Our Staff

Meet the Pastor

As the Pastor here at New Life, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you!

I grew up in the country near Hutchinson (about an hour west of the Cities). I attended public school all my life and graduated from Hutchinson High School. My father was a mechanic and my mother a stay-at-home mom. I have one younger brother who lives South of Prior Lake.

Lisa, Dane, Lila, Pastor Tim

Following High School, I attended college at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. It was there that I met my beautiful wife, Lisa. We had a variety of classes together as our degrees overlapped in some areas. Lisa has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources. My Bachelor’s degree is in Public Administration. Even though this is a fancy-sounding degree, most people don’t know what it is (I didn’t even know what it meant when I started college!). It is basically a cross between Business and Politics. In other words, it is a degree on how to manage groups of people and help them accomplish their goals. Even though the degree is directed more at working with governmental structures, it certainly also carries over to working with God’s Church!

Throughout my summers of college and between college graduation and getting married, I worked for 3M in Hutchinson. I was a Molding Operator and worked with single-barrel injection molding (that is just a fancy way of saying that I made tape dispensers). So if you have a roll of 3M tape on your desk or in your drawer, there is a very good chance the dispenser came from my department!

Lisa grew up on a farm near Sanborn, MN. She is the youngest of six children and has twelve nieces and nephews. Her siblings all live in Minnesota and are spread out between the Cities and southwestern Minnesota. Her parents have now retired from farming, but still live on the family farm in Sanborn.

We were married before moving to St. Louis, MO, where I attended Concordia Seminary. After seminary and before moving to Hugo, we spent nearly seven years serving God in Park Rapids, MN.

We have two children who keep us busy. Our daughter is Lila and our son is Dane. We enjoy camping, biking, and having family time. I enjoy working fixing and building things around home. Lisa enjoys baking, cooking, and serving New Life as the Administrative Assistant.

Now that you know a little bit about me, I look forward to getting to know you in the coming years as we serve our Lord Jesus Christ together!

Meet our Director of Christian Education (DCE) Intern  

Hey Church,

My name is Joshua Orugboh! I’m a DCE student currently studying at Concordia St Paul. I am originally from London, England but I’ve lived in the United States since 2016. Initially I moved here in the beginning of my Junior year of High School to pursue basketball, a passion that took me to Charlotte, North Carolina where I attended School for two years. During my time in Charlotte, I attended Victory Christian Center School and Hickory Grove Christian School where developed a passion for athletics competing in Basketball, Track, and Football at the varsity level. A deeper passion I developed in my time in North Carolina, however, was Theology. In my time attending various faith based High Schools in 

Charlotte I came to develop a personal faith and relationship in which I felt I was able to articulate and reason with. Eventually I found my way to Minnesota by way of a football scholarship attending Southwest Minnesota State University and then Concordia St. Paul. In my time at CSP I’ve been able to develop my faith even further in both being exposed to Lutheran theology and growing as a young man. Someone who has been monumental towards my growth is my wife Kate who I met during my freshman year at Southwest Minnesota State. We are both excited to be a part of this church family! Josh

Meet our Administrative Assistant Extraordinaire, Lisa Heinecke!

I grew up in the Southwestern corner of Minnesota, on a farm near the town of Sanborn. I have a large family – I am the youngest of 6 kids; I have over a dozen nieces and nephews ranging in age from 3-30 years younger than me. I also have 4 great-nephews and 1 great-niece. 

Pastor Tim and I met while attending college at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN. My degree is in Business Administration, with a focus on Human Resources (hiring, training, and retaining employees). We were married in 2006 and have since been blessed with two amazing children – Lila was born in 2011, and Dane joined us in 2014. 

Our family joined New Life in 2017. Not long after we joined the congregation, the position of very part-time Administrative Assistant was added. I have so loved serving the people here. I work best taking care of things behind the scenes, including making the bulletins each Sunday. I’ve especially loved setting up and training others on how to use the system for our live-stream of worship.

Our Boards ~ What We Do

Board of Elders

Our board is essential in guiding our spiritual journey. They provide spiritual leadership, aligning our practices with Lutheran doctrine, and offer care to our Church community. They are involved in key decision-making and ensure our church's direction reflects our values and mission.

Board of Education

Our Church Board of Education is vital in shaping our educational mission. They oversee our Church education programs, ensuring they align with Scripture, Lutheran teachings, and cater to all age groups.

Outreach (SEM Stewardship, Evangelism & Missions)

Our focus is on outreach to our community and the world for Jesus Christ. Includes support for St. Andrews Shelter, Red Cross Blood drive, Hugo Food Shelf, Kids n Biz, Holiday Meal Packages for those in need.

Board of Church Properties

Maintain the church property & equipment, including A/V for remote worship and the website. Spring & Fall Clean-up.

Fellowship

Focus on events to encourage & support fellowship. Includes snacks & coffee hour, meals for Advent, Lent & funerals or other special events. Organize events like trips to ball games, concerts & plays.