VALLEY Staff & Leadership

The staff and leadership at Valley is comprised of men and women who love, care, and pray for every single person in the church. If you have questions for any of our staff, feel free to reach out and email them or call our church office to speak with them.

  • Randy O'brien

    Interim senior pastor


  • Ray Carlson

    Student ministies Director

    Ministry Description: To serve students (and their families) and help them “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). We were created to live life with God and I am here to walk with students as they are learning how to do that. I am also here to ensure the building doesn’t get burned down in the process.

    Family: Proud owner of Moose, a little Shih-tzu mix who is not the brightest but is well loved nonetheless (kind of like his owner).


    Hobbies: Hiking, hammocking, reading, having game nights with friends, and (attempting) to teach myself how to cook.


    Faith: I grew up in a somewhat complicated household and, thought I knew God from an early age, I struggled to grasp His love and the goodness of His character. However, God gave me close friends and wise mentors who helped me find Him amid the difficulties of life and transform how I viewed Him. In the summer of 2017, I served as an assistant recreational director at a Bible camp, which is where I first experienced the love of God and saw the Spirit move among His people. By the end of this week, God wholly transformed the way I saw Him. I recommitted my life to Jesus and was baptized the next week. Since then, I have been chasing the Lord and learning to navigate my mental health struggles with the Lord. He has been good to me and I am passionate about helping others see that goodness.

  • Mary lou menning

    children's ministries

    Ministry Description: To serve the body of Christ, specifically families and their children, as we partner together to help children come to know and love Jesus and to grow in their relationship with Him.


    Family: Married to husband, Vic, and together we have 5 daughters.


    Hobbies: Reading, cooking, playing the piano, having tea parties, enjoying all things British


    Faith: I was born into a Christian home.  At my mother’s knee at the age of 4 or 5, I began my relationship with Jesus.  My years of attending church, listening to Christian radio, serving with my father in his ministry, graduating from Bible college, and experiencing the trials of life have all contributed to the growth of my faith.  My inheritance from my parents is Jesus. He is everything and He is enough.  My passion for ministry is a gift from God and I find great joy in sharing my legacy of faith with others, especially children. 


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  • TOM KEENAN

    Worship Director

    Ministry Description: To focus our attention on God and acknowledge that He is worthy of praise, honor, and glory (Revelation 5:12). He has made a way for us to stand in His presence because of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. May our praise of Him start with the position of our heart and affect our whole life.


    Family: Joyfully married to Martha! We have four magnificent married children and four gorgeous grandkids… (my time flies!)


    Hobbies: Outdoor stuff like camping, water sports, handyman projects and ice cream! (is that a hobby?)


    My Faith: At age 16 I began to question my Christian heritage. After a 7 year road filled with tragedy and triumph I gave myself completely to Christ. He forgave me, redeemed me and filled each day with abundant joy through life’s journey. Music has always been a conduit of connection in our relationship. So two years ago God presented me with the opportunity to lead the celebration of Him with a great team of musicians here at Valley church. Come join us as we lavish on King Jesus the praise He is due! 


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  • Leah Oye

    Office Manager

    Ministry Description: To help Valley fulfill its mission by supporting the leadership team, performing office and administrative functions, serving as staff representative to visitors and ministering to the congregation in a variety of administrative functions.


    Family: Married to husband Travis and together we have two spunky redheads, a girl and a boy.


    Hobbies: Sewing, crafting, camping, NDSU Bison Football, and shuttling kids to activities.


    My Faith: I was raised in a Catholic Christian home and knew of Jesus's love very early in life as modeled by the love of my parents. In high school I experienced a World Youth Day in Denver, CO with our youth group and signified to me, as a small town kid, how big God's reach is. As an adult experiencing deep loss my faith matured to a new level, knowing that we don't have to handle it alone, God is there.  And as a parent demonstrating God's love to our kids has helped me grow into sharing His word with others.


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  • recovery alive director

    Ministry Description: To serve and lead people struggling with the issues that come from living in a broken world. As they may experience recovery in this twelve-step ministry they will be restored and can live the abundant life Jesus intended for us. 

     

    Family: I do life with two sons and daughters-in law and four beautiful grandchildren. 

     

    Hobbies:  Gardening and landscaping, my chickens, hiking, kayaking and being on the water, snowshoeing, cooking, travel, reading and spending time with friends.

     

    Faith: I grew up in a Christian home and from early on knew who Jesus was. At 16 I accepted Him as my savior and over the years came to see that Jesus also needed to be Lord of my life. In my work as a Christian Life Coach, I was given the opportunity to disciple others and help them to be the best version of what God intends for all of us and this has helped me to live out my purpose for God's glory.

     

    As Director of Recovery Alive I am passionate about serving others so they can find victory from not only addiction and mental health struggles of all types, but also the hurts we struggle with from living in a broken world. My personal mission statement is to bring God glory by providing hope and encouragement so others may be restored and find purpose for their lives. 


    Contact

elders

  • Bill Bartholow

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  • Zach Kaiser

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  • Bill Weber

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  • Jayme Wisely

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