Pastors and Staff
Pastor Lucy Wynard is passionate about helping people encounter God’s grace through worship, thoughtful preaching, lifelong faith formation, authentic, diverse relationships, and lives of service. An ordained ELCA pastor, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religion from Duke University and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Before being called to Kountze Memorial, she served congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin, and worked in national and international Christian ministry, including student ministry in eastern Europe and large-scale conference management. Her experiences growing up in a large military family, living in four countries, and coming to Lutheranism as an adult have given her a deep appreciation for the church’s liturgical and sacramental life and for the ELCA’s commitment to being “church together for the sake of the world.”
Pastor Lucy and her husband, Dan, who is also an ELCA pastor, are the parents of two adopted young adults. She enjoys deep theological conversations, family game nights, and sharing meals with friends—especially if Mexican, Indian, or Thai food is involved. An ENTJ, Enneagram 1, and StrengthsFinder enthusiast whose top strengths include Input, Connectedness, and Communication, she is energized by big ideas, deep relationships, and working with others, empowered by God’s Spirit, to make the world more just, beautiful, and whole.
Pastor H. Ashley Hall, Ph.D.,
Associate Pastor For Adult Faith Formation
In addition to leading and planning worship services in consultation with the Senior Pastor, his primary focus is to develop and coordinate adult theological educational opportunities for the congregation and for the community. He also serves on the Board of the Healing Gift Free Clinic. The position is part-time. Pr. Hall serves as associate professor and chair of the Theology Department at Creighton University. He received his Ph.D. in historical theology from Fordham University in The Bronx, N.Y. (2009), with a dissertation entitled “Philip Melanchthon and the Cappadocians: A Reception of Greek Patristic Sources in the Sixteenth Century.” He started his training for seminary at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and completed it through the TEEM program, receiving a certificate for ordination from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in 2010. In 2026, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France (https://ecumenical-institute.
Deacon Eric Haitz (pronounced “Heights”) joined the ministry staff of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church in October 2025 and was installed as a Minister of Word and Service in the ELCA on November 2. He and his wife, Rhonda, have made their home in Council Bluffs since 2009.
As a deacon, Eric is called to connect the church’s worship life with God’s work in the world. At Kountze, he helps lead ministries of faith formation, youth and young adult engagement, mercy and justice, and community partnership. He is passionate about creating spaces where people of all ages can ask honest questions, grow in faith, serve their neighbors, and discover that they have a place in the life of the church.
Eric holds an A.A.S. from Western Iowa Tech Community College and a Master of Arts in Diaconal Ministry from Wartburg Theological Seminary. Before coming to Kountze, he served the Western Iowa Synod ELCA as Director for Evangelical Mission, accompanying congregations in renewal, outreach, and mission. He previously served as Communications Director and Associate Director for Admissions at Wartburg Seminary. His 17 years as a musical instrument repair technician continue to shape his hands-on, creative, and collaborative approach to ministry.
A preacher, worship leader, musician, storyteller, and advocate, Eric is committed to building communities of faith where people are known, valued, and welcomed. His ministry has included disaster response, youth ministry, disability inclusion, LGBTQIA+ welcome, and working alongside communities seeking justice and hope.
Eric lives in Council Bluffs with his wife Rhonda, a program manager at the Munroe Meyer Institute of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. They are parents to Tucker, a soon-to-be Hawkeye, and Ella, a proud graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School who works at CHI Mercy Hospital.
Deacon Eric thrives where faith, music, humor, and justice meet—and where there’s always room at the table for one more. If there’s not, we build a longer table.
Staff
Toby Rees
Executive Director Kountze Commons Community Outreach Center
Dan Collett
Facility Assistant
Congregational Council
Kountze Memorial has a 12-member Congregational Council that works in partnership with our church staff, committees, and task forces in carrying out our mission.
To contact a member of the Congregational Council, please e-mail info@kmlchurch.org or call the Church Office at 402-341-7761.