Darrell Nelson

LEAD PASTOR

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Pastor Darrell and his wife, Cindy, have been married since 1982. They have three daughters and one son.

Pastor Nelson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse with a Bachelor of Science in Education. His graduate studies were done at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Before coming to Mission Covenant Church he served a six-month internship at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Sparta, Wisconsin. Prior to his seminary studies, Pastor Nelson taught and coached in the LaCrosse public school system, as well as having worked one year as an Assistant Administrator in Tomah, Wisconsin. Pastor Darrell was ordained by the Evangelical Covenant Church in June of 2003.

In his free time, Pastor Nelson loves being with his family and enjoying the outdoors. His favorite hobbies are bow hunting, archery, and fishing. He was an assistant track coach for 20 years and is a volunteer wrestling coach and a weight-training instructor.

James Walsh

ASSOCIATE PASTOR

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Pastor James lives in Wentworth with his wife, Heather, and two sons.

James earned his B.S. degree from PBBC in Owatonna, MN and interned at Faribault Baptist Church in Faribault, MN and at the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in Cable, WI.

James enjoys spending time with his family- flying, hiking, or climbing pretty much anywhere.

NATHAN NELSON

Youth Pastor

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As the son of Pastor Darrell & Cindy Nelson, Nathan spent his childhood raised in Mission Covenant Church.  In January of 2016 he was called to be the youth pastor at Mission Covenant.  Prior to that he had received his degree in youth ministry from Liberty University and spent 2.5 years as youth pastor for a Covenant Church in International Falls, MN.

Nathan and his Wife Nicole were married in 2015 and are blessed with a beautiful daughter Madelyn Hope.  In his free time, Nathan enjoys the outdoors and videography as well as coaching cross country, wrestling, and track with the high school.

JUSTIN ORME

AV/TECH SPECIALIST

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Justin was born in Hawaii and moved to Poplar, WI at age 4 to be closer to his family. In fact, Justin comes from a family that has been involved at Mission Covenant for over 100 years. Justin started playing drum set at age 8 and would learn more instruments as he grew up. He got involved with the Mission Covenant worship team at a young age and played for about 7 years with them. He also got involved with running the sound and slides for Sunday services. In June of 2020, Justin was brought on staff to help with the audio/visual technology. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in information technology through Liberty University Online. 

Justin enjoys playing music, listening to podcasts, playing frisbee and pickleball, and the occasional video game. He is an old soul who loves hymns, sitting in his rocking chair, listening to records, and drinking hot tea.

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MICHELLE THOMPSON

Administrative Assistant

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Michelle lives in Maple with her husband, Chad, and 4 children.

Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a focus in Human Resources at the University of Minnesota, Duluth Campus.  She has served on the Women Ministries leadership team for over 9 years and has been co-teaching Women’s Bible study for the past 5 years. 

In her free time Michelle enjoys spending her free time reading, scrapbooking, fishing and traveling.

MICHELLE KEPHART

Administrative Assistant

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MISSION KIDZ

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Michelle and her husband Dan grew up near Prairie du Chien, WI. They have been married since 1998 and currently live in Highland with their two sons and one daughter. 

Michelle graduated from Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN in 1999 with degrees in Mathematics Education and Bible. She taught high school math for one year in White Bear Lake, MN and six years in Phillips, WI. 

After being a stay-at-home mom for many years, Michelle joined the staff in 2014 as a Mission Kidz! Co-Coordinator and started helping part-time as an Administrative Assistant in 2018. Michelle enjoys writing curriculum and planning events that help children and their families grow in their faith in Christ.  

The Kepharts enjoy camping, hiking, music, boating, cross-country skiing, and spending time together as a family. 

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BRIAN GILL

BUILDING MAINTENANCE

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Brian grew up in central Mississippi. In 2001, he got married and moved to Lake Nebagamon and started attending Mission Covenant.

Brian started working for the church in 2006 and has faithfully served since that time.

In his spare time, Brian enjoys dog agility, horses, and electronics.

LOUISE ALHOLM

BUSINESS MANAGER

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Louise was a volunteer on the finance board before being given the role of Business Manager.  She retired in 2020 after working 34 years at ALLETE, ending her career as Director of Accounting and Administrative Systems for ALLETE Clean Energy.  She is a CPA with a degree in accounting from University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Louise has a son and daughter, both married, and raising families in the area, providing many opportunities for family time.  She particularly loves having her four grandboys sleepover.  She also enjoys reading, scrapbooking and has aspirations to improve her gardening skills.

KRIS WESTERLUND

MISSION KIDZ

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