Rev. Andrew Bridgeman
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Reverend Andrew BridgemanRev. Andrew Bridgeman is an ordained elder in full connection with the Mountain Sky Conference. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies at Spring Arbor University (2018) and a Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary (2021). Rev. Andrew serves as co-pastor of the Roaring Fork Cooperative Parish and developer of Alpenglow Excursions, a spiritual entrepreneurship leading faith-based excursions in the Rocky Mountains. He is passionate about creating spaces for meaningful conversation, deep fellowship, and vibrant spirituality.
In particular, he feels called to embrace the church outside its walls, where creation itself becomes a sanctuary of God’s boundless mercy and generosity. His theological framework begins with the image of humanity, creation, and God moving together in a divine dance. The sum of creation is the theatrum mundi, “The theater of God’s glory.” In nature, the songs of the birds and the whispers of the trees share a common story. The towering mountains and great plains witness a common glory. The lowly beetles and soaring eagles share a common delight. These creatures, animate and inanimate, deliberately share a common desire that echoes in and through the living world. Rev. Andrew finds joy guiding pilgrims, seekers, and all wilderness, wandering people toward God our Creator, this God of the Wild. “It is the duty of the human understanding to understand that there are things which it cannot understand...” ― Søren Kierkegaard |
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Reverend Emma BridgemanRev. Emma Bridgeman is a Provisional Elder commissioned to serve in the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Youth Ministry from Spring Arbor University (2019) and a Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology (2024). Rev. Emma serves as co-pastor of the Roaring Fork Cooperative Parish and also dedicates one quarter of her time to a new ministry of the Mountain Sky Conference called “Spiritual Geography”, where she works to cultivate partnerships with organizations and relationships with individuals who experience a call to ministry and who share a love for the vast and beautiful outdoors in our National Parks and wilderness areas. She is passionate about empowering the next generation of curious seekers, courageous questioners, and risk-taking disciples of Christ.
Rev. Emma experienced a call to ministry in 2016, and since then has enjoyed working in youth ministry, children's ministry, camping ministry, prison ministry, and outdoor ministry contexts both in the United States and in South Africa. She has a deep love for music and environmental stewardship, and in her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, running, reading, and baking. “Imagine if every church became a place where everyone is safe, but no one is comfortable. Imagine if every church became a place where we told each other the truth. We might just create a sanctuary.” – Rachel Held Evans |
Ginny Bultman, Lay Leader
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Ginny Bultman, Lay LeaderGinny is our Roaring Fork Lay Leader. She has been a member of the Basalt Community UMC for 16 years, and lives in Snowmass Village with her husband and son. Ginny is working towards becoming a Certified Lay Minister in the UMC, taking classes such as preaching, leading prayer, spiritual gifts and planning worship. Ginny is excited about the future of the cooperative parish and the key role that laity will play in helping to make this new expression of our faith community a success. A word of wisdom from Ginny is to not take ourselves too seriously. She says, “God gave us a voice to laugh, and we should use it.”
[email protected]
970-379-7447 |
John Stroud, Parish Communications
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John Stroud, Parish CommunicationsJohn Stroud is our parish communications director, and works to keep us all informed about church happenings through the weekly Loop email, the monthly RFUMC e-Newsletter and through our social media channels. John and his wife, Tami, have been members of our Carbondale congregation since 2007. They have an adult son, Trevor, who lives in Fort Collins. Originally from the Midwest, John is an avid trail runner, skier, Rotarian, and worked for more than 30 years as journalist and newspaper editor in the Roaring Fork Valley. He still writes freelance for the local papers, and is a substitute teacher in the Carbondale schools. His father was a preacher in the Christian Church DOC and the United Methodist Church. John is also the local Trustees chair for the Carbondale Community UMC.
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Lori Kollman, Building Coordinator
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Lori Kollman, Building CoordinatorLori Kollman is the Director of Community Development and Facilities for the Glenwood church. She takes care of scheduling the building use and creating partnerships with community members and organizations. Lori and her husband and 2 children have been members of the Glenwood church since they moved to the area in 2017. Lori has been active in her kids' schools as a volunteer, a substitute teacher and a PTA member and officer. She enjoys hanging out with friends and neighbors, taking on creative projects and doing an assortment of mountain life activities with her family. Lori is also the volunteer Children's Ministry Director where she gets to create fun activities and opportunities for kids to grow in their faith and become confident and compassionate individuals.
[email protected]
970-945-6232 |
Karen Campbell-Miner, Youth Director
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Karen Campbell-Miner, Youth Director and Mid-High LeaderKaren moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2011. After growing up active in the mountains of Utah, Karen quickly connected with the Roaring Fork Valley outdoor culture – but she missed the deeper connections she’d experienced in church growing up. In 2012, Karen and her family were drawn to the warmth and familiar feel of Carbondale Community United Methodist Church. There they found a new home in faith, growing and changing with the church. She now lives in New Castle and serves the Roaring Fork Church in Glenwood Springs, volunteering with youth grades 6-12. Karen’s joy is in creating opportunities for young people to find meaningful connection – with self, with God, and with others. When she’s not at work or volunteering, she heads for the hills with her family where she finds her greatest joy…playing in God’s big creation.
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