PASTOR: Rev. Dale G. Bauer
Pastor Dale was elected pastor of Cross of Hope on February 26, 1989, and was installed on the Day of Pentecost, May 21, 1989. He graduated from Valparaiso University, in Valparaiso, Indiana on June 9, 1968, two days after marrying Edee Robinson, also a student at Valparaiso. In 1972, Pastor Dale graduated from Hamma School of Theology at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He then participated in eight quarters of clinical pastoral education at Presbyterian Medical Center, in Denver, and served as chaplain to all sections of a 600-bed medical facility, chaplain to the oncology and maintenance dialysis units, and also participated in advanced training in pastoral counseling.
Pastor was ordained on May12, 1974, at Faith Lutheran Church in Akron, Ohio, after which he served at Zion Lutheran Church in Idaho Springs, Colorado, until 1979. The next ten years he spent as Pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church, in Denver, prior to his calling to Cross of Hope in 1989.
Pastor Dale has a passion for history, including a special interest in the American Civil War, and enjoys running, back-packing, camping, skiing, and traveling. He is an avid reader on numerous subjects. He was called primarily to exercise his gifts of preaching, leadership, teaching, and administration at Cross of Hope. In order to enable him to be faithful to this call, he maintains the following office schedule. Please feel free to contact him at 897-0047
Monday: Pastor's day offExcellent pastoral care is available to you through the Hope Counseling Center and through the Stephen Ministers, who are thoroughly trained to meet a wide variety of needs and situations. Pastor Dale normally does not undertake long-term counseling, although he is more than happy to meet with you to evaluate your circumstances and needs, and refer you to competent resources.
ASSOCIATE PASTOR: Reverend Nico Ashe revnma@crossofhope.org
Pastor Nico Marie Ashe was born in Ohio, lived most of her adult life in Colorado and is now very pleased to call New Mexico her home.
Pastor Nico got her Bachelors degree from Cleveland State University. During her undergraduate years, she was privileged to study at Jagiellonian University in Poland.
Pastor Nico married Andrew Poltzer and moved to Denver, Colorado. In Denver, Nico began her seminary studies at The Iliff School of Theology and then transferred to Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. Pastor Nico completed her internship at Alpine Lutheran in Rockford, IL. She learned and grew under the supervision of Pastor Rick Meier. Her year at Alpine was full of blessings.
Pastor Nico has been at COH since Fall of 2006 and brings many passions
to her first call to ordained ministry. “Christ died for me, and I am no longer my
own, but his. If he gave his all for me, then I must give my all for him.” She
feels called to work with youth ministry and encourages young people to
question, grow, and participate in their relationships with God. She also
believes preaching is vital to worship life and is committed to proclaiming the
Gospel in clear and pertinent ways that meets people where they are. As a
pastor, Nico hopes to provide comfort during times of need, and she strives to be
approachable by parishioners of all ages.
Pastor Nico has two young sons. On Fridays (her day off) you can usually find her at Explora, the zoo, or a local playground!
CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR: Linda Willoughby
Joined the Cross of Hope staff in May 1995. She moved from San Jose, California, in January 1995 with her husband Jeff; they currently reside in Rio Rancho. Linda attended Point Loma Nazarene College, studying music education. She has experience teaching violin and playing chamber music, and also worked with a company in Santa Clara, California, called RAMTEK. Linda was with RAMTEK for thirteen years, working in billable for field maintenance contracts, as assistant administrator to the sales department, and as publication coordinator to the publications department.
Linda enjoys people and an activity filled environment. Her hobbies are: taking walks; cooking; sewing; creating; reading suspense stories; having coffee with her husband out on their deck; and musical activities such as playing in the Albuquerque Symphonic Orchestra.
As Church Administrator, Linda’s main function is to handle day-to-day administrative concerns at Cross of Hope. She operates with the authority of Pastor Dale on many administrative concerns. She also manages the office and its support activities, as well as the volunteers who perform many of the office tasks.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Nancy Morrison
At Cross of Hope, Nancy prepares all church bulletins, and announcements. Nancy, Greg, and their daughter, Heather, moved to Rio Rancho from Minot, North Dakota, in 1993 and joined Cross of Hope in June 1995.
MUSIC MINISTRY DIRECTOR: Richard Hielkema
ACCOMPANIST: Melissa Ortner
Melissa joins our staff as a Colorado native and has called Albuquerque home for three years. Melissa started her college education as a pre-medicine/biology major at the University of Denver and completed her bachelor’s in Health Administration through the University of Phoenix. She keeps busy by raising her two children, Taylor and Tate, and scrap booking.
Melissa has enjoyed music since she was very young. She started piano lessons when she was in 2nd grade and has loved the instrument since. Piano playing gives her great joy and is a huge stress reliever for her. Throughout junior high and high school, she accompanied the school choir classes. She also took part in Jazz Band by playing alto sax and piano and sang alto in an all-girls Swing Choir group. Melissa also became very comfortable playing the organ and piano for her hometown Colorado church for more than six years. She was very sad to leave that position, but now feels at home again as part of the Cross of Hope staff.
MEDIA SPECIALIST: Tami Ellis
Tami has lived most of her life in Albuquerque, but has also lived in Minnesota, Arizona, and Santa Fe. She likes the friendly congregation at Cross of Hope. When she joined our church, she knew it would be a place where she could use her spiritual gifts. She does this as our Media Specialist. Tami is responsible for such tasks as operating sound and video equipment for all of our Sunday services, running Power Point presentations, and operating sound equipment for midweek choir rehearsals.
Custodian: Damacio Padilla
Damacio currently works at LBJ Middle School. His eleven plus years of experience in an educational facility made him a perfect match for the needs of Cross of Hope – both the church and the school. He is on-site five days a week for approximately 3-4 hours a day, with some weekend work as well.