Meet Our Staff

STORM Ministries has a number of important people to thank for their time, talents and efforts. By their actions they put their heart and soul into improving our community and helping our youth strengthen their understanding of what  SJXSO means. They are:

David Brown
CEO - United Methodist Pastor 

David Brown has been an ordained pastor for 25 years.  While at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY, he studied under the teaching ministry of Dr. Robert Lyon.  Dr. Lyon invited David to participate in a small group on campus called the LO Society.  It was a revolutionary group “loyally opposed” to the way church was, and looking for a better way…the way of Jesus.  The particular mark of Jesus that Dr. Lyon emphasized was his servant hood.  Dr. Lyon taught that Jesus cared for the least, last, lost, and left out. If we are to follow Jesus, we must be serving those around us.

 With this burned into his heart and soul, David began his ministry serving the three point charge of Menahga-Sebeka-Hubbard in north central MN.  In 1990, Pastor Dave took a small youth group and three other adults on a mission trip to Appalachia.  The Mountain TOP challenge was to take what they learned, home, and do it there. 

On the drive home, STORM Camp was born.  Adults,  Ardyth and Duane Corbin, Rich Perrine and Pastor Dave talked on CB radios about what we could do in our county (Hubbard), one of the six poorest in the state of Minnesota.  STORM Camp was held the next year in 1991, with 54 campers and each year since then, affecting the lives of more than 100 campers each week and serving approximately 100 families in a 45 mile radius of Park Rapids, MN.

 Pastor Dave has also served Pilgrim UMC in Plymouth (which is becoming the home base for Se Luz, the “Guatemalan STORM Camp”), St. Croix Valley UMC (which has adopted “STORM in the Valley” as a major ministry component of the congregation under the leadership of Sue Rielander. Dave will start his newest pastoral charge in Faribault, MN at the Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church in July of 2008. 

David has been supported by his wonderful wife Lisa (married 31 years) and has three sons, who are all married, and two grandsons (one which is pictured above).  He loves missions, working with young people, and seeks to live the gospel - Serving Jesus By Serving Others.

Fred Toenniges
Executive Director & Musician

 I was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois.  I went to all the schools there, and wound up graduating from Naperville Central High School in 1972.  I was actively involved in my church youth group all during high school, and was one of the first youth delegates to the Northern Illinois Annual Conference.  That’s the Illinois equivalent of our UMC Annual Conference up north here.  I graduated from Benedictine University in 1976 with a BA in Psychology, and a minor in business/marketing.  I was married the first time in February of 1982, and moved to Minnesota in 1990.  I was unmarried in 1995, and remarried in 2002.

  I first became involved with Storm Camp in 1995 and have been everything there is to be at camp except a camper.  The last ten years I have been a MGL (Major Group Leader) and in 2005 incorporated Storm Ministries.  I am currently the Executive Director for Storm Ministries.  My passion for youth ministry and for Storm Ministries is guiding my work and led me to a volunteer position with Family Hope Services, working with their teens at risk program called Treehouse for the last four years.

  I serve as staff on Tuesday evenings for the support group program.  My spare time is spent playing piano, singing, playing disc golf, or fishing.  My favorite parable that is not in the bible runs a close parallel to the lost sheep.  It’s a story about a man running on the beach.  As he is running, he notices a woman far ahead of him throwing rocks out to sea.  As he gets closer, he notices that in reality during the low tide, that the woman is not throwing rocks, but starfish.  There are seagulls hovering overhead and swooping down to eat the starfish that are clinging to the rocks that have been exposed by the low tide.  There are literally thousands of them.  As he approaches her he says “what are you doing?”.  She says “saving starfish”.  He says “there are thousands of them, and there are hundreds of seagulls waiting to eat them.  You don’t think you can save them all do you?  You couldn’t possibly make a difference for all of them!”….as she reached down and picked up another starfish and threw it back into the ocean, she said “no…I can’t save them all, but I can make a difference for that one”…and so it is with my passion for making a difference in the youth of today.  I don’t believe that I can save them all.  That is not my battlefield.  But, I might be able to save one or two along the way.  That is my battlefield.

Fred has helped immensely in the ongoing functions and direction of the ministry and we are blessed to have his input, excitement and sense of humor on our board.

If you want to meet him or find out more about Fred does have a site on MY SPACE...check him out!

Valerie/Rann Loppnow   
Board Members - Treasurer - Major Group Leaders

This husband and wife team ensure that all the registrations, donations and expense incurred are handled properly. Both are longtime participants in STORM. and have acted as leaders for countless groups of youth.

Rann Loppnow (MGL) has been involved in STORM Ministries since 1996.  Rann is the reason for many of the STORM Camp rules and the key phrase “stupid human tricks”.   When he grows up, he wants to be a full time youth person.  He currently is coordinator of youth ministries at Lake City United Methodist Church.  His day job is computer programmer for the University of Minnesota.  Rann has also been extremely blessed by God with two wonderful kids  and a happy marriage to Valerie.

 

Valerie Loppnow has been involved in STORM Ministries since 1998.  She has served as an adult driver and baby sitter for Rann.  (They are married).  She has two other children (Zach & Katie) and mothers the youth group at Lake City United Methodist Church where she is the organizer to the coordinator of youth ministries.  Her day job is taking care of the pigs (Yep...actual pigs).  Valerie also serves on the board of directors for STORM Ministriesas the Treasurer. 

 

Tim Morgan  
Board Member - Major Group Leader


I have lived in southern Minnesota for most of my life. I went to electronics school in Austin, MN and started working for a PBS television station. I then got a job to build three television stations in the Twin Cities in my 13 years of living in northeast Minneapolis. A year after moving to the Twin Cities, I got married to Bev and a year later, we were blessed with our first child, Miranda. This was the point in my life I knew I was missing something but did not know what it was. In the birth and the baptism of Miranda, I found what was missing and accepted Jesus into my heart. Three years after Miranda was born, Taralee was born and again I grasped a stronger hold onto the Lord. He has brought me into many works of the church with confirmation, youth leader, trustees, evangelism, membership, choir, many bands, etc. Today, I count so many blessings and feel him leading me throughout the whole day. For he is, were I am!!!

 The first STORM Camp I attended was in 2003 when I was the youth director at Evangel UNC in Rochester in which twenty-five youth and four other adults experienced a spirit filled week. The four adults have never attended a mission trip before. There were many moving moments and they were glad they made the trip to STORM instead of an alternative trip that was many states away. God moved all of us to STORM and we were blessed because of it. I have attended STORM Camp in 2006 as a driver and have built a strong relationship with the youth from Lake City. Since that STORM Camp, my daughter and me have been apart of the Lake City youth group. Last year, I attended STORM Camp 2007 and God has brought me into another role for the week as Major Group Leader. The week was filled with many learning challenges and God used me to touch the hearts of the youth in my group. There were tears, prayers, blessed moments and a lot of laughter.

 God lead me into two areas of ministry, youth and music. I have formed another Christian contemporary youth group in Rochester and currently am writing music. Everyday I read my bible and worship God for he is good.

 

Sue Rielander  
Board Member - Major Group Leader

I first attended STORM Camp in 2006 as a driver. I thought I was having fun just driving to the camp with some of the students in our youth group but then the reality of spending a week with 120 teens hit me! But not like you might think...when I met the students that would be part of this TIM team I was overwhelmed by a feeling that yes God still had control and these kids where going to make a difference in the world. As we got to know each other and spent the week working side by side I was impressed by their faith and willingness to pray for each other. But what made me smile was how hard they worked to keep up with 'someone my age' , together we were an awesome team and I will remember them for many years to come. Super Swiss Forever!!

 

Rich Perrine  
Board Member - Major Group Leader

Rich was one of the original participants in STORM when, after a mission trip to Tennessee and returning home, the leaders decided to do a service camp based at Northern Pines - our own back yard.  He initially served as a Major Group Leader during the camp's early years and later helped with tools or assisted on specific jobs as needed.

Rich was asked to serve on the board of STORM Ministries, INC. when we were incorporated, as a representative of the founding churches of Menahga, Sebeka and Hubbard UMC's.  Rich is married to Shari and are members of Sebeka UMC and live just south of Park Rapids, about 10 minutes from Northern Pines campground.  Rich is a retired school teacher and loves to fish and hunt and do most anything outdoors.