At Atonement Lutheran Church, our Council leads with a spirit-led vision. Council members are the vital link between staff, ministries, congregation, and resources. They actively engage with various facets of our ministry; fostering collaboration, communication, and coordination to help us grow deep and reach wide. The Council actively encourages us to be wise stewards of our God-given time, talents, and finances.

We invite you to engage with the Council as they lead our congregation and discover how they work in tandem with our ministries, staff, and members to fulfill our collective mission. Together, let us continue to grow in faith, serve with compassion, and shine the light of Christ into the world.

Executive Team -
Council President
New Member & Welcome Liaison

Cathy Dykman-Acinger has been part of Atonement since 1962 (her parents were charter members). Atonement has been a second home to her, shaping her faith and providing community to share both life’s joys and sorrows. She is deeply grateful for Atonement's meaningful worship, strong preaching, impactful ministries, and lasting friendships.

Cathy has been involved in many aspects of Atonement’s life. She currently sings in the choir and is a member of Joy Circle. She looks forward to serving again on the Church Council and is eager to collaborate with the staff, council members, and congregation to support Atonement's mission, encouraging everyone to invest in this beloved faith community.

Cathy grew up in the Kansas City area and moved to Overland Park when 95th Street was still a gravel road and Atonement was just a dream. She comes from a long line of Lutherans and was blessed with two wonderful husbands and has two sons. She enjoys spending time with family and is especially grateful for her mother, who continues to inspire and bring joy to her life. In her free time, Cathy enjoys music, dancing, entertaining, travel, gardening, games, cooking, baking, and walking with friends.

Professionally, Cathy began her career in childhood development and ran an in-home daycare while raising her sons. For the past two decades, she has worked in interior design and owns her own design firm, and co-owns a design boutique in South Overland Park.

Executive Team -
Council Vice President
Personnel Committee Liaison

Matthew Badding has been a member of Atonement Lutheran Church since 2022. He believes that serving as a Council member is a wonderful opportunity to support our congregation while deepening his involvement in our community. Matthew is passionate about addressing issues that affect both Atonement and our broader community, always striving for growth and service.

Originally from Holyoke, CO, Matthew works at John Deere. He lives in Shawnee, Kansas with his wife, Jenni, and their daughter, Mackenzie. In his free time, Matthew loves spending time with his family, traveling, helping out on the family farm in Iowa, and enjoying summer days out on the lake.

Executive Team -
Council Secretary
Congregational Life Liaison
Communications Co-Liaison

Neil Pfeiffer has been a member of Atonement since 2018. He has volunteered as an usher, helped with Sunday School, and was a member of the Call Committee for Pastor Jordan’s call process. Neil loves the energy that the Atonement staff and congregation have. He sees serving on the Council as a way to participate in that energy and mission and to share his God-given gifts by helping to keep that energy strong in the coming years.

Neil grew up in northwest Iowa, attended Iowa State University, and received a degree in graphic design. He moved to Kansas City in 2004, and then to Overland Park in 2009. Neil designs medical software for Oracle (formerly Cerner) and previously worked at Hallmark Cards for 9 years on various digital projects (where he came to know several other members of Atonement).  Neil and his wife, Jenn, have three school-age children, Audrey, Grant, and Stella, who keep the family busy with ballet, soccer, gymnastics, and baseball. They enjoy attending and helping with Sunday School and Vacation Bible School at Atonement.

* Executive Team-
Treasurer

Mike Daley has been a member of Atonement since 2009 and has served as our elected treasurer for several years, bringing continuity and stability to our finances. Serving in this capacity allows him to contribute to Atonement using his talents and experience in corporate finance.

Mike and his wife, Nicole, have two boys who are active in Atonement’s Sunday school program. He has been a Sunday school teacher at Atonement for many years and previously served as an usher . Mike is a CPA and works in finance. In his free time he enjoys golf, working out, traveling, and spending time with family.

* Mike Daley's Executive Team position is a separately elected position that is not a regular councilmember position. 

 

Isabella (Izzy) Black is excited to serve on the Church Council and bring a student perspective to its work. As the first youth member to serve on the Council in many years, she is grateful for the opportunity and looks forward to learning, contributing, and representing the voices of Atonement's younger members. Izzy has served as a leader for the Pre K Story Time and Introduction during Sunday School for the past two years and loves being actively involved in the life of the church.
Izzy will be a junior at Shawnee Mission South High School. She enjoys staying involved through tennis, pole vaulting, Unified Bowling, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Link Crew. She is excited to see where this new opportunity to serve will lead.

Genevieve Brown has been a member of Atonement since 2023. She grew up attending St. John’s Lutheran Church in Salina, KS, and joined Atonement after settling in Overland Park and starting a family. Genevieve is honored to serve on Church Council and looks forward to supporting both the congregation and the wider community through this role.

Since joining, she has enjoyed participating in KFaM events with her young daughter, Vivian, and brought her creativity and teaching experience to Vacation Bible School by organizing and leading arts and crafts. Genevieve is an elementary art teacher in the De Soto School District, and hopes to continue using her gifts in education and the arts to serve the church.

Genevieve attended the University of Kansas and then met her husband, Justin, in Kansas City. Together, they lived in Nashville and New York City before returning to the KC Metro in 2018. They now live in Overland Park with their daughter and their cat, Larry. In her free time, Genevieve enjoys painting, reading, traveling, hiking, and gardening.

 

Sarah Eason and her husband, Michael, have been members of Atonement since 2006. They are the proud parents of 23-year-old twins, Blake of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Caroline of Denver, Colorado. Sarah's family has worshipped alongside her parents, the late Robert Howell and Marilyn Howell, for decades. Through the years, her family has celebrated many milestones and found comfort during times of loss at Atonement.

Sarah previously served on the Church Council from 2008 through 2011 and looks forward to serving again. She brings 34 years of experience in medical device sales, including 29 years with Johnson & Johnson, and currently leads a team in the electrophysiology market. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys visiting her children, playing golf, and playing Mahjong.

Type your new text here.

Tom King joined Atonement in 2017. He and his wife were searching for a church home after finding that the Missouri Synod Lutheran congregation they first attended was not the right fit. With his wife having been raised Catholic and Tom having been raised Methodist, they found the ELCA to be a meaningful middle ground. They were drawn to Atonement by its welcoming pastor, strong youth ministry, and the opportunities it offers for families. Tom especially appreciates the church's music and the many ways it helps his children grow in faith.

Tom grew up in Stilwell, Kansas, graduated from Blue Valley High School, and attended the University of Kansas. He works as an insurance adjuster for Farmers Insurance. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, woodworking, home remodeling projects, and spending time with his family.

Tim McCandless has been a member of Atonement since 1987. He and his wife, Jo, joined the congregation after moving to the Kansas City area for work following their graduation from Kansas State University. Their two sons were baptized and confirmed at Atonement, and over the years Tim has been actively involved in the life of the church. He has served as an usher and been involved with youth programs, including mentoring through confirmation classes.

Tim is excited to serve on Church Council and recently joined the J.E.E.P. committee, where he looks forward to helping Atonement grow as a welcoming and inclusive community. He is grateful for the role Atonement has played in his family’s life, especially through worship, music, faith formation, and fellowship.

A lifelong Lutheran, Tim was born in Ohio and moved to Kansas in high school. He and Jo live in Overland Park, where he recently retired after a long career as a CPA, working in public accounting as well as in leadership roles as a controller and director of accounting for private companies. In his free time, Tim enjoys playing golf, going to way too many K-State sporting activities, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Greg Moffitt has been an “official” member of Atonement since 2021, although he and his wife, Trudy, have considered Atonement their church home for 27 years. He has sung in the Atonement Choir since 1997 after moving to Leawood, Kansas. He is looking forward to serving on the Atonement Church Council and helping the church in any way he can through his position.

Greg grew up in the Kansas City Metro, graduated from Raytown High School, attended Central Missouri State University, and joined the United States Air Force. He was an electronics technician in Shemya, Alaska, and Don Muong Royal Thai Air Force base outside of Bangkok. After the Air Force, Greg worked for Xerox Service repairing copiers, training technicians, and answering Midwest technician hotline calls. Greg and Trudy enjoy hosting exchange students (7 thus far) that they consider to be family. Now retired, Greg enjoys spending time with Trudy playing their antique player piano and other mechanical music machines with their AMICA club friends (and have played at Atonement several times). They also enjoy collecting antique clocks, Aladdin lamps, and much more.

Dave Stelzer has been a member of Atonement since 2004. He has been involved in various ministry areas at Atonement and is grateful to serve on the Church Council. Dave is looking forward to helping Atonement solve some of its current property challenges.

Dave was raised in LeMars, Iowa, graduated from Iowa State University, and moved to Overland Park in 2001. Dave and his wife, Shana, have lived in Shawnee since 2002 and have three children, Ben, Maggie, & Hannah. Dave is an electrical engineer and enjoys snow and water skiing.

 

Eric Stepanek has been a member of Atonement since 2006. A lifelong Lutheran, he and his wife, Alyssa, were married at Atonement that same year. Since then, Eric has served as an usher, and both of their children, Tristan and Norah, were baptized and confirmed at Atonement. He is grateful for the church's role in his family's faith journey and the community they have found here.

Eric grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, graduated from the University of Iowa, and moved to the Kansas City area in 2001. He and Alyssa have lived in Olathe since 2006. Eric owns and operates a freight brokerage. Outside of work, he enjoys working out, watching sports, and spending time with family and friends.

Laura joined Atonement in 2023 after transferring her membership from Delaware Baptist Church in Grove, Oklahoma. Since arriving, she has actively served in several areas of Atonement’s ministry, finding joy in using her gifts to give back to the church community.

Laura and her husband, Brian, are proud parents to three daughters, Olivia, Ava, and Vivienne. A dedicated mom, Laura enjoys spending time at home with her family and practicing yoga. She’s also a dog lover with a background in animal care, having worked for many years in an animal shelter and as a veterinary technician.

NOTE: Minutes from Congregational Meetings must be approved by the congregation at the NEXT Congregational Meeting. THEY CANNOT BE MADE AVAILABLE HERE UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN APPROVED. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A DELAY OF 6+ MONTHS BEFORE MEETING MINUTES ARE AVAILABLE HERE.