St. Luke's Staff biographies
The Rev. Dr. David T. Gortner, Rector
The Rev. Glenda Empsal, Deacon
Emily Moore, Administrative Assistant
Jesse Hampsch, Interim Director of Music
Liz Marcela Gathercoal, Interim Administrative Assistant
The Rev. Glenda Empsal, Deacon
Emily Moore, Administrative Assistant
Jesse Hampsch, Interim Director of Music
Liz Marcela Gathercoal, Interim Administrative Assistant
The Rev. Dr. David T. Gortner, Rector
I am delighted to be serving and working with the people of St. Luke’s, as together we seek to follow Jesus, love one another, and serve the world around us in Coeur d’Alene and North Idaho
.
I came to the inland Northwest after living and working in many different places across the U.S. For more than thirty years, I have served a wide array of churches and faith-based organizations, including seminaries, churches, campus ministries, church plants, and interfaith organizations. All of my previous work, including my early work on farms and building houses and my work in various pastoral and mental health settings, has shaped me as a pastor and leader.
I want to help people find how God is already moving in their lives. God loves us, has made us each uniquely and wonderfully in God’s own image, and will not leave us alone. This is why I wrote the book, Transforming Evangelism, and why I have taught and trained hundreds of clergy and lay-people. I want Christians to embrace the practice of sharing our own journeys of faith, listening for signs of God at work in everyone’s lives, naming where we see God at work, and inviting people to discover more.
I am an Episcopal priest because I have found in this Church an unflinching, passionate belief in God’s love for all humanity, and in the power of that Love to remake us and heal the world.
My wife, the Very Rev. Heather VanDeventer, is also an Episcopal priest and serves as the Dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Spokane. Our two children are continuing to grow and learn as they make their way through high school and middle school.
Education
Ph.D., Psychology and Human Development, University of Chicago
M.Div., Theology, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL)
M.A., Psychology, Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)
B.A., Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL)
A sampling of Dr. Gortner’s books and articles
I am delighted to be serving and working with the people of St. Luke’s, as together we seek to follow Jesus, love one another, and serve the world around us in Coeur d’Alene and North Idaho
.
I came to the inland Northwest after living and working in many different places across the U.S. For more than thirty years, I have served a wide array of churches and faith-based organizations, including seminaries, churches, campus ministries, church plants, and interfaith organizations. All of my previous work, including my early work on farms and building houses and my work in various pastoral and mental health settings, has shaped me as a pastor and leader.
I want to help people find how God is already moving in their lives. God loves us, has made us each uniquely and wonderfully in God’s own image, and will not leave us alone. This is why I wrote the book, Transforming Evangelism, and why I have taught and trained hundreds of clergy and lay-people. I want Christians to embrace the practice of sharing our own journeys of faith, listening for signs of God at work in everyone’s lives, naming where we see God at work, and inviting people to discover more.
I am an Episcopal priest because I have found in this Church an unflinching, passionate belief in God’s love for all humanity, and in the power of that Love to remake us and heal the world.
My wife, the Very Rev. Heather VanDeventer, is also an Episcopal priest and serves as the Dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Spokane. Our two children are continuing to grow and learn as they make their way through high school and middle school.
Education
Ph.D., Psychology and Human Development, University of Chicago
M.Div., Theology, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL)
M.A., Psychology, Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)
B.A., Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL)
A sampling of Dr. Gortner’s books and articles
- Varieties of Personal Theology: Charting the Beliefs and Values of American Young Adults. London, UK: Ashgate/Routledge, 2013.
- Transforming Evangelism. New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2007.
- Retraining Ourselves in Thought and Action: A Thematic Exploration of Leadership Literature. Anglican Theological Review, 2010.
- Looking at Leadership Beyond Our Own Horizon. Anglican Theological Review, 2009.
- Congregational Studies and Ministry: The Art of Multifaceted Contextual Exegesis. (Percy, E., ed., The Study of Ministry: A Comprehensive Survey of Theory and Practice. London, UK: SPCK, 2019).
- Surveying a Church’s Attitude toward and Interaction with Islam. (In Heaney, R., Sayilgan, Z., & Haymes, C., eds., Faithful Neighbors: Christian-Muslim Vision & Practice. New York, NY: Morehouse, 2016).
- Effective clergy leadership in the 21st century: Are we up to the task?, In Trust, 2014.
The Rev. Glenda Empsall, Deacon
Glenda was ordained to the Diaconate in 2012. By her annual request and at the pleasure of the Rt. Rev’d Gretchen M. Rehberg, she is assigned to St. Luke’s; serving at the altar, ministering to needs within the surrounding community and “other duties as assigned.” Young people bring Glenda joy and she volunteers as a Puppy Reader at Bryan Elementary and on the Mini-Camp Resource Team at Camp Cross on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
In her secular careers, Glenda worked as an exploration geologist for a mining company, a software engineer at a defense contractor, and an environmental health and safety manager for a remediation contractor, in the lumber industry and most recently in aerospace, retiring in 2016.
Glenda has been married to her husband, John for more than 41 years. They have two grown sons, each married to an amazing daughter-in-law, a granddaughter born in November 2019, and two grand dogs.
Glenda was ordained to the Diaconate in 2012. By her annual request and at the pleasure of the Rt. Rev’d Gretchen M. Rehberg, she is assigned to St. Luke’s; serving at the altar, ministering to needs within the surrounding community and “other duties as assigned.” Young people bring Glenda joy and she volunteers as a Puppy Reader at Bryan Elementary and on the Mini-Camp Resource Team at Camp Cross on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
In her secular careers, Glenda worked as an exploration geologist for a mining company, a software engineer at a defense contractor, and an environmental health and safety manager for a remediation contractor, in the lumber industry and most recently in aerospace, retiring in 2016.
Glenda has been married to her husband, John for more than 41 years. They have two grown sons, each married to an amazing daughter-in-law, a granddaughter born in November 2019, and two grand dogs.
Emily Moore, Parish Administrator
A happy hello from the Administrator’s office here at St. Luke’s. I’m usually the first person you meet when you stop in. I enjoy helping people when I can and working to strengthen the community of St. Luke’s, its ministry, and its relationships in Coeur d’Alene.
My creativity comes out in words as an award-winning author and poet. My debut self-published novel “Rowdy Days of Dom Sanders” released in 2019 under my pen name E.G. Moore,
and my upcoming book “Moon Daughter Rising” won the Annual Novel Award from the
Idaho Writers League in 2018.
As an advocate for families, I volunteer for Family Promise of North Idaho as a church coordinator and I co-lead Coeur d’Alene Christian School’s Parent-Teacher Organization. I'm currently studying for a degree in Public Relations in hopes of working with local non-profits to build lasting community connections and to empower employees. In a nutshell, I’m a full steam ahead person with a big heart.
Off hours, I enjoy time out in God's creation hiking, driving my ATV, fishing, and swimming. The snow enchants me, which is why I love living in North Idaho. I’m married to a U.S. Navy veteran named Nolan, and we're raising our daughters Mikayla and Brylie to honor God and love others.
A happy hello from the Administrator’s office here at St. Luke’s. I’m usually the first person you meet when you stop in. I enjoy helping people when I can and working to strengthen the community of St. Luke’s, its ministry, and its relationships in Coeur d’Alene.
My creativity comes out in words as an award-winning author and poet. My debut self-published novel “Rowdy Days of Dom Sanders” released in 2019 under my pen name E.G. Moore,
and my upcoming book “Moon Daughter Rising” won the Annual Novel Award from the
Idaho Writers League in 2018.
As an advocate for families, I volunteer for Family Promise of North Idaho as a church coordinator and I co-lead Coeur d’Alene Christian School’s Parent-Teacher Organization. I'm currently studying for a degree in Public Relations in hopes of working with local non-profits to build lasting community connections and to empower employees. In a nutshell, I’m a full steam ahead person with a big heart.
Off hours, I enjoy time out in God's creation hiking, driving my ATV, fishing, and swimming. The snow enchants me, which is why I love living in North Idaho. I’m married to a U.S. Navy veteran named Nolan, and we're raising our daughters Mikayla and Brylie to honor God and love others.
Jesse Hampsch, Interim Director of Music
Jesse brings excellent credentials, with two masters degrees in music from University of Idaho (choral conducting and composition), and an array of choral and vocal music composed and performed. He has worked with classical, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater genres, and has worked with several churches directing choral music. He is right at home in Coeur d'Alene, having begun his college work at NIC worked with and knows this city and region, and has resettled here as the music instructor for a new K-8 school where he is responsible for both vocal and instrumental instruction. He is adept at arranging music for ensembles that fit the realities, gifts, and needs of the communities he serves, and he is comfortable working with a broad array of styles. He is looking forward to helping St. Luke's offer its best music in worship.
Jesse brings excellent credentials, with two masters degrees in music from University of Idaho (choral conducting and composition), and an array of choral and vocal music composed and performed. He has worked with classical, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater genres, and has worked with several churches directing choral music. He is right at home in Coeur d'Alene, having begun his college work at NIC worked with and knows this city and region, and has resettled here as the music instructor for a new K-8 school where he is responsible for both vocal and instrumental instruction. He is adept at arranging music for ensembles that fit the realities, gifts, and needs of the communities he serves, and he is comfortable working with a broad array of styles. He is looking forward to helping St. Luke's offer its best music in worship.
Liz Marcela Gathercoal, Interim Administrative Assistant
Liz also brings incredible background and experience to St. Luke’s. She just recently completed her second bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance at University of Idaho, after serving over 20 years in mission-related teaching and program direction following her first college degree in Peru in education, and she is now beginning a master’s degree in accounting. For the past 17 years, Liz has worked with the global medical mission, Flying Doctors, most recently for years as their executive director. Originally from Peru, she has travelled the world with the medical mission program. Flying Doctors ceased its medical missions in February this year due to early signs of the coronavirus pandemic, and Liz ceased her work with them in June. Liz brings tremendous skills in program and organization administration. She looks forward to meeting the people of St. Luke’s and working with us while Emily Moore is on leave to give birth and care for her newborn baby.
Liz also brings incredible background and experience to St. Luke’s. She just recently completed her second bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance at University of Idaho, after serving over 20 years in mission-related teaching and program direction following her first college degree in Peru in education, and she is now beginning a master’s degree in accounting. For the past 17 years, Liz has worked with the global medical mission, Flying Doctors, most recently for years as their executive director. Originally from Peru, she has travelled the world with the medical mission program. Flying Doctors ceased its medical missions in February this year due to early signs of the coronavirus pandemic, and Liz ceased her work with them in June. Liz brings tremendous skills in program and organization administration. She looks forward to meeting the people of St. Luke’s and working with us while Emily Moore is on leave to give birth and care for her newborn baby.