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our staff
Reverend Benjamin Meyer: pastor
Pastor Meyer is the fourth of six children, the son of a pastor and brother to two pastors. He
has served as missionary pastor in the boot heel of Missouri, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran
Church and School in Woodworth, IL; and was installed as Pastor at Hope on June 25, 2016.
He attended Concordia University Texas, Austin, Texas, graduating with a communications
major and Biblical languages minor, and then attended Concordia Seminary St. Louis, gradu-
ating in 2005. He has lived in Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma,
Missouri, Illinois. Pastor Meyer and his wife, Christine, are blessed with four children:
Timmy, Lucy, Cooper, and Boaz.
In addition to regular pastoral duties, including leading Divine Services and Bible study on
Sunday mornings, teaching confirmation classes, and visiting homebound members, Pastor
Meyer also teaches: a young-adult Bible study for college-aged young men and women; Bible
lessons at Hope's Anchored Summer Day Camps and Hope homeschool co-op; and leads youth group meetings and events for our 1st-6th grade, and 7-12th grade youth groups. He writes frequently about Christian faith and life on his blog, Baptized into Christ and at Youth E Source. He produces catechism and other teaching videos on Hope's Youtube channel. Pastor Meyer also serves our church body as a speaker for LCMS Rural and Small Town Missions conferences and webinars, and serves on the board of Central Ohio Lutheran Missions, COLIM
Rachel kelly beeson: church pianist
Rachel has been a member of Hope since childhood. A school music teacher by day, Rachel's
skills have accompanied our congregational singing during Sunday Divine Services, beginning
in the spring of 2021. Rachel and her husband welcomed the birth of their first child, a son, in
J2022, and twins, a daughter and son, in 2024.
Tracy Chesney: church Secretary
Tracy and her husband have been members of Hope since 1991. They have three grown children,
two daughters, and a son; a son-in-law; and now a grandson in 2022, and grandaughter in 2024.
Tracy began managing Hope's website in 2016, and started serving as church secretary in August
of 2017. In 2019 Tracy retired from 23 years of home schooling.