Staff – Leadership – Congregation
Staff
Pastor
Pastor Pete Grana
Pete Grana comes to Grace by the Sea as a son of the congregation. He was born in Newport News, VA and raised in Nags Head, NC.
Before his Call to the Office of Ministry, Pete was a career Fire Fighter/EMT with the Nags Head Fire Rescue Department. Pete received his BA from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2003 and his MDiv. from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN in 2008. He served as Vicar of Redeemer Bartlesville, OK and Pastor of Trinity Toccoa GA and Grace Clarkesville, GA from 2008 until 2012.
Pastor comes to us from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Portsmouth where he served as Sole Pastor for over 9 years. He is husband to Christine and father to Christopher, Jennifer and Elizabeth.
Church Secretary
Kim Head
Kimberly is a native of Wisconsin. She joined the Air Force after high school and served in the Air Force for over 20 years in administrative and IT roles. She has four children. When she moved to the Outer Banks, she fell in love with the area and stayed. She enjoys time with her kids and dogs at the beach.
Music Director
Cathy Pescevich Kreplin
Cathy is a lifelong teaching musical artist – pianist, flutist, vocalist and music director. She grew up in NJ and NYC, and has made the Outer Banks home for 33 years.
She holds a double Bachelors of Science cum laude in Performance (voice/flute) and Music Technology (audio engineering) from New York University; her degree was earned through coursework at Yale University, N.Y.U., and the Institute of Audio Research. She completed Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced courses in piano pedagogy and music theory pedagogy with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada; musicianship and jazz improvisation coursework with the Berklee School of Music, early childhood music certification with Musikgarten; and 14 years of private training. Cathy was privileged to study privately with Anna Freund (NY. Met.), Alan Bowers (Cornelius Reed protege), John Kuhn (N.Y. Met) and Marianna Busching (Peabody), among others. Learn more at ncmusicteachers.com/our-team
Cathy is married to classical guitarist Gordon Kreplin. They have three daughters – Stefany, Jennifer, and Samantha, two sons-in-law – Enrique and Jeff – and six grandchildren – Marshall, Maribel, Madelyn, Amelia, Maxwell, and Charlie.
Leadership
Board of Deacons
Deacons (previously called Elders) are the lay spiritual leaders in the congregation. They are selected by the Pastor and voted into that position at the Congregational Voters Meeting in October. There are no term limits for a Deacon.
Deacons assist the Pastor and reach out to members who face challenges, physical, mental and spiritual. This may include home visits, phone calls and other ways of communication with the congregational members in need.
Council
Council members are those who chair specific missions at Grace. Church governance is the main purpose of the Council. These positions carry a two year term.
Council positions are: President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary, Outreach, Youth Education, Fellowship, Stewardship, Christian Education, Deacon Chair.
Volunteers
These individuals have stepped up to fill a particular need or position of service at Grace Lutheran Church By-The-Sea. They are true team players who may be members of our Music Team, Vacation Bible School Team, Communications Team, Christmas Pageant and Palm Sunday Passion Play Teams, Gardening Team, Food Pantry and Blanket Ministry and Angel Tree organizers, Ladies Luncheon and Men’s Breakfast crews, Room in the Inn volunteers, and much more. Learn how and where you might serve the community with us.
Congregation
The congregation of Grace Lutheran Church By-The-Sea are a family of faithful, dedicated, generous and fun-loving neighbors on the Outer Banks. We are old, and young, and middle aged, with many interests and many gifts to give. Coming from diverse backgrounds, we are united in our commitment to the message of Jesus Christ. If you are looking for a church home, we invite you to join us. Connect with us today.
