Contact Us

The House of Hope Presbyterian Church
797 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105-3392
Telephone: (651) 227-6311
Facsimile: (651) 227-9969
E-mail: hoh@hohchurch.org

David A. Van Dyke
Pastor and Head of Staff
Phone: (651) 223-7542
Email:  DVD@hohchurch.org

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, David is a graduate of Hope College and earned his M.Div. degree from Western Theological Seminary.  David holds an M.Th. degree in Ethics and a Ph.D. in Ecclesiastical History from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.  Prior to becoming pastor at The House of Hope, Dr. Van Dyke served for ten years as Pastor of the Broad Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Columbus, Ohio and served on numerous boards.  He currently serves on the board of McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, and as Co-Moderator of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, a national Presbyterian organization working for the full inclusion of GLBT persons in the life of the church.

He has been a guest lecturer on preaching, and was a presenter at the 2002 Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College. Recognized for his strong opposition to capital punishment, Van Dyke was honored by the Abraham Joshua Heschel Society in 2003. A frequent guest preacher, in the fall of 2001, he was invited to preach at the Auditorie de Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland.

David Van Dyke is married to Nancy De Pree. They are the parents of two children, a daughter Zoë and son Max. 

Tom Forster-Smith
Associate Pastor for Adult Ministries, Pastoral Care, and Spiritual Formation
Phone: (651) 223-7553
E-mail:  tomf@hohchurch.org

Tom Forster-Smith has served as Associate Pastor at the House of Hope since 2001. Prior to that he has served congregations as pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Milwaukee, and Knox Presbyterian Church in

Cincinnati.  In addition he has served as a campus minister at the University of Washington in Seattle and in a number of different Presbytery and ecumenical agency mission staff positions in Minneapolis and Everett, Washington.  Tom graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with an M.Div degree following earning his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester.  He was ordained to ministry of word and sacrament by the Presbytery of Philadelphia.  Married to the Rev. Dr. Lucy Forster-Smith, Chaplain of Macalester College, Tom is the parent of three children, Christopher, Mara and Anna.
 

Joann Lee
Associate Pastor for Family and Young Adult Ministries
Phone: (651) 223-7549
Email: joannl@hohchurch.org

Joann served as a Pastoral Resident at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois under the Lilly Foundation, Transitions-into-Ministry program before coming to House of Hope. During her time at Fourth Presbyterian Church Joann primarily worked with Jr. High Youth and provided pastoral and administrative leadership to the Board of Deacons. She has a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology from The University of Texas in Austin.

Joann has been an active participant and assumed leadership roles in various organizations. She currently serves on the PC (USA) General Assembly's Advocacy Committee for Women's Concerns, as a board member of the Korean American Presbyterian Clergy Women and as a member of the Nominating Committee of McCormick Theological Seminary's Alumni Council. Her husband, Mike Tsoi, is a student at William Mitchell College of Law, and they live nearby the church in Saint Paul with their two dogs Bailey and Logan.
 

Aaron David Miller
Director of Music / Organist
Phone:  (651) 223-7550
Email:  aaronm@hohchurch.org

 Dr. Aaron David Miller is Music Director and Organist at House of Hope Presbyterian. He is known as one of the finest organ improvisers in the country having won numerous international awards and given concerts across the country. Dr. Miller's performances have been heard on Pipe Dreams and numerous television programs. His orchestra works have been performed by such ensembles as the Seattle Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Zurich Symphony. His organ, choral and orchestra compositions are published by Kjos Publishing House, Augsburg Fortress, and Paraclete Publishing. He lives in Bloomington with his wife, Nina, and son Zachary.

Matt Culloton
Choirmaster
Phone:  (651) 223-7543
Email: matthewc@hohchurch.org

Matthew Culloton is the Choirmaster at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. He is also the Founding Artistic Director of The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists. He holds degrees from Concordia College (B.M) and the University of Minnesota (M.M. & D.M.A.). Matthew is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Saint Thomas and conducted the University of Minnesota Women’s Chorus from 2008-2011. In 2004, Matthew received the MN ACDA Outstanding Young Choral Conductor of the Year Award. In 2003, he received the VocalEssence/ACDA of Minnesota Creative Programming Award. As a composer, Matthew has been commissioned to compose for the Dale Warland Singers, Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester, and the MMEA All-State Choir. He is co-editor of the "Matthew and Michael Culloton Choral Series" with Santa Barbara Publishing Company.  He is editor of the "Christmas with The Singers Choral Series" published by MorningStar Music Publishers.

Sofia Ardalan
Choir School Director
Phone: (651) 223-7548
Email: sofiaa@hohchurch.org

 Sofia has served as Director of the House of Hope Choir School since 2005.  She was a member of the Choir School from 1987-1998,when she joined the Choir School faculty as an instructor in voice and music theory. In 2003 Sofia graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance. She has done graduate work at the Royal Academy of Music in London and sung recitals in Salzburg, Austria and Greve, Italy. She has sung in masterclasses and coached with Hakan Hagegard (Sweden) and Daniel Ferro (Italy). Sofia is currently a student of Oksana Bryn and Audrey Stottler.

As a performer Sofia has appeared as a soloist and ensemble member with the Bach Society of Minnesota, the Waltham Abbey Singers, Virgin Ground and the University of Minnesota Chamber Singers. She has been a private music instructor for the past 10 years, teaching voice, violin and piano.

David Johnson
Carillonneur

Dave  was appointed carillonneur in 1993. He is active in The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and has performed recitals throughout the United States. He was an elected member of The Guild's board of directors from 1999 to 2005, was again elected in 2010, has served on various committees, was its recording secretary for ten years, and in June 2010 was elected its president. Dave received his B.A. from Hamline University, M.A. from Stanford University and Ph.D. in American Intellectual History from the University of Kansas. He is the author of two histories of Hamline, a 150th anniversary history of House of Hope and a 50th anniversary history of Presbyterian Homes and Services of Minnesota.  He taught history at Kansas Wesleyan University, the University of Kansas and Pacific Lutheran University, and was for 20 years Vice President for Programs at the Minnesota Medical Foundation, University of Minnesota, retiring in 2005. 

Jeff Foels
Director of Youth Ministries
Phone: (651) 223-7545
Email: jfoels@hohchurch.org

Jeff is a graduate of St. Olaf College with a Bachelor's degree in American Studies, Art History, and Religion, and holds a Master of Divinity degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. Jeff has served as a chaplain intern for the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview; as a pastoral intern for First United Church of Oak Park, Illinois; as a Youth Program Director for First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Minnesota.

Jeff is an ordained elder in the PC(USA), and has served the denomination as a student representative to the Seminary Support Network and Theological Education Fund. While at McCormick, Jeff served as the student representative to the Board of Trustees, and received the Arthur A. Hays Fellowship in Church History and the Ellen and James Taylor Award for Preaching. 

Jeff grew up in Stillwater and enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, list-making, and Twins baseball.