Rooted in Faith, Growing in Service
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at 10:00 am
About Holy Cross Lutheran Church
Meet Our Staff
Pastor Mark Cole
Pastor Cole has served the church in a number of calls for 48 years.
He has served as a parish pastor in congregations in Northern Kentucky and Northern Illinois. He was trained in fundraising and development, and evangelism – both areas of interest he pursued during his years of parish service.
For over a decade, he served as the Director of Governmental Relations at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, State Director of Public Policy for the LCA and ELCA in Illinois, and on numerous governmental and church task forces concerned with not-for-profit organizations, public assistance, end of life issues, human sexuality, mental health and developmental disabilities, criminal justice, child welfare, alcoholism and substance abuse, and healthcare reform. During these years. he represented the church at all levels of government – local, county, state, and federal.
He served as Lutheran campus pastor at Northern Illinois University, and as senior staff and adjunct faculty at the Center for Child Welfare and Education.
Graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia with a concentration in government, he graduated from Hamma School of Divinity of Wittenberg University with a Master of Divinity degree, and from the University of Chicago with a Master of Arts in Political Science focused on international security and organizational theory.
In retirement, he has served as a supply pastor, and as a resource for synodical social ministry committees, and for colleagues in government, and a number of non-profit organizations. In 2018, he married Kathie Rankin of Reston. He relocated to Northern Virginia in 2021.
Jeremy Shoop
Director of Music and Liturgy
Jeremy Shoop is the Director of Music and Liturgy at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, VA, where he serves as organist, directs the adult and children’s choirs and handbell choirs. Jeremy graduated in 2005 from Susquehanna University with a B.M. in Music Performance with a concentration in Organ. As one of the Directors of the Herndon Ecumenical Choir, he has taken the group on tour through Europe, performing in venues such as La Sagrada Familía (Barcelona, Spain), St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City, Italy), and St Patrick’s Cathedral (Dublin, Ireland).
Studying hymnody is a passion of Jeremy's. He enjoys learning about the history of hymns and writing about them in the weekly bulletins. As St. Augustine said, "The one who sings, prays twice." Connecting hymns to the lectionary is important to Jeremy as it enhances worship and allows the singer to pray as they sing.
Jeremy is an active soloist and has been featured on organ with the Reston Community Orchestra. He also serves as pianist for local choirs/ensembles such as the Herndon Middle School Choir and the Sterling Playmakers cabaret ensemble, On That Note. Jeremy has conducted the pit orchestra for multiple Herndon High School productions, including Willy Wonka, Into the Woods, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia, and Kiss Me, Kate.
In his free time, Jeremy enjoys cooking, knitting/crocheting, and traveling. Whether it is a road trip down the Mississippi River or an excursion to Iceland, Jeremy is always up for an adventure!
Virginia Muller
Administrative Assistant
Since Virginia shares the administrative assistant position, you will find her in the office in the morning hours. She enjoys supporting the church staff and congregational leadership in any way that she can. As a life-long member of HCLC (joined in 1972), she especially enjoys the day-to-day interactions with members; as well as, the daily operations such as publishing bulletins, eBlasts and the webpage. She retired after a 33-year career in education, primarily with Fairfax County Public Schools--beginning as a Business and Computer Programming teacher, and moving on as a high school administrator, and ending as the Administrator of FCPS's Chantilly Governor's STEM Academy. As a life-long learner, she continues to enjoy learning new things.
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Sarah Schulmeyer
Administrative Assistant
Sarah is one half of an administrative team who assists with the day-to-day operations of running an energetic and vibrant office, which supports the church staff and congregational leadership. She enjoys working on multiple projects, and interacting with church members, along with others who stop by on any given day. Her background includes an education profession, along with administration. Living all over the country has provided her with many opportunities to enjoy people and locations.
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She treasures time spent with her extended family in the area, and looks forward to the special blessing of being a first time grandmother in January 2024!
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You can find her on any given day enjoying outdoor activities (even rain) with her best friend and pup!
Church Council
Meet the elected leadership of our church and their responsibilities in service to Holy Cross.
Resources
Access the Constitution and recent summaries of an Annual Meeting and Church Council meetings.​