Pastor Nathan Allen

     Pastor Nathan Allen comes to Holy Spirit Lutheran from Tulsa, Oklahoma where he served as pastor of Joy Lutheran from 2006 to 2015. He received his Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). At LSTC he completed a Biblical Studies Emphasis, a one-year pastoral internship at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and also interned in the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious office at the ELCA’s Churchwide headquarters.

    Pastor Nathan was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan where he attended Kalamazoo College. At K-College, Nathan majored in Classical Studies and minored in History and Latin. He was also active in the music program, playing bass trombone in the Kalamazoo College Symphonic Band and as director and conductor of the student-led Pep Band during his sophomore and senior years. During his junior year, Nathan studied in Rome, Italy for a semester at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies. He later returned as part of the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii where he spent a summer as a field excavator.

     Preaching the Word of God and administering the Sacraments are at the heart of Pastor Nathan’s ministry. In addition, Pastor Nathan served on a variety of Synod committees in the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod including the First Call Leadership Team, Assembly Worship Planning Team, Eastern Oklahoma Conference Dean and on the Synod Council. In Southeast Michigan, he has become an active member of the Grand Blanc Ministerial Association, served on the Synod's Flint Water Crisis Task Force in 2016, was one of the Synod's voting members at the 2019 Churchwide assembly, and was appointed the Dean of Conference 1 in 2019.

     Pastor Nathan is passionate about Ecumenical and Inter-Religious work, having served as the Lutheran Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Representatives Network (LEIRN) Liaison for the Arkansas-Oklahoma and Southeast Michigan Synods, a member of the LEIRN Board, an ELCA delegate to the National Council of Churches, and as President of the Board of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches.  In 2024, pastor Nathan completed his Doctor of Ministry degree in Transformational leadership from Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. His thesis, One in Mission:  A study of Best Practices for Federated Lutheran/Episcopal Congregations, examined best practices for congregations considering federation and presented a case for their role in the ongoing reception of the ELCA's Full Communion agreements as people from two different denominations come together to become one congregation.

     Pastor Nathan and his wife, Laura, are the proud parents of a son and daughter.

Director of Christian Education and Youth - Penny Trip

Music Director - Frank Pitts

     Frank E. Pitts is Director of Music for Holy Spirit Lutheran. He joined the staff in October of 2015 where he conducts the choir and plans and plays for the church services. Frank has a Bachelor of Art degree in voice performance with a minor in biblical studies from Harding University, and in April, 2023, he completed a master of Music in Voice Performance from Oakland University.  In addition to his work at HSLC, Frank is a K-6 music teacher at DTM Elementary school for Flint Community Schools and continues to serve on the faculty of Oakland University, where he is a vocal coach, accompanist, and music theatre director.

     Frank works with multiple theater companies in southeast Michigan as a music director/pit conductor and he performs regularly as a guest artist with regional symphonies and opera companies.   He also performed internationally in Canada, Austria, Germany, France, and Spain.

     For 33 years he was married to his amazing wife Terry (McClure) until her untimely passing in 2019.  In his spare time,  he enjoys spending time with his 3 sons and their families, especially his 4 grandchildren.  He also enjoys hiking, traveling, learning new languages, and cooking for friends and family. He feels especially blessed to be part of the music ministry and the entire HSLC church family!

Office Administrator - Brandi (Neil) Webb

As our Office Administrator, Brandi handles most of the administrative tasks for members including preparing weekly bulletins, announcements, and slides for worship. She updates the church directory and handles scheduling for events at church. In addition to her work at HSLC, Brandi is the publisher of Neighbors of Hartland magazine and a proud graduate of Grand Blanc High School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and an Associate of Arts in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, graduating with honors from both.

Brandi and her husband, Brian, make their home in Fenton and have three children—Antonio, Brianna, and Brandon. They are active members of St. John Catholic Parish in Fenton.

Brandi is involved in several community organizations, including the Hartland Area Chamber of Commerce (Board Member), Connect 3 Foundation (Board Member), PMWG Young Life Livingston (Grant Chair), Hartland Rotary (Member), the PSA at St. John School in Fenton (Member), and the St. John Education Foundation (Assistant to the Director). She is passionate about faith, family, and fostering connection through service and storytelling.

Finance Administrator - Marie Copeland

Marie manages the financial records and serves as the bookkeeper for HSLC.  While serving as our Office Administrator, she also started the weekly Sew Crafty group.  She is not a member of the church, but volunteers for outside community activities sponsored by the church, because of her strong faith and commitment to causes.

Marie was previously a math teacher for middle and high school students.  She has a son, Franklin, who graduated high school in 2023 and a faithful companion dog, Ari.