Reverend Kathryn R. Zurcher

Pastor Kathryn Zurcher grew up on a small grain farm south of a very small town (Newburg) in north central North Dakota, about 25 miles south of the Canadian border.

She has an undergraduate degree in Broadcasting from Minot State University and a Master's of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Pastor Kathryn served congregations in the Minneapolis Area Synod (Minneapolis and Hanover), as Associate Director of Admissions for Luther Seminary and at a 3-point parish in Eastern ND before moving to Hawai'i in November 2014.

Office Manager: Christina Lorenz 

Bookkeeper: Diane Helton 

Christina Lorenz has served as the Office Manager for St. John Lutheran Church since September 2024. With a background in Business Law and Administration from Western Carolina University, she brings experience from the Department of Defense, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. As a military spouse and a proud mom of two, Christina understands the value of service, community, and organization.

Since moving to the island in January 2024, Christina has enjoyed the island through paddleboarding, hiking, and snorkeling. Outside of work, she love reading, cooking, and discovering new food spots.

Pianist: Katy Luo

Dr. Katy Luo is a pianist and lecturer in music at the University of Hawaii West Oahu who frequently performs with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. Katy's performing experiences range from the works of the classical masters performed on period instruments to the works of Cage, Ligeti, Schnittke, and other contemporary composers. Known for her innovative programming, she has presented programs such as the horn trios of Brahms and Ligeti at the Staller Center for the Arts, and a collection of dance suites by Bach, Albeniz, Schoenberg, and Cage at the Bloomingdale School of Music.

Past concerts have also included: “Tradition Begins, Tradition Ends,” which showcased the music of Bach and Stockhausen; “Recompositions,” a re-appraisal of pre-existing musical styles in the works of Henze, Berg, and Dwarka; and “Remaking the Past,” which explored modern masters in the role of arrangers and included works by Stravinsky, Bach, Mozart, Arvo Pärt, and Dominico Gallo.  Katy’s past collaborations have included a performance of the Shostakovich Piano Quintet at the 2011 Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival with the New York City Ballet, the Sunday recital series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine with members of the Boys Choir of Harlem, a program of saxophone music from 1930s Berlin at the Goethe Institute with film composer Christian Biegai, and with Guerrilla Composers Forum in three world premieres by composers Danny Clay and Nicholas Benavides at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Hot Air Music Festival.  Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, She is an alumna of the Young Musicians Program, a community outreach music program at the University of California at Berkeley. Her passion for and commitment to community organization led to her involvement formerly at the Boys Choir of Harlem and at the Bloomingdale School of Music, where she was both Resident Teaching Artist and the Director of A4TY (Album for the Young): Student New Music Project, a program she founded to provide children the opportunity to compose original compositions for fellow young musicians and to premiere works written by living composers. This program was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Grant.  Katy holds a bachelor of music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a master of music and a doctor of musical arts degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Katy’s principal teachers have included Jacqueline Chew, Monique Duphil, Haewon Song, and Gilbert Kalish.