Leadership

After growing up in Tampa, Florida, Pastor Gustafson (Pastor G) graduated from Concordia Chicago and went on to attend Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Pastor G has served in congregations in Minnesota and Wisconsin and now is joyfully serving the Lord at Trinity Merrill and loves spreading the Gospel throughout the church and community. Pastor G met his wife, Georgia, in college and they have five children together - David, Caleb, Joshua, Sarah, and Rachel. When Pastor G isn't at church, you can find him spending time with his family and his dog (Royal), serving our country, and cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I am excited to be serving as Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church! I am originally from Buffalo, Minnesota. I grew up attending Lutheran schools in the surrounding area and was grateful for the opportunities that they provided for me and for the teachers and pastors who helped me grow in my faith. I spent a few semesters at Iowa State University and two summers working at Camp Omega in Waterville, Minnesota where I met my wife Stephanie. From there, I transferred to and graduated from Concordia University Nebraska with a degree in Secondary Education. After getting married, Steph and I continued on to St. Louis where I graduated from Concordia Seminary. When I am not in the church office, I enjoy disc golf, board games, and watching the Minnesota Vikings. While it is hard to pick a favorite verse of Scripture, one of my favorites is Romans 8:1 “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Stephanie (Steph) Chapa is overjoyed to be joining and serving with the Trinity family in the Church, School and Early Learning Center!   She is very familiar with the Midwest, having lived as a Pastor’s kid in Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and most recently, Glencoe, MN. Steph graduated in 2021 from the Director of Christian Education program at Concordia University Nebraska with majors in Christian Educational Leadership and Psychology. She and Pastor Jon met at Camp Omega in Waterville, MN where they were Lutheran summer camp counselors in 2017 and 2018. In May of 2021, they got married after Steph finished her DCE internship at Peace in Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN and Pastor Jon finished his student teaching.  As Pastor Jon went to the Seminary, Steph served as an Early Childhood Assistant Teacher and part-time DCE at Glendale Lutheran Church.  During Pastor Jon’s year-long vicarage, she was the Youth Relations Director at a neighboring congregation in West Fargo, ND. Needless to say, she loves to share and show Christ with His children of all ages! Her favorite Bible verse is 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory forever and ever!  In her spare time you can find Steph drinking coffee, growing plants, reading, being active outdoors in God’s creation, and enjoying time with her family; especially, her nieces and nephews. 

Jennifer Rajek is the Director of Operations at Trinity Merrill Lutheran Church, assisting with the non-ministry operations of Trinity. This includes helping the church, school, and child care in many different ways. She married Peter in 2012 and they have two adult children who both attended Trinity School and were confirmed at Trinity Church. Jennifer started working at Trinity School part-time when her children were younger to be more involved in their church and school lives. As the children became older, she volunteered in different ways including PTO. When Covid happened, she took a break and worked during the summer months at Trinity Child Care while also running a home child care. In December 2022, she closed her child care to come back to Trinity since she missed the “Trinity family”. Since she has returned, she has officially become a member of Trinity Merrill Lutheran Church. Jennifer and her husband love to travel the beautiful world God gave us. 

Robin Grenfell is the Administrative Assistant at Trinity Merrill Lutheran Church. Robin and her husband, Rich, will be celebrating 42 years of marriage in June. They have two adult children: Ross (Lisa) Grenfell and Raena (Zach) Grisa  and 4 beautiful grandchildren. Robin recently celebrated her 27th Anniversary working at Trinity. Robin is a life long member at Trinity and attended Trinity School.  Robin helped with the Trinity Youth Ministry and eventually started the Kids for Christ (4th and 5th grade program) of which she has many fond memories. She also started and ran the Afterschool Program which is now part of the Trinity Child Care. Robin and Rich love to travel but also enjoy family time at both their cottage in Harrison and at their cabin in the Town of Schley. Robin loves her Trinity family and thanks the good Lord for them. Robin’s hope is that Trinity will continue to reach the hearts of those who are seeking love and a lifelong relationship with their Savior, just as Trinity and its members have so graciously extended to her.

Mr. Johnson is excited to be the principal at Trinity Merrill! In this role, he supports a team of students, staff, and parents providing for all aspects of academic, faith, social/emotional, and physical growth. As a big believer in Lutheran schools, Mr. Johnson has been in ministry for over 28 years.
Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Concordia University - St. Paul and holds both a BA and MA in Education. On a personal level, Mr. Johnson is happily married to Lisa and together they have three children. Naomi is their adult daughter who lives in Minnesota and works at Mayo Hospital. Lukas is their son who was stillborn and is in Heaven. Jayden is our sophomore at MAPS who loves to play basketball. Lisa loves art and Mr. Johnson hopes to reacquaint himself with grouse hunting.

Bio coming soon.

Rebecca is excited to join the team at Trinity as the Director of Communications. She looks forward to learning more about Trinity’s mission and helping to share its story with the broader community.
A Merrill native, Rebecca married her high school sweetheart, Anthony, in 2006. They live in Merrill with their two children, Hunter and Harley. As a family, they own and operate Northwoods Maple Farm, and they spend much of their summer at their permanent campsite up north. Rebecca and Anthony also enjoy road trips and discovering great local food along the way.
Rebecca’s favorite way to spend her time is cheering on her son at the hockey rink or watching her daughter compete in All Star Cheer.

Mrs. Hass is a janitor and an organist at Trinity. Mrs. Hass has been an organist at Trinity since 1992. At that time, she moved all the way from Wausau to Merrill and has been married to her husband John for 31 years. She plays piano also, and can play a tune or two on her accordion and violin. She enjoys going for daily walks, bird watching, crafts, attending to her flower garden, and traveling throughout the United States and Canada.

Dan Schneider and his wife, Gail, have been blessed with two children – Dana and Stephanie. Dan works for Thrivent Financial and in his down time, loves to hunt and fish. He feels it is vital to be an active member at Trinity and has served on many boards and committees, as an elder, and on the school board. Dan and Gail love Trinity and are excited that their children and grandchildren love Trinity as much as they do.

Dan Riste and his wife, Beth, have been married for 44 delightful years and have been blessed with two sons, Collin and Kyle, who have both married and given them two grandsons. Dan and Beth move to Merrill and joined Trinity in 2020. Dan’s dream for Trinity is to welcome back members we have missed since Covid.

Darrel Dengel and his wife, Missi, were married at Trinity 28 years ago. They have four children, Molli, Dustin, Dawson, Malaynie and three grandchildren. Darrel and Missy have owned and overseen the operations of Woodland Court Elder Services LLC for 24 years. Darrel enjoys spending time outdoors whether on the water or in the woods. Darrel starts Sunday mornings feeding his soul in the Lord’s House of Trinity. His goal is to keep that a possibility for generations to come.

Debbie has been attending Trinity since spring of 2023.  In addition to Church Council, Debbie is a member of the Dorcas Society, Women's Bible Study, the Capital Campaign Leadership Committee and serves as a greeter. Debbie was blessed to be married to her husband, Mike, for nearly 30 years before his unexpected passing in August of 2023.  She retired in June of 2024 following a 35 year career as a Professor with UW-Madison Division of Extension where she served as a 4-H Youth Development Educator and later as a Health and Well-Being Educator.  Debbie believes that God provides each of us with abilities and places opportunities in our lives to utilize our skills to positively impact others and spread God's word.

Laurie Swope and her husband, Mark, have been married for 28 marvelous years. Laurie is a life-long member of Trinity as her parents, Willie & Karen Schult, provided her with a Lutheran education at Trinity School. Attending Trinity School and youth group helped mold her faith in God.  She currently works for Church Mutual and has been with the company for 34 years. Laurie believes we are all called to do God’s work her on earth, making good use of our resources to grow His Kingdom.

Chris Grunenwald and his wife, Sarah, have been blessed with two children, Erik and Emily. Chris is a life long member of Trinity and has professionally been employed as an attorney at Church Mutual since 2011. Chris’s goal on the council is to ensure the continued viability of Trinity for the next 125 years. 

Jerome’s family have been members of Trinity since 2004. Jerome and his wife, Janice, have been married for 34+ years. They have 3 children, Jordan, Joel and Juila. He has served in the past on the Board of Trustee’s at Trinity, was Vice President at Immanual Lutheran in Mosinee, and Treasure of St. Matthew’s in Marathon. Jerome is looking to help further mission of spreading Christ’s word.

Mike and his wife, Ann, have been married for 33 years and have two daughters and two grandchildren. Mike is former owner of a healthcare marketing firm in Green Bay and is now semi-retired, working as a part-time consultant and able to devote more time to volunteering, fishing, the outdoors and traveling. Mike and Ann moved to Lake Nokomis in Tomahawk from Green Bay about six years ago to enjoy full-time their love of the Northwoods. Mike’s goal for Trinity is increase member engagement and to continue our efforts to bring more people to Christ.

Michelle Skic and her husband, Luke, have two children, McKenna and Madilynn. Luke and both daughters attended Trinity School. Michelle’s goal for Trinity is to be the foundation of a Christ-centered family who all walk in faith and in His Word together. She believes it is important to be good stewards in our community to positively impact the lives of those in our community.