HomeThis page will acquaint you with the members of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Clermont, Florida. We are young and old, thin and fat, good looking and ugly, rich and poor -- but we share a love of Jesus Christ.
The Candage Family
If you attend the 10:15 Sunday worship service, on any given Sunday you will likely see or talk to a member of the Candage family. Michelle and Dan Candage and their 13 year old twins Rebecca and Taylor are very often in evidence performing roles such as greeter, usher, lector, acolyte or communion assistant. Sometimes you may see Taylor performing a horn duet with his sister Rebecca or Nevin Thompson during the church service. They usually sit near the front to enjoy the worship service.
Both Michelle and Dan have lived in Florida a long time. Dan was born in Qunicy, MA, but his family moved to Miami when he was six years old. He came to the Orlando area in 1986 to work for Walt Disney World. Michelle grew up in Superior, WI and lived there until 1987 when she moved to Florida to take a job opportunity her company had here. Dan and Michelle met at a Disney function soon after Michelle moved here, and they were married in September 1988. They initially settled in Kissimmee. Since Michelle had belonged to Pilgrim Lutheran church all her life, they decided to attend Trinity Lutheran Church near their home. When they moved to Clermont in 1996 they commuted to Kissimmee until they joined Shepherd of the Hills in 1999.
Dan has been a recreation manager at Disney for 25 years, and Michelle is an office manager and has worked for several different companies over the last 30 years..
Rebecca and Taylor attend Windy Hill Middle School. Taylor plays the Alto Saxophone and is a member of the school jazz band and symphony band. Rebecca plays the clarinet in the symphony band and is in drama club. They also both enjoy the Science club. They are both in their 2nd year of piano. In their free time they have additional interests. Rebecca loves to read and takes ballet and jazz classes. Taylor loves history, especially World War II. Also, he likes video games, including one in which he is the pilot of a World War II aircraft. In the summertime they participate in Vacation Bible School activities and attend Kids College at East Ridge Middle School.
Michelle serves on the church council for the Service Board. This includes working with the congregation to address the social, economic, and emotional needs of people both within the church congregation and the community outside the Congregation..
Michelle's parents, Robert and Sylvia Patterson, live with her family during the winter months and they have found Shepherd of the Hills to be a very welcoming church community. They have developed friendships here and are involved in ushering, Lenten dinners, Virginia circle, quilting and crafts.
As Michelle grew up attending Lutheran church services and being active in the church community, the tradition continues with her family.
Tunila Award
Geraldine Constance Tunila was born on March 20, 1964 and died on October 19, 1975. Gerrie was born with Cystic Fibrosis, for which to this date, there is no cure. Life is very difficult and complicated for these patients. They require a tremendous amount of daily care and medicine just to try to lead a near normal life, but by no means a normal life as you or I would know it.
Geraldine Tunila
Gerrie knew from a very young age that this disease was going to kill her, but as long as we were straight-forward with her she could handle it. Because she knew, at a young age, that she would not have a normal life span, we tried to let her experience as much of life as possible. She had this enormous gust to experience as much as possible, Church, Sunday School, Girl Scouts, dancing, camping, traveling, playing the flute, etc. I believe she became closest to Church in confirmation because learning about Jesus even as a youngster, gave her comfort and I think she learned through this exposure that she was going to have an afterlife without pain and suffering.
After she died, my husband and I decided what better way to honor her memory than to maintain a perpetual confirmation award to young people like her, reading their way for life through Christian understanding. Therefore, we decided that the award should consist of a monetary amount to be awarded to the confirmation class member for a writing essay. The topic is to be decided by the Pastor and he will have final say as to content and ultimate first place paper.
Since my husband is now with Gerrie and Shepherd of the Hills is now my church, it is my intention to carry on this award.
-- Contributed by Bert Tunila
Recipients of the Tunila Award
2002 Sara Nell Tiley
2003 Skyler Goldman
2004 Jessica Fulmer
2005 Tyler Johnson
2006 Karissa Bursey
MEMBER PROFILE |
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| Carroll is active in leadership positions at Shepherd of the Hills
Lutheran Church; leader and co-leader of the last 2 capital fund drives; in 2004 &
2006 elected to Church Council Vice-President. In the spring of 2006, when then
President Rick Engleking was unable to continue in his position, Carroll graciously
agreed to assume the position of Church Council President.
Barbara & Carroll have been married over 50 years with 4 grown children and many grandchildren. They live in Clermont. He has been self-employed since 1953. Those semi tractor trailers with the CF logo belong to a U.S. trucking company with 30 branches. The Corporation headquarters is in Groveland, where Carroll is Chairman of the Board. Active in public service, Carroll has served with the Boy Scouts, Orange County Zoning & Planning Board in Orlando, City of Orlando Naval Training Center Re-Use Committee, on the Board of Orlando General Hospital, member of City Advisory Board/Am South Bank. He has also been active with religious organizations; past president of Church council and member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Orlando, Past Chairman of the Board and Member of Orlando Lutheran Towers Retirement & Nursing Home, Board of Visitors & Trustees Capital Funds Committee of Lutheran Theological/Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina; and 2 capital fund drives & Church Council President/Vice President at Shepherd of the Hills. | |