Senior Pastor Tom Opoien  tom_clf@gwtc.net  Pastor Tom joined the Custer Lutheran Fellowship community in June 2009 after serving congregations in Minnesota and central South Dakota. Pastor Tom says he was "drawn to Custer Lutheran Fellowship by the sense of mission that surrounds the place and by a true culture of welcoming." Pastor Tom enjoys sharing a laugh with people as well as cup of coffee. Teaching Bible studies, preaching, and working with a wide variety of ministry teams have been an energizing part of the congregation's work. Pastor Tom is married to Gail who works in the office at Outlaw Ranch. They have two children and a giant chocolate lab at home.

Pastor Kent Narum  kent_clf@gwtc.net  Pastor Kent came to Custer Lutheran Fellowship in the fall of 2006 fresh out of seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Kent is married to Elisabeth Cherland. They have one beautiful, bouncing boy named Elijah (born in February of 2008) who keeps them busy. Elisabeth teaches private music lessons and is the Assistant Director of the Rapid City Children’s Choir. Kent is originally from Minot, North Dakota and Elisabeth is from Regina, Saskatchewan but they are excited to be living in the beautiful Black Hills. Kent is passionate about all kinds of music (from bluegrass to Bach), hiking and biking (you often find him early in the morning around Stockade Lake), cooking (a passion cultivated during his year at Holden Village, the isolated retreat center in the Cascade Mountains), as well as reading and writing. As the Associate Pastor at Custer Lutheran Fellowship, Kent looks forward to meeting you and learning about your passions.

Youth Coordinator  barbara_clf@gwtc.net  Barbara and her husband Matt moved to Custer in 2001. They have three grown children: Tom, Andrea, and Mathew. They also have three dogs at home: Ruby Tuesday, Zoey, and Maggie May. Barbara is active in the community and is currently the chairperson of Custer County All-Drug. She also teaches art classes to youth and enjoys a variety of arts and crafts herself. Barbara enjoys cooking and reading, but her favorite activity is sitting on her porch drinking coffee and watching the sun set. She cannot imagine living anywhere but the Black Hills and is so glad to make Custer her home.

Donna McConnell Office Administrator and Financial Secretary  clf@gwtc.net

Lisa Pickford Office Assistant  lisa_clf@gwtc.net  Lisa and her family moved to the Black Hills in January of 2003 from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She and her husband, David, have three daughters. A Senior and a Freshman in high school and a 6th grader in Middle School They built their home the summer of 2003. Lisa enjoys the outdoors, running and bicycling, as well as drawing and creating all sorts of stuff with fabric. Lisa says that CLF was such a welcoming place when they first came to Custer and that it really helped them to get to know so many wonderful people.

Ken and Arbutus Hanson Custodial Staff Ken & Arbutus moved to Custer from Mitchell, SD when they purchased the Chalet Motel in January 1987. They sold it in 1994 to “retire?”. The very first Sunday they were in Custer they attended worship service at Custer Lutheran Fellowship and were welcomed so warmly it felt like “home.” Ken & Arbutus have been married 26 years. Ken has 2 sons & 2 daughters. Arbutus has 1 daughter & 1 son. They have 9 grandchildren & 4 (almost 5) great-grandchildren. They had filled in for past custodians so when a vacancy suddenly occurred they stepped in to help out. That was 3 ½ years ago. Ken enjoys making wood toys for the great-grandchildren, drawing, reading & throwing horseshoes. Arbutus enjoys reading, trying new recipes, baking, gardening & flowering.

Sunday Worship Schedule Worship is at 8:30 AM & 10:00 AM Outdoor Worship Service at 6:30 PM on Monday

OFFICE HOURS The church office is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM The office hours for individuals are as follows: Pastor Tom: Monday-Thursday 9 AM-12 Noon Pastor Kent: Tuesday-Thursday 9 AM-12 Noon Donna: in office Monday, Wednesday-Friday Lisa Pickford: Tuesdays & Thursdays

CONTACT Custer Lutheran Fellowship 12622 Highway 16A Custer, SD 57730 Phone: 605-673-4691 Fax: 605-673-4881 Email Addresses: Church in general or Donna McConnell Pastor Tom Pastor Kent Lisa Pickford Dean Colprit  clf@gwtc.net   tom_clf@gwtc.net   kent_clf@gwtc.net   lisa_clf@gwtc.net   CLF WebMaster

Ministering at Custer Lutheran Fellowship Senior Pastor: Associate Pastor: Office Admin: Office Assistant: Parish Nurse: Custodians: Music: Choir Director: Financial Sec: Treasurer: Ministers: Tom Opoien Kent Narum Donna McConnell Lisa Pickford Rosemary Chappell Ken & Arbutus Hanson Margaret Tretheway Marlene Sellevold Berni Johnson Lonnie Hosman All Members of CLF!