Zion Staff

Pastor Charles (C.J.) Boettcher

Pastor CJ has served at Zion since August 2019. Previous to his current call he served Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Upsala, MN for nearly four years. He attended the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and graduated with a BS in Water Resources in December of 2010 before attending Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN and graduating with an MDiv in 2015. Pastor CJ has a passion for worship leadership, pastoral care, and a good discussion driven Bible or book study. He is interested in faith as a messy work in progress that takes doubt and questions seriously. He believes God is big enough for our anger and our doubts and that as children of God we have space to hold God to account to the promises God has made to us in the Word, our baptisms, and the Lord's Supper. A struggling faith is an active and meaningful one!


Pastor CJ is married to an incomparably smart, talented and compassionate woman named Kandice and together they have two incredible children, a daughter named Emma and a son named Henry. When he isn't hard at work pastoring, CJ likes to spend time with the family and do nearly anything outdoor related but especially fishing, hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing, He also enjoys getting together with people around good food and some craft brews.


Pastor CJ typically works Sundays and Tuesday-Friday. Contact him at pastorcj@zioncloquet.org

Mary Osborne

Summer Youth and Family Coordinator

Hello, my name is Mary Osborne and I am very excited to be the youth and family coordinator at Zion Lutheran Church this summer! I am a graduate of Esko High School and am currently a junior at Luther College in Decorah,Iowa majoring in Communication Studies. Music is a great passion of mine. I have taken violin lessons since the age of four and also play trumpet.
Currently, I play violin in the Luther College Symphony Orchestra andChamber Orchestra and sing in Collegiate Chorale. In January, I will be
traveling to Vienna, Austria with the symphony! In my spare time, I love to hang out with my dog and two cats, spend time with my family at our cabin in Barnum, read, and bead necklaces! Zion is very dear to me because I was a four year member of New Wine in high school. New Wine, as well as my experiences at my home church, Elim Lutheran, laid the foundation for the strong faith I live by today. I am looking forward to meeting you all! 

Cari Terrio-Johnson Office Administrator

In 2006, me, Kyle and baby Maija moved to Cloquet from the Twin Cities. It was always our intention to raise our kids near grandma and grandpa, so we followed them here. A few years later, along came Elijah and our family felt complete.


I have a bachelor’s degree from Augsburg College in Sociology and Psychology and then went on to get my master’s in Gerontology from St. Cloud State. I have worked in various backgrounds with Seniors, mostly in Therapeutic Recreation. My passion is working with seniors with dementia and I loved running a Day Respite Program for caregivers in our county.


The church family has always been a huge part of my life.  My father is an ELCA pastor, which was a huge influence on my choosing an ELCA college and pursing camping ministry during my college years and even after graduating college. I worked as an administrative assistant to the stewardship pastor at one of the 10th largest ELCA churches, gaining a whole new perspective from my rural background. 

 

My greatest accomplishment is raising two wonderful children. They are my everything. It was the birth of Maija that pushed me to learn photography. After receiving my first camera as a gift from Kyle, I never stopped learning, taking pictures and growing in my pursuit of capturing life. I love photo journalist/lifestyle photography and if the amount of hard drives on my desk indicate anything, it shows I enjoy capturing every detail.

 

Things that bring me joy: Coffee, Disney, thrifting, antiques, baking, sitting in the sun, trees, rocks, purses, shoes, Storyhill (musicians), laughing out loud and so much more. I hope I can be a smile and JOY giver to you when you visit the church!


Cari typically works Monday-Friday, 8:00am-2:00pm. Contact her at zlutheranchurch@msn.com or by calling the church office at 218-879-4647.

Gretchen Chelseth
Director of Music Ministry

Gretchen Chelseth received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music/piano from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.  She pursued post graduate study in England, and earned piano teaching certificates from the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, both in London. She has taught piano at the University of London, in Bexleyheath, Kent and at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. She teaches privately in Cloquet and has been Zion's pianist and director of music for about 20 years


James Sheetz
Choral Director

Mr. James Sheetz began serving as Choral Director for Zion in January 2015. He received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Choral Music Education, Conducting and a Minor in Communication from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He continued with further education at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth and Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ.

 

Mr. Sheetz has served as Music Director of the Presbyterian Church of Cloquet since 1989 and where he is currently the Administrative Assistant and the Clerk of Session. He also directs some community vocal groups and continues with private conducting coaching with Jerry Rubino.

 

With a passion for design, history and antiques, Mr. Sheetz restored his former family home and turned it into a creative business. Located south of Carlton, the Historic Scott House sits on the shore of Lac LaBelle and is now a private event center and Airbnb.

 

Mr. Sheetz enjoys the collaborative work with the Zion and Presbyterian Choirs.