Staff

Pastors

The Reverend Steve Jester
The Reverend Steve Jester
Pastor/Head of Staff
sjester@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 211
The Reverend Steve Jester
The Reverend Steve Jester

Pastor/Head of Staff

Steve Jester was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, a Presbyterian-related small liberal arts college, in 1979. He graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas, in December of 1983. Steve served churches in San Antonio, the Dallas area, and the Ft. Worth area before being called to Second in November of 2008. He and Diana have been married nearly 35 years and have a grown son, David, who lives in Louisville. Steve loves all things related to worship, teaching, especially the Bible, and writing. For relaxation he enjoys reading good mysteries, watching baseball live and on television, watching British detective and crime series with Diana, meals and other gatherings with friends, and cycling (bicycle) as often as possible.

Jordan Akin
The Reverend Jordan Akin
Associate Pastor for Faith Formation & Mission
jakin@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 221
Jordan Akin
The Reverend Jordan Akin

Associate Pastor for Faith Formation & Mission

Jordan Akin was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she grew up as a member of Second Presbyterian Church, Little Rock. She was an active member of the youth group throughout school and served as a youth deacon. Jordan graduated from Hendrix College with a B.A. in Religious Studies. After college, she served for two years as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV), a service program through PC(USA). Her first YAV year was in Hollywood, CA working for People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), and her second YAV year was in Asheville, NC working at a YMCA conference center in Black Mountain and as the intern for youth at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church.

During her time at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (LPTS), Jordan served as the Seminary Intern at different churches around Louisville, including First Presbyterian in Frankfort, Highland Presbyterian Church, and at Second Presbyterian Church, Louisville. She graduated from LPTS with her Master of Divinity in May 2019. In the summer of 2019, Jordan worked as the Youth Intern at Second; that fall she took the role of Interim Youth Director. She has been on staff as our Associate Pastor for Youth since January 2020.

During her spare time, Jordan loves to explore this wonderful city she now calls home. Her hobbies include hiking and pottery, and she can often be found enjoying God’s creation from the rocking chair on her porch.

Andrew Bowman
The Reverend Andrew Bowman
Associate Pastor for Community Life
abowman@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 213
Andrew Bowman
The Reverend Andrew Bowman

Associate Pastor for Community Life

Ministry

Jim Rittenhouse
Jim Rittenhouse
Director of Worship & Music Ministry
jrittenhouse@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 212
Jim Rittenhouse
Jim Rittenhouse

Director of Worship & Music Ministry

Jim Rittenhouse joined the staff at Second Presbyterian in August 2017, and serves as Director of Worship and Music. He has served churches in Virginia, Indiana, and most recently at St. Paul United Methodist Church as Associate Director of Music. He holds the Performer's Certificate and Master of Church Music degrees from Southern Seminary. Jim has been a frequent soloist with regional choral and chamber/orchestral ensembles since 1989, including the Louisville Orchestra, and the Blanche Moyse Chorale in Vermont. Until 2020, Jim was owner of R2 Impact/McKinney Speakers, a speakers and talent bureau. Jim has been married to Janet for more than 30 years, and they have two daughters, Katie Rittenhouse and Anna Gesell (Randy).

Sam Libra
Samuel Libra, DMA
Organist and Assistant Director of Worship & Music Ministry
slibra@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 223
Sam Libra
Sam Libra

Organist and Assistant Director of Worship & Music Ministry

Samuel Libra is a recent transplant to Louisville, where he is Communications Assistant and Organist at Second Presbyterian Church. A native of Minnesota, he graduated from Luther College in Decorah, IA where he studied organ and church music with Dr. Gregory Peterson. He completed his graduate studies in organ performance at the University of Washington as a student of Dr. Carole Terry. Samuel has undertaken further training at the McGill Summer Organ Academy and with Jean-Baptiste Robin at the Royaumont Foundation under a grant from the UW. An impassioned church musician, Dr. Libra has served in numerous churches in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, most recently as Associate Organist at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. He is an active member of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society, having been a Biggs Fellow at the latter’s 2017 convention. For the Seattle Chapter of the AGO, he served as a board member, a regular presenter at chapter events, and a faculty member at their 2019 Pipe Organ Encounter.

Lorie Williamson
Lorie Williamson
Director of Children’s Ministries
lwilliamson@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 219
Lorie Williamson
Lorie Williamson

Director of Children’s Ministries

Lorie Williamson, a native of Louisville, originally came to Second Presbyterian 6 years ago as Director of Children’s Ministries and is delighted to be able to return once again in that capacity. Lorie has undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and has taught privately and in the classroom in both the Louisville and Los Angeles Catholic School Systems. Lorie shares her home with her daughters: Loren, a freshman at duPont Manual High School majoring in Journalism and Communication; Sierra, a trumpet Performance Major at the University of KY; and Elise, a Junior at Yale University majoring in Political Science and Women & Gender studies. Also sharing her home are beloved animals Brandi(dog), Ella (cat), and Beta fish Vance. Some favorite pastimes are Scrabble and wine nights, badminton, swimming, hiking, going to concerts, and taking the dog for a walk while eating popsicles. She is extremely excited to be back and is looking forward to exploring God’s love with each family in new and exciting ways.

Christina Bouras-Recktenwald
Christina Bouras-Recktenwald
Coordinator of Children's Choirs
christinabrecktenwald
@gmail.com
Ricky Case
Ricky Case
Coordinator of Student Music
rlcase01@gmail.com

Administration

Ministry Coordinator for Care & Stewardship
info@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 218
Amy Kiefner
Amy Kiefner
Church Administrator
akiefner@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 216
Amy Kiefner
Amy Kiefner

Church Administrator

Hi, my name is Amy Kiefner, and I'm a Louisville native.

I graduated from Seneca high school, and stayed local for college, graduating from Indiana University Southeast. I have one sister who is a professor in Ohio, and I have two fur babies.

I love art and photography and do both in my spare time.

I love helping people and have worked primarily for non-profits throughout my career. During college, I started working for the Community Ministries and ran an after-school tutoring program, and worked in the Assistance Center. From there, I went on to Passport Health Plan (which at the time was nonprofit and centered around Medicaid), and I worked as a call center representative before moving on to the role of trainer.

I'm very excited about the opportunity to work for 2nd Presbyterian Church and look forward to getting to know everyone here!

Tammy Kissling
Tammy Kissling
Ministry Coordinator for Faith Formation & Mission
tkissling@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 227
Tammy Kissling
Tammy Kissling

Ministry Coordinator for Faith Formation & Mission

I was born and raised in a small town in upstate NY and received my undergraduate degree from Syracuse University. I moved to Lexington, KY to pursue a graduate degree from the University of Kentucky and in the process, I met a boy and fell in love, and we moved to Louisville in 2001. We have now been married for almost 19 years and have 2 wonderful teenage boys and one spoiled dog. In my free time I enjoy reading, spending time in nature, and playing board games with my family.

I am a member of Christ Lutheran Church where I have been an active volunteer planning youth events and working with the Wednesday Friends landscaping group. As the Conference Youth Coordinator, I worked with the other ELCA Lutheran churches in the Louisville area to plan combined youth events. I am excited to start working at Second Presbyterian and getting to know you all.

Property

Jeremy Doyle
Jeremy Doyle
Director of Facilities
jdoyle@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 224

Weekday School

Hayley Abell
Hayley Abell
Director Weekday School
habell@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 242
Karla Wright
Karla Wright
Assistant Director Weekday School
kwright@2ndpreslou.org
895-3483 ext. 241