Jordan Kologe
Lead Pastor, Priest

Jordan grew up in the shire, that is, in the rolling cornfields of small-town Iowa. After completing his undergraduate degree at Central College in Pella, IA, where he also played soccer, he traveled all over Southeast Asia with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) and Youth With A Mission (YWAM). When he returned to the US Jordan joined IVCF staff as a campus minister and then later with IVCF's Urbana Student Mission Conference. He then spent five years as an associate pastor in an Anglican church in North Carolina while earning his MDiv at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary before receiving the call to become the Rector of The Church of Advent in October 2019. His sincere desire is that Advent becomes more and more a community where people are truly receiving the gift of life in Christ, and then slowly but surely reorienting everything around life in Christ through robust worship, true formation, healthy community, and redemptive mission. He and his delightful wife Jennie love enjoying the Colorado sunshine with their five little ones (four humans and a pup!). Along the way, Jordan looks for chances to relish in the glories of the Arsenal F.C., biblical theology, dessert, Tolkien, playing soccer, planting trees, sharing ideas, and sharing meals.

Lisa Elmers
Pastor, Deacon

Lisa grew up in the foothills outside Boulder, reading and playing in the woods. Her love of writing, music, and art led her to Grove City College in Pennsylvania and later to Loyola Marymount University in California to earn her BA and MA in literature and creative writing. Lisa's passion for Scripture’s literary patterning and life-rearranging theology awoke in her a desire to study and teach God’s word; her love for equipping God's people to love and serve their neighbors ignited a call to pursue the diaconate. She was ordained as a deacon in The Diocese of the Rocky Mountains in August, 2023.

Along with her husband, Luke, and kids, June and Jonah, Lisa has been a member of the Advent family since 2018, where she has taught both children and adults, hosted a Parish and a Life Group, and served as a prayer minister. As a pastor, Lisa supports all of Advent's ministries, and oversees Women's Ministry, Life Groups, and Mission. In her off-time, you can find Lisa watching birds, painting, and brunching (she really loves brunch).

Patrick Dorn
Priest

Patrick Dorn is a priest in the ACNA and serves frail seniors as a full-time chaplain. He sometimes wonders if The Transfiguration of Jesus is one of the most underrated events in the Gospels. Patrick and his wife Abby have been married since 1986. They have two grown children... and a dog. He loves the sound of laughter, and is a prolific writer of religious and secular stories, plays for children, and theatre reviews. patrickdorn.com.

Stephanie Giles

Stephanie Giles is a Midwesterner at heart, having grown up in Flint, Michigan. She graduated with a business management degree from Hope College and started her career at Dow Chemical, where she continues to work today. After marrying Brandon in 2014, she moved to Denver, Colorado. Brandon and Stephanie found Church of the Advent shortly after moving to Denver through connections only God could have brought together. The church and its community have been a foundation through the most joyous and challenging times. Stephanie loves connecting people and enjoys opening her home to host, cook, and spend quality time with others. The mountains are her retreat, and you can find her on the ski slopes in the winter and hiking trails in the summer. Brandon and Stephanie have traveled the world together and continue to love exploring new places and cultures with their two daughters, Lydia and Claire.

Matt Lange

Matt is a Denver area native who loves sports, food, stories, reading, deep conversations and the outdoors. He received his BA in Religion and Minor in Missions at Northwestern College in smalltown Iowa, near where his dad is from. There he found his love for small church communities, but quickly returned to the city after graduating. Matt has held various roles of inner city ministry in Denver ever since, including working at a church for those in homelessness and recovery, job training, and now youth mentoring. His wife, Molly, is a local inner city ministry's youth director where he volunteers weekly. This is also where they met. They have passion to be in relationship with low income individuals and families, just as Jesus has invited us in. Matt believes the broken family system is one of the major issues in our society today, and is passionate about raising good, gentle, and empathetic men. Matt and Molly found Advent in January 2018, six months after their marriage, and after Matt had finished his time working at the previous church. Matt appreciates how Advent is a welcoming and theologically rich community that encourages true friendship between its members.

Jeff Dzugan
Treasurer

Jeff has lived in Denver since 2018 and enjoys playing games, hiking, reading, and playing piano. He received mathematics and physics degrees from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and works as a health actuary for Hannover Re. He and his wife, Rachel, began attending an Anglican church in Birmingham in 2016, and they plugged into Church of the Advent soon after arriving in Denver. He particularly loves the liturgical and sacramental aspects of worship at Advent. Jeff lives in Golden with Rachel and their sons Silas and Percy where he keeps trying new things like gardening, baking, kombucha brewing, and playing guitar.

Ellen Huang

Ellen grew up in the foothills of Colorado where the vibrant seasons provided a backdrop for her formative years. It was at a summer camp in the mountains where she made her faith her own as a 13 year old. Sharing the Good News has inspired her to connect with people of all different backgrounds, from villagers in remote areas of Burma to Afghan refugees in Broomfield. In 2002 she graduated from Baylor University with a degree in nursing and worked in the ICU in a Denver hospital before pursuing a master’s degree. In 2018 she completed spiritual direction school (from Sustainable Faith) and she enjoys creating space to listen for God with others. Also, Ellen currently teaches nursing classes at Colorado Christian University where she appreciates the opportunity to share within a Christian worldview. Together with her husband, Mark, they live in Westminster and have 3 children (Elijah age 16, Ellie age 13, and Suraya age 11). Their family has attended Advent since 2021 and they appreciate the genuine and deep relationships they’re forming there.

K.C. Schwarz

K.C. grew up on a farm in Kansas along with his five brothers and one sister. Home, Kansas was fairly remote, so K.C.’s early church years were as a part of a closely knit small church family. Farm life is built on faith, in a natural sense, and K.C.’s family was also imbued with a deep Christian faith. Adventuring far from the farm, K.C. entered the Air Force academy in 1971 and spent twelve years in the Air Force as a pilot and engineer. During his Academy years K.C. was involved in the Academy chapel community. In 1977 K.C. married the sister (Anne, of course!) of his Academy best friend and roommate. After marriage K.C. and Anne joined the Episcopal Church. K.C. left the Air Force in 1983 and spent the balance of his career as an aerospace engineer, company technology leader, and entrepreneur. During this time K.C. and Anne have been very involved with their church communities. K.C. has served as a vestry member, church administrator, senior warden, and ministry leader, all in Anglican churches. Professionally, K.C. is “mostly retired” with just a couple of small business interests. K.C. and Anne enjoy time with their daughter, Rachel, and son-in-law, Ryan, as well as three grandchildren, Cameron, Sydney, and Kelton. Their younger daughter, Jenna, is an emergency nurse at Lutheran hospital in Wheatridge.