Pastoral Staff
Pastor Stephanie Kopsch
Interim Rector
stephanie.kopsch@stbdenver.orgPastor Stephanie grew up in Mannheim, Germany, where she served as a chorister at Christ Church between the age of 8 and 22. In 1986 she came with a scholarship to the US and after graduating with her M.Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1989 she was ordained at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois, in 1993 (ELCA). Over the years, she has worked and studied in nine denominations and specialized in transitional (interim) ministry. She is delighted to now serve at St. Barnabas in her 4th appointment with the Episcopal Diocese in Colorado.
Patti Walter
Pastoral Associate
patti.walter@stbdenver.orgshe/her
Patti Walter has her M.Div. and Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling from Fuller Theological Seminary. She comes to St. Barnabas with 30 years of ministry experience in the Presbyterian Church. Having returned to her Episcopal faith in which she grew up, Patti began serving St. Barnabas as the Pastoral Care Associate and now serves as the Pastoral Associate. Patti is passionate about developing community, leading groups into a deeper life of faith and service, and working within a team. And, she loves St. Barnabas! Patti is married to Bill, has three beautiful daughters who are married and a cat named Scout.
Staff
Nichole Young
she/her
Nichole grew up singing in choirs, and she grew serious about studying music when she was in high school. After earning her BA and MAT in Music Education from Oregon State University, she served as a vocal music teacher to students in public schools. She currently teaches voice and piano students (both children and adults) under her business name, Moon Song Music Studio. Passionate about social justice, anti-racism, and community care, she serves on the board of Denver Area Music Teachers Association, hoping to be impactful in the music education communities in Denver. Nichole's hobbies include gardening, songwriting, and traveling, and you can often find her cozy with an engaging book.
Julia Wade
she/her
A Southern California native, Julia moved first to Crested Butte, then to Stamford, CT, where she married and raised three children. Denver is now home--in the best sense of the word--in no small part, because of St. Barnabas. After a career in the corporate sector, she spent twenty years working for nonprofits and serving on Stamford's Board of Education for ten years. Julia is trained and has trained others in anti-racist work. She is a widow and the grandmother of adorable fraternal twins.
Lexi Jones
she/her
Lexi is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa in 2019 with a degree in music and religion. She received her Master of Divinity in 2022 from Iliff School of Theology and is now in the process to become ordained as a deacon in the ELCA. Lexi is grateful for the opportunity to serve as the bookkeeper at St. Barnabas.
Leadership
The officers of the parish and the members of Vestry (the parish governing board) are lay people elected to lead the parish. Their role is defined by the canons (laws of governance) of The Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Church in Colorado, and the by-laws of St Barnabas Parish. Here is our current leadership. You can contact the vestry at vestry@stbdenver.org. Learn how you can be involved here.
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Jolene Whitney, Sr. Warden (she/her)
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Jim Hayes, Jr. Warden (he/him)
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Jamie Henderson, Treasurer (he/him
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David Ford, Clerk of Vestry (he/him)
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Becky Sanders, Member of Vestry (2025) (she/her)
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Carolyn Wolfrum, Member of Vestry (2025) (she/her)
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Barbara Mattison, Member of Vestry (2026) (she/her)
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Dr. Caroline Corrigan, Member of Vestry (2027) (she/her)
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Bill Lundgren, Member of Vestry (2027) (he/him)