JAMES H. KIM
SENIOR PASTOR AND HEAD OF STAFF
James has been a pastor at the Little Church on the Prairie since February 2010. Prior to that he was a pastor in the suburbs of Dallas, TX for 15 years.
James is married to Helen and they have four children Karis, Kaitlin, Kailey, and Kaleb. Besides being a pastor, James loves to get out on his motorcycle to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. James enjoys a good cup of coffee, good conversations, a good book, and a good round of golf … the bad rounds, well … not so much.
BRAD EPPERSON
PASTOR
Brad Epperson grew up in Lakewood and would like to formally apologize to any teacher in the Clover Park School District who is reading this bio. He’s sorry, especially if you were a sub.
Brad graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2008 and was ordained in 2011. Prior to his ministry at Little Church on the Prairie and Lakewoodgrace Brad was a chaplain resident at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Tacoma, a ministry he is still passionate about to this day.
Brad is happily married to Heather and is daddy to two really fun and exhausting kids; Ava, and Luke. He has no hobbies because he has kids, but if he had more time he would like to play in a metal band, collect even more tiki mugs, and take up welding.
BILL WARD
PARISH ASSOCIATE
Bill serves our congregation as Parish Associate. He served for 20 years as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Reardan, WA, a small farming community 25 miles west of Spokane. This was his first and only pastoral call as a “second career” pastor and a very different style and pace of life for a lifetime suburban dweller and former electrical engineer.
He and his wife Lori (who teaches Sunday School at Lakewoodgrace) have four children and 3 grandchildren. They live in Lakewood and enjoy camping, hiking, scenic road trips, cooking, and gardening, and Bill especially enjoys cycling.
Bill has always been passionate about missions, especially the unique mission of the smaller church and “frontier missions” (taking the Gospel where it has not been before). Bill has served the Presbyteries of Seattle, North Puget Sound (now Northwest Coast), and Inland Northwest in a wide range of capacities, including as commissioner to the Synod of Alaska Northwest and the 221st General Assembly (2014).
Kiauna Kadiri
EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR
Kiauna is not only a fraternal twin but a proud mother of three sons whom she adores. In her off time, she likes to read, paint, and do puzzles to challenge herself. She is also known to have been a champion in a cooking contest.
One of her passions is to sing on her worship team at church. She also believes that it’s important to build relationships with people in order to receive and provide encouragement in a meaningful way.
She is looking forward to building new relationships here.
Patsy Zofkie
OFFICE COORDINATOR
I live in Lakewood with my husband, Dave. I joined Little Church in 1984, and began working in the church office in 2004. I have three children, Brad, Katelyn, and Evan, and five energetic grandchildren. When I have time, I really enjoy a good workout, a good book and a good glass of wine.
I am excited to be a part of Little Church, as we reach out to our community and share our awesome God!
Molly Crane
CHOIR DIRECTOR - LITTLE CHURCH
WORSHIP LEADER - LAKEWOODGRACE
Molly serves as the worship leader for Lakewoodgrace. She began her music career in her hometown of Enumclaw, Washington at the age of 12 years old. She started by taking classical voice lessons and later went on to receive her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Western Washington University. She currently serves as the Worship Leader for Lakewoodgrace and teaches voice lessons out of her home studio, as well as at The Tuned In Academy in Olympia. She lives in Lakewood with her husband Alex, 2 cats (Loki and Athena), and her dog (Freya). In her free time, Molly is learning to play the piano and the guitar.
Master Palmer
CHURCH CUSTODIAN
Master has been with Little Church since 2019. He is from the Bay area and lives in Lakewood. He is married with three beautiful girls. His goal is to be the change I want to see in this world!
JINSHIL YI
ORGANIST
Jinshil Yi is an avid pianist in high demand throughout the Tacoma-Seattle area. She plays numerous solo and collaborative concerts and recitals in the area with musicians from the greater Puget Sound and beyond. On faculty for collaborative piano at the University of Puget Sound, Jinshil works extensively with their choral program and has performed both regionally and internationally with the Adelphian Concert Choir. In addition to playing for Tacoma Youth Chorus, Jinshil regularly partners with numerous schools, choirs, and private music studios for music festivals, concerts, competitions, and solo recitals as a collaborative pianist and vocal/instrumental coach. She is also active in the broader arts community of Tacoma and Pierce County, from singing in the Symphony Tacoma Voices to serving as the Managing Director for Second City Chamber Series. Jinshil holds three degrees cum laude from the University of Puget Sound in Music, Biochemistry, and Politics and Government.
Delighting in worshiping God through music, Jinshil loves expressing her faith through her work as long-time (since 2009!) pianist and organist for Little Church on the Prairie.
Cathy Norberg
CHILDREN'S AND GRANDCHILDREN'S WORSHIP
Over 15 years ago Cathy felt the call to lead Children's Worship, and has been loving it ever since. Now that she is a grandmother she is leading the Grandparents-Grandkids Ministry. She wants all children to know the Good News of Jesus Christ, that God is good, that God loves them, and that they can trust God.
She is married to Rick, and between the 2 of them they have 4 kids and 4 grandchildren. In her spare time she loves to bake, run, teach skiing, travel, and tour around the USA and Canada on her motorcycle. And, ask any of the kids in her children's ministry what her favorite food is, and they'll tell you it's ice cream (yep, I have ice cream everyday).
Mary Mannering
CHILDREN'S WORSHIP (LAKEWOODGRACE)
Mary Mannering’s favorite kinds of people are kids, a good thing since she’s been teaching Pre-K at Little Church on the Prairie for nine years. Her husband, Scott, and teenage daughters, Halla, and Luci, have always been supportive of her passion for preschool, and they are excited to be part of the children’s team at Lakewoodgrace. Mary prays that Lakewoodgrace will be a place where kids and their families feel valued, have fun, learn together, and fall in love with Jesus.
Kathi Loverin
LITTLE CHURCH PRESCHOOL COORDINATOR
My name is Kathi Loverin, and I have the privilege of serving on staff with LCOP Preschool in 2 roles as the Program Coordinator and as Lead Teacher of the AM Pre-K Class. I was born and raised here in Lakewood and attended the local schools (Idlewild, Hudtloff and Clover Park). My husband, Don and I chose to raise our 3 children (Tim, Aly and Austin) here, as well. I attended Western Washington University where I received a B.A. in Child Development & Family Relationships. It is my joy to use what I have learned and experienced to interact with preschoolers and their families–both in the preschool environment and at MOPS (Mothers-Of -Preschoolers), which meets at Lake City Community Church, where I am a member. My staff and I view our preschool program as a ministry to our students and their families. We are keenly aware that we have been entrusted with a special calling in serving them. I am happy to answer questions that you may have about our preschool program.
