WNALC Council Members
The Women’s Council (TWC) of the WNALC is comprised of seven woman from across the congregations of the North American Lutheran Church. Voting delegates at the WNALC’s Annual Gathering vote on candidates for open council positions. Council members are elected for a two-year term, and they can be re-elected for a second term. When a woman who was previously a member of the council has been off the council for at least two years, she is again able to run for The Women’s Council. New and returning council members meet as soon as possible following the Annual Gathering to divide the positions and responsibilities, ensuring that members of the WNALC are supported and served as well as possible. We are here to serve and support you and your work within our faith community.
Peggy Jording
Chair
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Newcastle, Wyoming
Peggy Jording is the WNALC Chair and for the last two years she was the WNALC treasurer before that she led the Spiritual team. Peggy and her husband, Mike, live in Newcastle, Wyoming and attend Christ the King Lutheran. Involvement in the church is important to Peggy and she currently leads the 24/7 prayer group which meets weekly for group prayer and study. She loves to lector as often as possible, participates in the women’s group, guides quilt days and serves on the Care and Serve Committee.
Peggy and her husband have been married for 40 years. Mike is semi-retired but they are a couple years fromslowing down. They raise Airedale terriers and Peggy enjoys reading, needlepoint, card making, knitting, sewing, quilting, and crafting with the grandkids. They have two sons and four grandchildren. Their oldest son and family live in Minnesota and the younger son and family live in Colorado.
Having always loved books and reading Peggy was led to a degree in Business Education with a minor in Library Media, followed by a Masters in School Library Media PK-12. Her education pathway ultimately led her to become a school librarian.
Mike and Peggy are involved in the community, and they enjoy traveling to Laramie, Wyoming for UWYO football games and to Colorado and Minnesota to see family.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV.)
Amy Werner
Vice Chair
Emanuel Lutheran Church
Elmer, New Jersey
Amy Werner served on our WNALC council from 2015-2017. During that time, she became the producer of the “Big Map” and facilitator for the Mid-Northeast Mission District and the Atlantic Mission Region.
As she continues to serve in those areas, the council is excited to have her once again be on the council to help develop more facilitators across the Mission Districts of the NALC. Amy is the team leader for the newly formed Mission District Facilitator ministry team.
Amy’s husband Mark is a pastor and she has an active 15 yr. old son, Jordan. She and her family recently moved to Pittsgrove, NJ when her husband received the call to serve at Emanuel LC in Elmer, NJ.
Working with the women’s ministries at the Regional and congregational level keeps Amy busy. Within her Mission Region, Amy leads retreats and gatherings. At church, she leads the livestream team, sings in the choir, and assists with women’s events.
Amy has an elementary teaching degree and works as a substitute teacher at her local elementary school and volunteers with the Boy Scouts. She enjoys baking, sewing, Sudoku and traveling.
Mary Lea Pfenninger
Secretary and Newsletter Editor
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Yorktown, Texas
Mary Lea Pfenninger lives in historic Goliad Texas with her husband. Their family has had land in Goliad County for over 130 years. She has three grown children and six grandchildren. Her dog Boo is very spoiled dog.
Mary Lea graduated from the University of Houston with her BS as well as a MEd in Education. She taught in the classroom for 25 years. Before retiring, Mary Lea was an education consultant for Region 3 Education Service Center for 17 years. She is a member of St. John’s in Goliad where she is a current council member. She and her husband and love to travel and take at least two to three vacations a year. Mary Lea loves to read and organize as well as watch movies with her husband.
She is excited to serve as the secretary of the WNALC and is looking forward to her time on the council.
Marti Baggs
Treasurer
Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran,Jacksonville, South Carolina
Marti has been married to Tom Baggs for 24 years. They have an adult daughter and three grandchildren. Marti and Tom live in Jacksonville, Florida and have two kitties, Boots and Mutchkin.
Marti enjoys quilting, sewing, cross stitch, and reading. Her greatest blessings are in study of the Bible, leading a Sunday morning adult Bible study, and participating in programs that help others to know Christ.
Marti is a member of Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Elected to the Women’s Council of the WNALC in August 2023, she will serve as the treasurer of the council for the 2023-2024 year.
Sandra Liska
Fellowship and CommunityMinistry Team Leader
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church
Three Rivers, Texas
Sandra Liska was appointed to the WNALC council in January of 2022 and ran for election at the 2022 Virtual Gathering. She will be heading up the Fellowship and Community Team. At Our Savior Lutheran, Sandra is Treasurer of the Women’s Group, Vice- President of the Church Council and a leader with the Mission Vision Committee. She also volunteers for Heavenly Angels and Live Oak County 4-H.
Sandra and her husband Tim have been married 41 years and have three grown children. The Liskas live near George West, Texas. Both are enjoying retirement by traveling, raising cattle, gardening, teaching Sunday School and just enjoying God’s beautiful wildlife on their property. They also enjoy their two spoiled dachshunds and one miniature Australian Shepherd.
Rev. Cathy Fanslau
NALC Rostered Pastor
Mission Team Leader and Disaster Response Liaison
Dayton, Nevada
The Reverend Cathy Fanslau lives in Dayton, Nevada, about 15 miles from historic Virginia City. She enjoys living in an area with so much history! She has three grown children and three grandchildren. Her 89-year-old mother, who lived with her for the past eight years, is now in God’s keeping. Thanks be to God.
Pastor Cathy grew up in the Midwest as a cradle Lutheran. She was raised in a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregation in Illinois and has several ordained pastors as ancestors. Her brother is also a Lutheran pastor!
Beginning her ministry as a deaconess for the LCMS, Pastor Cathy later moved to the ELCA and there she began preaching regularly. After serving as a deaconess for 15 years, Pastor Cathy knew that God was calling her to a ministry of Word and Sacrament.
In 2021 Pastor Cathy had the joy of serving as the interim minister of a small congregation in Gibsonville, North Carolina soon after they joined the NALC. That was also the year she celebrated her 20-year anniversary as a pastor and a total of 35 years in ministry. In her words, “Ministry has never felt like a job to me…”
M. Carolyn Rastarelli
Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
Berlin, Pennsylvania
M. Carolyn Rastrelli has been married to her husband Frank for 23 years. They are both semi-retired. Their blended family includes 4 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, 9 grandchildren, 2 dogs, 2 cats, chickens and a bunch of grand-furbabies. They have adopted one of their granddaughters who is now 9 and also keep an eye on her 95 and 90 year old parents. Although they have a Berlin, PA mailing address, they actually live near Shanksville just a few miles from the Flight 93 National Memorial.
After a varied work life including factory and office work, cross-country truck driving and underground coal mining, Carolyn has spent the last 22 years as a school bus driver. She has a daily home-school-home run, drives the Band, Boys Basketball and Baseball teams, Reading Competition and many field trips. Winter weekends are often spent shuttling guests at Seven Springs Ski Resort.
Carolyn is a lifetime member of Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Berlin, PA. where she served on church council for 10 years, is currently serving on Altar Guild, is a lector, usher, member of the church band, helps with VBS and delivers altar flowers to homebound members and those needing a bit of cheer each week in May. She also fills in as church secretary when needed. Any spare time is usually spent in a book.
