kingdom, Discipleship training, Music and Worship ministry, growing to maturity in Christ, and living in a vibrant relationship with Jesus! Yes, I have a few academic degrees, but my identity is built on the grace of God, the love of my family and friends, and partnering with my Lord in His redemptive plan and mission. My desire is to be a difference maker for Jesus in my world to the glory of God! I also have a website full of discipleship resources and devotional material (robindugall.com). You can always contact me at rdugall@immanuelloveland.org.

Dawn Bowers - Director of Accounting and Finance

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve with the Leadership team here at Immanuel. As a CPA, I have spent most of my career in the faith-based not-for-profit healthcare environment and have held Director-level positions in Accounting, Finance, and Internal Audit. As Pastor Glen told me early on, I was transferring my professional skills from a hospital caring for patients to a church caring for Christians.

I was raised in Southern California and graduated from California Lutheran University. I followed my parents to Colorado in 1993 to raise my two daughters and I am so very proud of the women they have become; Denise is a nurse and Lauren is a high school teacher. They are both married to great guys and our family now includes my four small grandchildren.

Spending time with family and friends is my favorite thing to do. I enjoy outdoor activities, especially off-roading in the mountains with my jeep club. I look forward to moving to Loveland, making new friends and becoming a part of the Immanuel community.

Amanda Sexton - Accountant

I’m excited to be working at Immanuel as an accountant. My husband Tim and I are both Colorado natives! I grew up in Loveland, went to school at CSU in Fort Collins, where I met Tim, and lived in Denver for 10 years. I worked at an accounting firm, KPMG, up until we had our son, Briggs. We moved to Loveland in 2022 and I’m excited that my first job after staying home with my son, is at Immanuel. I know so many families, my family included, that have had their lives impacted by the church and school and am thrilled to contribute my profession experience to support their mission!

I love to cook, play soccer, take family bike rides, SUP with friends, and spend time with my large and fast growing family!

Beth Bianco - Church Receptionist/Office Assistant

I absolutely love Immanuel Church & School and am so excited to serve in the position of Church Receptionist and Office Assistant! My family and I have been members of Immanuel for 22 years. We joined right after my husband and I got married and have been blessed to raise our girls in this church community.

As a Colorado native, my hobbies include enjoying the amazing creation of God! I also enjoy reading.

Ashley Jones - Ministry Support Specialist

I was born in Texas, raised in Arizona, and attended Concordia University Wisconsin for college, where I studied Multimedia Communication, Youth Ministry, and Psychology. My husband, Nic, and I moved to Colorado in 2015 and we have three children: Evy, Leo and Carsten. Our favorite family activity is going to the zoo, going to playgrounds, and spending time walking in nature. In my “free” time, I also have a photography business and a book business as an PaperPie Brand Partner.

As Immanuel’s Ministry Support Specialist, I will support its ministry in a variety of areas, including social media, the promotion of RaiseRight (formerly Scrip) and Thrivent Action Team grants, marketing, and grant writing. There are so many different avenues that God can use, and I am excited to see how he can use me to bless this church!

Jodi Hoehne - Director of Human Relations

I am excited to be part of the wonderful Immanuel family as the HR Director. I grew up in the Lutheran church and am grateful to be able to be part of the ministry in this way. My husband, Matt, serves as a Minister of Music and Worship, and our oldest daughter is currently teaching at Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado. We have three other daughters. currently in college or graduate school, that were blessed to attend various Lutheran grade schools and high schools.

I enjoy reading, watching sports and exploring God's creation, especially in northern Minnesota.

Leah Rue - Administrative Assistant

I grew up in Haysville, Kansas, which is a suburb of Wichita. I graduated from Cowley County Community College and Northwestern Oklahoma. I recently moved to Fort Collins after getting married to my amazing and supportive husband, Michael. My position at Immanuel is Part-Time Administrative Assistant for the Church Office, as well as helping around the school when there are any needs in the classroom. What excites me the most about working at Immanuel is using my various gifts and talents to serve and love others and God in every capacity. In Kansas, I was a 5^th grade paraprofessional, but when there was a need elsewhere, I stepped in to fulfill the vacancy. I miss being in the classroom, but Immanuel has given me the opportunity to do that and more. A couple of my hobbies include photography and organizing. I enjoy taking pictures of God’s creation, especially here in Colorado. I enjoy organizing anything and everything because everything is better when everything is organized!

Jacob Hollen - Facilities Director

I was born in Indiana and moved to California with my family when I was about 3 years old. I enjoyed marching band and auto shop in high school. At 18 I joined the military for 12 years, including 3 tours in Iraq and 2 tours in Korea. During that time I received an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice and my CDL license. In 2012 I started driving trucks and I had over a million safe miles and drove in all 48 states. I also finished my Bachelor's Degree in Operations Management.

I started at Immanuel in summer of 2023 and have enjoyed that every day is different and not the same routine. I am also grateful to be able to be home with my family as opposed to regularly on the road.

I have four kids: Chayley, Jacob, Riley and Mallory and have been married to my wife Katie for 8 years.