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Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. Welcomes Two New Staff Members

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The Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. (L-US) is proud to welcome John Schoedel as Regional Director of Development, and Susan Gebel as Development Specialist.  John and Sue join the development team at L-US as part of the Board approved initiative to expand the development capacity of the organization.

Rev. Dr. Don Johnson, Executive Director, welcomed Sue and John as “a vital part of our ministry to the native communities we serve.  We know that it is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that they are here to share the talents and skills with which they are blessed.”

Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. is a cross-cultural ministry sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in partnership with individuals and communities through mutual witness, nurture and discipleship.  The work it does is primarily among First Nations, American Indian and Native Alaskan people, but it also reaches out multi-culturally to all people of the community, particularly in remote areas.  The L-US headquarters is in Brookfield, Wisconsin; however, its ministry stretches from Flagstaff, Arizona, to Bemidji, Minnesota, and from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to Fairbanks, Alaska, with 20 locations throughout the United States and five in Canada.

John Schoedel served most recently as the Development Manager for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America – Mid-America Chapter.  Schoedel has over 30 years of experience as a fundraising, marketing and administrative professional, both in the for-profit and non-profit world. In his new role he will focus on developing donor relationships, major gifts and networking to assist in meeting strategic goals of the ministry.

Sue Gebel has worked with ACT, Inc. of Iowa City, Iowa as an essay scorer for various tests administered through ACT, and also as a private tutor for ESL students in Language Arts.  Prior to that, she worked in the area of Ministry Support at Lutheran Hour Ministries, St. Louis, Missouri, and later as Convention and Meeting Planner.  Sue now serves as Development Specialist with responsibilities for research, as well as assisting with church relations, volunteer coordination and grant writing.