Laura Barbins was elected bishop on September 11, 2020 and took office December 1, 2020. Prior to her call to the Office of Bishop, she was the pastor of Celebration Lutheran, Chardon, Ohio for 19 years, Interim Pastor at Messiah Lutheran, Fairview Park, Ohio for 1 year, and Associate Pastor for Youth at Holy Trinity, Nashville, Tennessee for 2 years.
Holding a PhD in New Testament and Homiletics, Bishop Barbins has also been Adjunct Professor for Preaching at Trinity Seminary at Capital University since 2018. Bishop Barbins lives in Mentor, Ohio with her husband and four daughters. When able, she enjoys gardening and travel. Please click here to visit the Bishop's page and to subscribe to her 'Thursday Thoughts' newsletter.
The Rev. Mitch PhillipsASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR LEADERSHIP
330-929-9022 X 28
mphillips@neos-elca.org You can also schedule an appointment with Pastor Phillips via his page on Calendly: https://calendly.com/neos-phillips |
Pastor Phillips grew up in Columbus, Ohio – but his family and faith roots are in the territory of the Northeastern Ohio Synod. He studied Chemistry and Computer Science at Purdue University and was active in the Purdue Lutheran campus ministry, which is where he met his future spouse, Charisse, and began to discern the call to ministry. Pastor Mitch received his M.Div. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in 1990 and has served three congregations of very different sizes and staff configurations: Third, Louisville, KY; St. Mark’s, Evansville, IN; and Resurrection, Indianapolis, IN.
Charisse is retired after teaching high school mathematics for 33 years. They have one child, Hayley, who just graduated from the University of Dayton in Music Therapy. Pastor Mitch’s hobbies include photography, woodworking, and geocaching.
The Rev. Jonathan stufftASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR congregational vitality & Director for evangelical mission330-929-9022 X 31
jstufft@neos-elca.org You can also schedule an appointment with Pastor Stufft via his page on Calendly: https://calendly.com/neos-jstufft |
The Northeastern Ohio Synod is delighted to introduce Pastor Jonathan Stufft as our newest addition to the Synod Staff! Pastor Jonathan has been called as the Assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Vitality and Director for Evangelical Mission.
Pastor Stufft most recently served at St. Paul, Mansfield and St. Timothy, Mansfield. Through the vision of the community, creativity, combining of resources, and a lot of energy, the two congregations consolidated into a new congregation: Hope Lutheran Church.
When not working, Pastor Jonathan enjoys riding his bicycle and ice skating with his children. He also has a love for digging and building through landscaping and construction
Sony joined the Bishop’s support staff in 2005 as a part-time secretary with the directive to make the synod office more electronic in its communications. After serving part-time as both the synod office’s electronic communications person and office manager at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Tallmadge, she is now the full-time Office Manager and Event Coordinator for the Synod office. Among other things, Sony oversees facilities management and scheduling, coordinates the Synod Assembly, and other Synod-wide events.
Sony lives in Cuyahoga Falls with her husband Tim; their son, Kevin who is a student at Thiel College. They are members of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Cuyahoga Falls and involved in their community with ACS Relay For Life, Scouts BSA, and ACS Making Strides.
Jenny joined the Synod staff in 2023 as Director of Communication and Formation. While the communication part of her role may be more obvious, the formation part includes youth & young adult ministry, coordination of the candidacy program, and coordination of the Lay Leadership School "Growing in Faith." Prior to joining the synod staff, Jenny served in outdoor ministries for ten years and in congregational youth ministry for an additional eight years. She has a passion for education, leadership formation, and vocational discernment (especially with young adults) which led her to serve as an Adjunct Professor of Religion at Capital University for a few terms.
Jenny's hobbies include hiking, camping, visiting National Parks, and photography. She's also an avid supporter of The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cleveland Guardians, a trivia enthusiast, and possesses a deep love for music. Jenny recently moved to Cuyahoga Falls and is excited to get to know the trails of the Summit County Metro Parks.
Rebekah joined the Synod’s staff in 2021 as the Resource Specialist & Archivist. Rebekah curates, catalogs, and manages the various resources of the Synod, including the Resource Center assets. As the Synod’s archivist, she tracks congregational demographics. Rebekah earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Mount Union in 2016 and a Master of Library and Information Science focusing on Museum Studies and Special Collections from Kent State University in 2018. She also obtained a post-graduate certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in 2019.
She currently resides in Akron, Ohio, with her husband, Jesse, her son, Dimitri, daughter, Phoebe, and stepson, Kyle.
Sue joined our staff in 2023 as the Administrative Assistant. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Organization Supervision from The University of Akron, and has worked in customer service her entire career. She lives in Munroe Falls with her husband of 44 years, Mike, and their dog Grady. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her 2 grown children, 4 grandchildren and 2 grand fur babies, going to the gym, ballroom dancing, and being in warm weather close to the ocean.