916 Hickory St., Hollidaysburg PA 16648
814.942.1042
Office hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Our mission: Inviting people to love one another.
Our vision: All creation living in harmony with Christ.
Meet the Office of the Bishop Staff
Bishop
The Rev. Barbara Collins, serving as Interim Bishop, comes to us from the Upper Susquehanna Synod territory. Her first call was a two-point charge outside of Milton, PA. She was then called to serve as the Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod. In 2016, she was elected to serve as Bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod, from which she retired in 2022.
Though serving the majority of her ministry on the territory of the Upper Susquehanna Synod, she was born and raised on the territory of the Allegheny Synod. Born in Johnstown and raised in Hollidaysburg, she graduated from Hollidaysburg Senior High School. She went on to study Music Education at Penn State University, where she was a member of the Penn State Blue Band, and completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree at Bloomsburg University. She received her Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, now the United Lutheran Seminary.
One key word in her ministry is RELATIONSHIPS. “Life is all about our relationship with God, our relationships with one another as the church, and our relationships with our communities and the world. From my parents, I learned how to serve with respect, a caring heart, and… common sense. These are the gifts that I strive to use with the relationships in which I am called to be a faithful servant.”
Bishop Collins and her husband John live in Selinsgrove, with two married children and five grandchildren living close by.
Office Manager
Michelle is an Altoona native graduating in 1989 from Altoona Area High School with an emphasis in business. Prior to coming to the Synod office in 2001, she worked as an insurance agent and in banking. As Synod Office Manager, she has a wide range of responsibilities including financial data entry, website maintenance, database management, calendar administration, congregational, rostered leaders and financial records management, office communications, and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Synod office. She is married and has two children.
Director for Evangelical Mission
Sue Ellen Spotts is serving as the Director of Evangelical Mission for the Allegheny and Upper Susquehanna Synods.
Assistant to the Bishop
The Rev. Kevin T. Shock began serving as the Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop of the Allegheny Synod on March 1, 2022, and transitioned to full-time Assistant to the Bishop on November 13, 2023. Pastor Kevin has deep roots in West-Central PA and in the ELCA. He grew up in Westmoreland County and Altoona, attended Juniata College in Huntingdon, and was called back to the Allegheny Synod after seminary. Some of his earliest memories include reading parts of the liturgy in the then-newly introduced Lutheran Book of Worship while the people of Trinity, Latrobe sang and spoke the words. The people of Zion, Hollidaysburg guided him through confirmation classes, his first job after college, and the candidacy process. For 15+ years the people of St. Mark, Pleasant Gap shaped him as a pastor while he served them in his first call.
Despite his strong identity as a central Pennsylvanian Lutheran, Pastor Kevin feels at home in situations that stretch his comfort and understanding. He has lived or traveled on four continents and has worshiped alongside people of various faith traditions. Pastor Kevin believes we learn more about ourselves and about God in learning the stories and experiences of others.
Pastor Kevin and his spouse, Lisa Bahr, live in Howard with three dogs (more dogs always pending). Thanks to Lisa, his other passion is animal rescue. He finds renewal in the quiet of praying, hiking, bicycling, and kayaking.
The Rev. John Kratz was hired as our Director of the Go Tell It IN the Mountains Initiative on September 1, 2024. Though this Initiative is a cooperative ministry of Upper Susquehanna, Northwest PA, and Allegheny Synods, Rev. Kratz was hired through the Allegheny Synod Council and his office is in our Synod offices in Hollidaysburg.
Pastor John is a second career pastor. He worked for the Area Agency on Aging for four counties in North Central PA and for MH/MR as the Case Management Supervisor of Early Intervention Services for Bradford and Sullivan Counties in PA.
Pastor John has served large and small congregations in the Central PA regional with 32 years in pastoral ministry before becoming the Go Tell It IN the Mountains Initiative Director. He has a wealth of leadership roles including Chair of the Board of Global Ministries for the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church and many years as a mentoring pastor to new clergy and lay preachers.
Pastor John and his wife Jane relocated to the Hollidaysburg area to accept this role as Director, but they still are within driving distance of their four children and five grandchildren. Family plays an essential role in their life together and they often share being blessed with such a wonderful family.
For more information about the Go Tell It IN the Mountains Initiative, please visit their website through the link on this site or go directly to https://www.gotellitinthemountains.org.
Many congregations use Portico Benefit Services for their benefit needs of the congregation. Our Regional Representative is Pastor Tara Lynn. While the Portico Customer Care Center (800.352.2628) remains the primary point of contact for benefit questions and processes, Portico’s Regional Reps provide education, encouragement, and a personal connection.
To view Portico Benefit Services’ website, click here: https://www.porticobenefits.org/
Sister Marianne Brock is our Regional ELCA Gift Planner, supported by the synod. Most recently she served a dual role as the Associate Executive Director of the Lutheran Camping Corporation of Central PA and Director of Camp Nawakwa in Arendtsville, PA. Prior to that time she served in congregational settings in youth, children, and family ministries. Sister Marianne is a rostered deacon in the ELCA and a member of the Deaconess Community of the ELCA, thus the title, “Sister.” She is a 2013 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and her undergraduate work was completed at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. Marianne has interests in PA Lutheran history, travel in the Holy Land, and collecting the stories of the people she encounters. She enjoys running and bicycling, dabbles in cooking and bread baking, and loves the opportunity to visit a winery or brewery. Marianne and her husband, The Rev. John Brock, reside in Mechanicsburg, PA. They have two adult sons, and two tremendous dogs. Sister Marianne grew up in New Berlin and at First, Mifflinburg.
717-574-9066
