WNALC Council Members
The WNALC Council 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 once. After a (previous) council member has been off the council for at least two years, she can run again. 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 your faith community.
Kim Isiminger
Chair
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Evans, Georgia
Kim married Dave Isiminger the same weekend they graduated from College. They have two adult children and six grandchildren, three girls and 2 boys. Kim and Dave share their home with Titus, their lazy but lovable Shih Tzu.
After earning a B.S. in Business Administration, Kim worked in a variety of administrative positions where she found that she had a knack for the newest technology – desktop computers. Because of her knowledge of & experience with computers & software, she was encouraged to pursue her master’s degree in Library & Information Science with the goal of becoming certified as a school library media specialist. She worked in that field at the middle & high school levels until retiring in 2018. Looking back, she is amazed at the path along which God has led her, the people with whom He has blessed her, and how He has drawn her closer to Him.
Since retiring, Kim has enjoyed chaperoning school field trips, knitting lots of hats, scarves, sweaters, and shawls. She has always been an active member of her church, singing in the choir, serving on the church council and with a variety of ministries.
Kim is a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Evans, Georgia. She was elected to The Women’s Council of the WNALC in August of 2019 and re-elected in August of 2021. She will serve as the chair of the Women’s Council for the 2022-2023 year.
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 Team
St. John's Lutheran Church
Goliad, 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.
Peggy Jording
Treasurer
Christ the King Lutheran
Newcastle, Wyoming
Peggy Jording is the WNALC treasurer and last year 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. She recently delivered quilts and Bibles to the NALC Disaster Response warehouse in Chatfield, Minnesota.
Peggy and her husband have been married for 38 years. Mike retired in January, leading them to begin to slow 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 recently moved to Minnesota and the younger son and family live in Colorado and just welcomed a baby girl.
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)
Sandra Liska
Fellowship and Community 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…”
Rev. Salome Pathak
NALC Rostered Pastor
Spiritual Team Leader and Newsletter Team
Christ is Lord Lutheran Church & Ministries
Jamaica, W. I.
The Reverend Salome Pathak has enjoyed doing church ministry since she was a young teen in Jamaica, West Indies. During her ministry in Jamaica, she established a church mission that includes a community free clinic. Her life of service continued in the United States. where she established and incorporated Christ Is Lord Ministries. After moving to Ohio, Rev. Salome found numerous ways to serve the Lord, including serving on church council, teaching adult Sunday school and Catechism, and by forming an ecumenical fellowship group.
Today, Rev. Salome, works as a missionary pastor of Christ Is Lord Lutheran Church and Ministries, a Jamaica Mission. She spends her time both in the US and in Jamaica, while carrying out Christ’s mission of preaching the Gospel. She is an ambassador of Christ, and a believer of the four Core Values of the NALC.
While Rev. Salome has impacted many lives through the Gospel, her greatest love aside from Christ, is her husband of 44 years Dr. Divaker Pathak, a NALC pastor and University Professor; daughters Dija Henry, and Dr. Neha Pathak and son San Pathak; daughter-in-law Ebony Pathak; son-in-law, Darye Henry; and her seven grandchildren.
When Reverend Salome is not preaching and teaching the Word, she can be found planting flowers in her garden, shopping with the grandchildren and catching up with old friends. On the mission field, when she is not doing church work, you will find her planting yams, fruit trees and flowers around the mission grounds only to have them eaten by pesky goats.