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Meet Our Staff
Best Life Ministries Team
Kathy Weckwerth, Executive Director
Kathy Weckwerth is the Founder and Executive Director of Best Life Ministries. She has served in local church leadership over the past thirty years in worship and creative arts ministries. After an attack on her middle daughter Chandra, Kathy re-evaluated what she was doing and...
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Best Life Ministries Team
We speak to women at conferences and events, delivering an inspiring message of help, hope, and healing. You will hear us share tears and laughter from our personal journeys, teach from scripture what it means to walk out your best life, encourage through worship and...
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Mary Anderstrom, Intercessor
Mary has served as Intercessor for the past two years, and has served as a leader in women’s ministries, by planning, coordinating and leading the Minnesota’s State Women’s Retreat and Minnesota Women’s district and regional rallies. Mary has also led Bible Studies in her local church...
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Jennifer Swenson, Director of Communication Arts
As Best Life’s Director of Communication Arts, Jennifer’s most exemplary quality is her creative vision and ability to bring ideas to life. While working in marketing and graphic design, she puts her heart into her work and creates thoughtful, memorable designs. Her passion for creativity...
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Sheri Anderstrom, Registration Coordinator and Speaker
Sheri Anderstrom has served on staff for 14 years at Bethel University, and currently works as the manager of events, serving alumni, parents and churches. Sheri completed her BA degree in Organizational Leadership from Bethel in 2008. Sheri wants to encourage women to live a life...
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Lynn Zook, Speaker
Lynn Zook has been serving as a speaker on staff with Best Life for the past two years. She began pursuing her violin career playing various engagements including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, as she began her family with her husband, Jim. For years Lynn...
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Kathleen Sogge, Director of Prayer and Care Support & Speaker
Kathleen serves as a Director of Prayer and Care Support for Best Life Ministries. For over thirty years Kathleen has been a part of women’s groups and facilitated numerous Bible studies. Kathleen served as the “Inspire for Women” Director at River of Life church in Cold Spring MN...
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Valerie McKay, Speaker
Val has recently joined the staff of Best Life as an expert speaker on Finances. Val graduated from Bethel University with a BA in Business Administration and Finance and completed graduate studies through the University of Minnesota Carlson School. She has worked in the finance...
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Brenda Williams, Financial Director
Brenda recently joined Best Life as the Financial Director. She graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology and worked in a clinical laboratory for 15 years. Brenda got a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and has...
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Dave Herring, Worship Leader
Dave Herring is a singer/songwriter and worship leader and serves as Worship Pastor at the Church of Christ in Dassel, MN. Dave has played music across the globe, from Europe to Haiti to more than half the states in the country. Because worship is the...
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Amanda Herring, Artist
Amanda Herring is the artist for Best Life. She is married to Worship Leader, Dave Herring, and works as a local artist, as well as a cosmetologist at Genesis Salon in Hutchinson, Minnesota. She has loved art since she was a child and claims acrylics...
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Chandra Arne, Speaker
Chandra is a speaker for Best Life ministries and the inspiration for the ministry itself. Over four years ago, Chandra was violently attacked. After recovering, she gave God the glory for getting her through this tragedy and assisted her mother, Kathy Weckwerth, in creating Best Life...
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Kandy Stevens, Speaker
Kandy Stevens recently joined the Best Life staff. Kandy is an educator in science and mathematics, and currently teaches as an adjunct professor at a local university preparing future teachers. She and her husband, Daniel have three living children (hear her testimony for God's grace in Kandy's life). Kandy...
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Alexis Iskierka, Lead Photographer
Alexis has served as Lead Photographer for the Best Life staff for 2 years. She has been a photographer for 10 years, taking pictures for weddings, graduations and modeling projects, and currently works in the business office at CDI. Alexis enjoys taking photographs that capture the essence of...
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Donna Miller, Director of Visual Arts
Donna has served as our Director of Visual Arts for the past 2 years. She is an Administrative Assistant on staff at Meeker County Public Health. She is Director of Visual Arts at her church and serves using her talents in helping with Pioneer Girls...
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Dr. Debra Peterson, Speaker
Dr. Deb Peterson is a board-certified family physician currently practicing in Litchfield, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and did her residency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She spent three years as a family practice physican for the United States Air...
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Sandra Sheih, Speaker
Sandra Sheih has been serving with Best Life Ministries for the past year as an intercessor and writer. She is a professional musician, and mother of two children. Sandra is passionate about bringing people into an intimate relationship with Jesus. Sandra has been actively engaged in various...
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Sarah Zook, Speaker
Sarah Zook is a 20-something learning how to live simply in intentional community in North Minneapolis. She has a B.S. in both Marketing and Biblical Studies. She works in marketing of both the 8-5 and freelance variety and comes home to her loving, floppy beagle,...
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Aimee Zook, Speaker
Aimee Zook is a speaker for Best Life, partnering with her mother, Lynn Zook, to provide insight from the child’s perspective on how Lynn’s parenting methods impacted her and shaped her life. Together they present techniques for raising purpose-filled children in today’s world. Aimee is...
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Karen Ziemke, Speaker
Karen is a speaker for Best Life and partners with her mother, Lynn Zook, to co-teach and share insight for parenting, as they present techniques for creating today’s purpose-filled children. Karen is a gifted writer, mother of two preschoolers and an infant and offers a...
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Gary & Susie Esboldt, Speakers
Associate Pastor Gary Esboldt and his wife Susie have been married 30 years. They are passionate about the union of marriage-their own and others. They have facilitated numerous marriage conferences. Their wedding verse out of I John, "We love because He first loved us", is still...
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Tiffany Felty, Speaker
With a BA in Religion and Philosophy, Tiffany Felty has recently joined the staff of Best Life. A former youth pastor, and married to Aaron Felty the current youth pastor at Plymouth Covenant, Tiffany...
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Kim Rudd, Speaker
Kim graduated from Bethel with a Master of Arts in Christian Education, and is currently serving at her church as a Pastor of Spiritual Growth, encouraging attenders to develop their gifts and passions and plug into the local church. She has a passion for helping individuals experience freedom...
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Dr. Mary Michener,Ed. D., Speaker
Mary Schulze Michener earned her doctorate in youth and family education from the University of Minnesota and has over 20 years of experience in youth and education ministry in the local church. Most recently she has written a book called Cleaning House. It chronicles her...
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Thomas Clapper, Videographer
Thomas Clapper is a junior at Crown College studying Biblical and Theological Studies as well as Communications. He has been creating videos since middle school, but in a more professional environment the last 2-3 years. Thomas recently...
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Rachel Sogge, Speaker
Rachel Sogge graduated from North Central University with a degree in Youth Development. She's been working as the Student Ministries Pastor at The Waters Church, in Sartell, MN, for the past four years. God has placed within Rachel, a deep desire to see girls find their...
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Kaylie Schmidt, Speaker
Kaylie Schmidt, currently studying to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Herzing University, recently joined the staff of Best Life Ministries, and will be sharing her journey at the upcoming conferences. Kaylie’s passion for speaking to the hearts and lives of women began three years ago...
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Keith Tally, Contributing Author
Keith Tally has been writing for Best Life Ministries over the past year. Currently residing with his wife in Rochester, MN, Keith grew up on a farm near Clarinda, Iowa. He graduated from college with an engineering degree in...
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Joshua Garland, Contributing Photographer & Chef
Josh has been contributing his talents through photography and creating recipes for Best Life Ministries over the past year. Josh Garland is a senior at Liberty University, working towards a business management major. Once graduated,...
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Aaron Wessman, Contributing Author
Aaron Wessman, originally from Cokato, MN, has been writing articles and devotionals for the past year for Best Life's newsletter, magazine and devotional. Aaron is a transitional deacon in the Roman Catholic Church who will be an...
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Karen Barton, Book & Movie Critic
Over this past year, Karen Barton has been writing reviews for our team from great new books, to the latest new-release movies. She recently wrote her column, "The Bottom Line" in our first issue of...
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Diane, Tyler and James Bakker, Drama Team
The Bakker Family, Diane, Tyler and James are part of the drama team of Best Life. Diane was a 4th grade teacher for many years and is now a homeschooling parent that enjoys organizing field trips and activities for the local homeschooling group. Tyler is...
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