Staff
Tony Blair
Co-Pastor
Tony Blair is a longtime pastor-teacher who has also had the opportunity to provide leadership to a variety of organizations and projects. He has served for 35 years as pastor or superintendent of churches throughout southcentral Pennsylvania. He and his family (wife Carol and daughters Rachel and Alia) began worshipping at Hosanna! in 2005, soon after their move to Lititz, and he accepted a call to be a Senior Pastor alongside Jo Ann Kunz in January, 2007. Tony also serves as President and Professor of Leadership and Historical Studies at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown. He has earned doctorates in history and leadership and subsequently studied spiritual direction (under Jo Ann Kunz and others) through Oasis Ministries. He is also the author of several books and a variety of articles. He is notoriously fond of Johnny Cash, Star Trek, hiking, and pizza... but is not yet redeemed enough to like cats.
Jo Ann Kunz
Co-Pastor
Jo Ann Kunz has been a part of the Hosanna!"family" since 1980. She has served the congregation in one capacity or another for nearly twenty-five years - the last fourteen as Senior Pastor. She is an experienced scholar-practitioner, having served for two decades as a leader, spiritual director, and educator for a variety of faith-based organizations. She currently serves as Instructor of Spiritual Formation and Leadership for Eastern University, Instructor in Spiritual Formation for Evangelical Theological Seminary, faculty member of Oasis Ministries’ two-year spiritual direction training program and director of an advanced training program for experienced spiritual directors, also at Oasis Ministries. Jo Ann is a practicing spiritual director, Enneagram trainer, and retreat/workshop leader, as well as a new and joyful grandmother. Some of Jo Ann’s special areas of interest are: the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Christian dream interpretation, the Enneagram, Biblical equality, Christian spirituality and practice, Christian “mystical” theology and history. Jo Ann holds a Master’s Degree from Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia and is a perpetual learner, believing that there is always something more that our Infinite God is desiring to teach her.
Deb Helt
Pastor of Congregational Life
Deb serves as Pastor of Congregational Life and has been active in Hosanna! for more than 28 years. She is a trained spiritual director and a trained Enneagram instructor. She has a son, daughter-in-law, and two adorable grandchildren, Emma and Dylan. She loves the Hosanna! community, and if she would not work here, she would attend church here.
Jared Kunz
Youth Pastor
Jared is Hosanna!'s Youth Pastor. He ministers to the spiritual needs of students in grades 7-12, and works with parents and volunteers to train them to serve students as well. Jared tries to live according to the principles in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." Jared and his wife, Carla, and their daughter, Mara, and son, Javin, live in Manheim, and he says that he has been attending Hosanna! "...ever since I was born."
Rick McKinney
Pastor of Care Ministries
Rick has been a part of the Hosanna! family for over three decades. He is a past Lead Elder and volunteers his time in several areas of ministry including teaching and dramas. He plays keyboards with the worship team. He is especially ministered to by Philippians 4: 13, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Rick, and his wife Beth, live in Ephrata and have been attending Hosanna! since 1984. They have two daughters - Jane, who lives in Maine with her two children, and Kris, who lives in Ephrata with her husband and daughter.
Helen Cookey
Associate Pastor of Welcome Ministries
Helen has been attending Hosanna! since 1981 with her husband Niels Cookey. She enjoys meeting new folks and helping them to feel welcome at Hosanna! Helen oversees Hosanna's usher and greeter teams and also volunteers with Hosanna's Youth and Children's ministry. Helen is also a trained spiritual director. Helen and Niels enjoy traveling, especially traveling to visit their children and grandchildren who live out of state. One of Helen's favorite verses is Romans 8:28.
Tom Jensen
Worship Director
Tom started at Hosanna! in June of 2024. He has been leading worship at various churches since 2011 and plays anything with strings. Tom grew up in the Ephrata area and attended Ephrata Area Senior High School before graduating from Millersville in 2011 and Evangelical Theological Seminary in 2018. He lives in Myerstown with his wife Victoria and their son William. Tom's favorite verse is John 11:35 "Jesus wept" because it was the easiest to memorize and there's a lot to unpack from the fact that God knowing all things would put on flesh and experience all the feelings we do and even weep when we weep.
Sheree Allen
Staff Assistant
Sheree currently serves as the Staff Assistant here at Hosanna!. Sheree has been attending Hosanna! since 2004 along with her husband, Jerry and their daughter Holly.
Her responsibilities include providing secretarial support to the staff and congregation. She volunteers in many ways and shares her talents by providing lots of savory and sweet treats at many events.
She considers it a blessing to be part of “a growing, friendly and purposeful body of believers.”
Mary Dye
Financial Assistant
Mary is Hosanna!'s Financial Assistant. She cites Psalm 148 as her favorite scripture. Mary lives in Lancaster, with her husband Chris. They have been attending Hosanna! since 1982.
Elders
Kevin Sweigart
Co-Lead Elder
Kevin has been attending Hosanna since the early 1990s with his wife and son. Caring for and helping others is what is at the heart of why Kevin enjoys being an elder. In addition to his elder responsibilities he serves as co-director of guest services and also has been active with the children’s choir and their musicals.
Sharon Wilson
Co-Lead Elder
Sharon is a long-time member of Hosanna who has shown consistent evidence of spiritual maturity and compassion for others. She serves faithfully on the worship team and does much service behind the scenes.
Maryanne Diemer
Elder
Maryanne has been a member of
Hosanna, for many years. She has helped to serve Hosanna,
in a number of areas, including
clean team, welcome center, Home
Group and started a Women's
Fellowship Group, among other
areas of service. Serving others is a gift she loves
to share.
Cindy Harding
Elder
Cindy has been a part of Hosanna! since 1989. She enjoys greeting and welcoming people as they arrive on Sunday mornings. Cindy also enjoys gardening, movies, the writing class and driving Scarlett, her little red VW convertible. She lives in Lititz with her husband, Greg, and their two cats. Her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God.
Mark Miller
Elder
It was in the mid-90's while attending other churches that Mark began to visit Hosanna services and special events with his wife Kathy. He especially appreciated Hosanna's welcoming spirit, pulpit teaching, and home group fellowship. The disbanding of an Anabaptist fellowship in Lancaster City coinciding with early CoViD restrictions led Mark to regularly "Zoom to Hosanna".
It's been a joy for him to receive and speak encouragement in person as we gather on Sundays. He supports Hosanna being Christ's voice of acceptance with teaching for life healing and maturity. Enrichening congregational "body life" excites his interest and creativity. Mark recalls that, since his teenage years, the challenge of Micah 6:8 has been a touchstone and given him motivation: "the Lord requires me to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God."
Mark and Kathy live in Lancaster City in proximity to some of their family of 5 children (and 3 spouses) and 5 grandchildren, including occasional visitor Trinity. He has retired from many mini-careers: church-related community centers, taxi driver, first-time homebuyer real estate sales, shipping and warehouse work. Visiting family and friends by road trip as far as Florida or the West Coast is an almost annual event. They both value childhood and young adult experiences in other countries and continue to make occasional visits, especially to Honduras.
Bud Strohm
Elder
Bud has been a member of Hosanna! since 1993. He has always had a heart to help others. Bud was very active in the Lititz Fire Company for 30 years as a fireman, driver and officer. He was an assistant football coach in the Warwick Midget League and has helped in VBS/VBA for many years. Buds favorite Bible verse is Acts 20:35 - "It is more blessed to give than to receive." His favorite worship song is "Goodness of God".
Lance Taylor
Elder
Lance joined the congregation of Hosanna in 2006. Lance has served in the VBS ministry, on the maintenance team, and is active as a member of his home group. One of his favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Lance enjoys playing saxophone in the Lititz Community Band and doing home improvement projects. He lives in Lititz with his wife, Aimee, three children, Nicholas, Courtney, and Lucy, and two dogs, Ollie and Rosie.