Leadership

Pastor Kari was born in San Antonio, TX and grew up in Minneapolis, MN. She attended Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and graduated with a B.A. in history followed by an M. Div. from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. Pastor Kari was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in July of 1998 and called to serve as an Associate Pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Woodstock, GA.

In 2006, she was called to serve as Associate Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Bethesda, MD with a focus in Christian education, youth ministry and social ministry. Pastor Kari began her ministry as the Pastor of Christ the Servant on December 16, 2012.

She married Max Parsons in 1999 and they are the proud parents of two children, Owen and Rachel. The family enjoys biking, hiking and cooking together.

Florence is a lifelong member of Christ the Servant, as the daughter of former CTS pastor Peter Bastien. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College of Maryland in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music (classical piano performance). Florence also served as the choir intern at Gaithersburg High School, where she developed her skills in choir conducting. She has provided accompaniment and musical direction on a freelance basis for choral and musical theatre programs around Montgomery and Frederick counties.

Florence has held the position of organist and Coordinator of Music at CTS since 2018. She lives in Westminster, MD with her husband Noah Tucker and their three cats.