Main Address & Phone Number:
2451 Fairview Lane
Mound, MN 55364
952.472.1416
Church Office Hours are Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.
St. John’s has a gifted staff who lead our mission and ministry in a variety of ways. They love working with people and enjoy encouraging and equipping people for their expressions of service. Please contact them at anytime!
Church Staff Phone & E-mail:
| Name | Position | Phone | |
| Ryan Prondzinski | Senior Pastor | 952.472.1416 | pastorryan@stjom.org |
| Raul Garcia III | Associate Pastor | 952.472.1416 | pastorraul@stjom.org |
| Kristin Smyth | Office & Operations Administrator | 952.472.1416 | kristin@stjom.org |
| Katie Harnett | Finance & Facilities Administrator | 952.472.1416 | katie@stjom.org |
| Cathie Samuelson | Director of Children’s Ministries | 952.472.1416 | cathie@stjom.org |
| Sarah Garner | Director of Music | 952.472.1416 | sarah@stjom.org |
| Britt Worden | Marketing & Communications | 952.472.1416 | britt@tamarackmarketing.com |
| John Cornell | Handbells | 952.472.1416 | john@stjom.org |
Ryan Prondzinski came to St. John’s in March of 2022 to serve as the Senior Pastor. Pastor Ryan was ordained in 2016 and served as pastor in Michigan from 2016-2022 before coming to St. John’s. Pastor Ryan is passionate about prayer and building faith through relationship and intentional faith practices. He received his Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Before becoming a pastor, he was in the Air Force National Guard from 2005-2011, serving as a Crew Chief performing aircraft inspections and maintenance. Pastor Ryan has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois, and is a big fan of the arts. In his free time he enjoys games of all sorts including bowling, which he has been doing since he was about 10 years old. Pastor Ryan also loves the outdoors including biking, hiking, and fishing. He is overjoyed to be Senior Pastor at St. John’s, and is looking forward to sharing the gospel and loving in the name of Christ with you.
Raul Garcia III celebrated his ordination and was installed as Associate Pastor at St. John’s in April of 2023 after receiving his Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Pastor Raul grew up in a Mexican-American Catholic family in San Antonio, Texas and attended Texas Lutheran University. He met his wife, Rhea at Luther Crest Bible Camp in Alexandria, Minnesota while working during the summers. After graduating from college, he began his career as Youth Director at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota. He also served as Youth Director at First Lutheran in Detroit Lakes and All Saints Lutheran in Minnetonka. From June 2004-September 2015, Pastor Raul was the Associate Director of Children, Youth and Family – Junior High Ministry at Lord of Life Lutheran in Maple Grove where he oversaw a confirmation program involving 600 youth, including high school and college student assistants. Most recently, prior to completing his internship year at three metro churches, he served as Pastoral Associate at Family of God Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Park. Pastor Raul began seminary classes in 2005 and over the next 18 years he continued his journey to becoming an ordained pastor, receiving a Masters degree in Children, Youth & Family Ministry in 2013 and being ordained as a Deacon in 2016. Pastor Raul coaches club soccer and women’s soccer for Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar and being active outdoors. His wife Rhea is a kindergarten teacher in the Osseo School District. Pastor Raul and Rhea have two daughters, Trinity and Grace, and an Aussiedor dog named Marty. He is excited for the ministry we will continue to grow here at St. Johns. Helping to bridge age gaps between generations to show how we are all in community with one another is fantastic.
Kristin Smyth has been a member of St. John’s since 2001 and joined the staff as the Office & Operations Administrator in the summer of 2016. She grew up in Hopkins, MN and got her Bachelors of Science degree at UW-Stevens Point. She was the Program Director for a Montessori school in Minneapolis and has recently worked with the Westonka School district for the past 8.5 years. Kristin has lived in Mound since 1997 and is married to John (Skip), has two kids, Jack and Laken and one scrappy dog. Her favorite thing about St. John’s is how welcoming all the people are.
Katie Harnett is a long-time member of St. John’s and joined the staff in 2013. She is originally from Sparta, WI. She has a BS in Business Administration and a MA in Health & Human Services Administration. She has owned Custom Bookkeeping Services since 1997. She has an amazing family including 7 kids and 2 beautiful granddaughters. She loves to be with her family and her favorite thing about St. John’s is “the energy, caring and love you feel from our congregation members.”
Cathie Samuelson is a long time member and has served as Director of Children’s Ministry since 1998. After growing up on a farm near Watertown, MN, Cathie earned a BA in Psychology and Religion from Gustavus Adolphus College and a BS in Elementary Education from the U of MN. Cathie and her husband, Tom, have two grown sons, Ben and Ethan. She’s an avid Twins fan who loves to read, walk and visit the North Shore. Her favorite thing about St. John’s… “I love the people, especially the children!!”
Sarah Garner joined the St. John’s staff as Director of Music in February of 2018. Sarah grew up in Edina, MN. After taking a beginning organ class at Interlochen Music Camp at age 16, she began studying organ as a high school student at the University of Minnesota. Sarah received her Master of Music in Organ Performance from Southern Methodist University and graduated with High Honors from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Prior to moving back to the Twin Cities in 2012, Sarah was in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was an active recitalist and accompanist, served as a church organist, Simpson College faculty, and Dean of the Central Iowa American Guild of Organists (AGO). Sarah has also served at the First United Methodist Church in Lubbock, Texas and, most recently, at the House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. She also serves as Publicity Chair for the Twin Cities AGO. Her broad range of experience includes having been Music Director for Guys & Dolls and Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Lubbock Civic Center Theatre. It was in Lubbock where Sarah met her husband, Mark, a noted baritone and Texas Boy Choir alumnus. They have a daughter, Katie, and son, Christian.
Britt Worden has been a member of St. John’s for many years and has been supporting the staff since 2005. She is originally from Wausau, Wisconsin and has lived in the Lake Minnetonka area since 1994. She received a BA in English and Chemistry from St. Olaf College and, after working in the environmental laboratory testing industry for 11 years as an analytical chemist and then in marketing, starting Tamarack Marketing, LLC in 2005. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Matt, and they have two grown children, Anna and Seth. Britt’s favorite thing about St. John’s is being able to worship in the outdoor sanctuary in the summer. She explains, “I always feel closest to God in nature and nothing feels better than looking up into St. John’s cathedral ceiling of leaves while I sit in my camp chair experiencing worship.”
John Cornell joined the music staff as bell choir director in the fall 2018. John has a degree in music education from Gustavus Adolphus College and for a brief time was a high school band director before pursuing his law degree. In the intervening decades, John has kept a strong avocational interest in music, singing bass with the Exultate Festival Choir and Edina Chorale, and in his church choir for thirty years. He has also played trumpet intermittently in several community orchestras and community theater productions. He has conducted various choral and instrumental ensembles and has directed the handbell choir at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Navarre for five years. John and his wife Roxanne live in Plymouth, and have three children attending Oberlin College. When not conducting, singing or trumpeting, John works as a commercial real estate title attorney.