Leadership

In the summer of 2021, I was pastoring at a church in Janesville, WI and my wife Haley was teaching at a Janesville High School. We felt the Lord begin to shift things in our hearts and prepare us for the next step in our journey with Him. A few months later He led us to The Lakes and paved a path for us to move to Waupaca. On January 1, 2022 I officially became the Senior Pastor of The Lakes!

Haley and I got married on December 22, 2015. We have a daughter named Kiah and a son named LJ (Logan Junior). There is no greater joy in our lives than our wonderful kids. We  have two dogs; a Golden Retriever named Jackson and a Great Pyrenees named Bentley.  

I got into ministry in college serving on the leadership team of CRU at UW-Whitewater. I started interning at CrossPointe in Whitewater (now known as The Chapel) and in 2016 was given the opportunity to serve as an associate pastor in Austin, Texas at One Chapel. After 3 years of battling the heat, the Lord led us to the church I grew up in at Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI. Pastor Jeff graciously loved me and believed in me, and the Lord blessed our ministry during a tough season of Covid for the church. Then the Lord led us toThe Lakes and we have not looked back!

We are so thankful the Lord has led us here to The Lakes! We love the passion for Jesus of the church, the love for one another, and the joy everyone has as we gather in worship. We are excited for what is to come and are believing God is going to continue to do miracles in our midst.

I grew up in Pine River, a small town south of Waupaca and was home schooled 3rd grade through High School. I had an experience of God and felt Him call me into full-time ministry at a Bible Camp as a child. I have never shifted my focus since! I received a Bachelors degree in Ministry from Central Christian College of the Bible in 2006 and in 2021, I finished my Masters of Transformational Leadership from Bethel Seminary.

In 2004 I married my high school sweetheart, William Postel. We have four children; two sons, Zephaniah and Micah, and two daughters, Aravis and Lydia. I enjoy coffee, reading, hiking and team leadership. As a family we love camping in National Parks, hiking, biking and boating!

I have been involved in leadership roles here at The Lakes since 2007, started as Children’s Ministry Coordinator in 2010 and January 2021, I was ordained and officially became the Associate Pastor. I love The Lakes and consider it a privilege to serve God here!

I have loved music my whole life – as a 5 year-old, I would sit at the piano and bang out notes for hours, and fervently wished I could take piano lessons. My parents saw this budding passion in me, and found. neighborhood lady who taught piano, and I haven’t stopped playing since! Singing came into my life a little later – I was the accompanist for my high school choir, too shy to ever sing in front of anyone, until one day my choir teacher heard me singing in one of the practice rooms, and she came in and said, “You’re not hiding behind the piano anymore!” She made me sing in front of the entire school assembly to “cure” me of my shyness, but I found that I loved singing just as much as I loved playing, so I guess it worked.

I graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton in 1990 with a double degree in vocal performance and music education. While I did try teaching for a while, God directed me into leading worship early on, and I discovered that was my true calling and passion. So, I have been singing and playing and leading worship for 30 years, mainly at the church Philip and I planted in Beloit called Daystar Christian Fellowship. When that church merged with Faith Community Church in Janesville in February of 2020, we met Pastor Logan and Haley, and God knit our lives together in a very special way. As God began to direct our lives onto a different path, it was clear that Waupaca was going to be the place for us to begin a second chapter in our lives, and we are thrilled that God has led us to The Lakes!

Each week, I have the privilege to work side by side with a dedicated and talented group of team members who love Jesus and have a true willingness to try new things and to grow in their own personal relationship with HIm. I know that God has great things in store for the worship culture here, and I can’t wait to see how He uses each one of use to advance His kingdom!

I fell in love with Jesus when I was seven years old and made a commitment to live for Him in the basement of a tiny rural Wisconsin church. My Sunday School teacher led me in prayer and my life has been forever impacted!

I’ve been passionate about children’s ministry ever since! I went to college at Central Christian College of the Bible and specialized my degree in Youth & Family Ministry. During college, traveling to 3rd world countries to do street puppet ministry for kids and serving/speaking in elementary schools further cemented my love for children. After college I helped with a new church plant and ran their children’s ministry for about 7 years before coming to The Lakes!

Here at The Lakes I oversee several teams of AMAZING people who are passionate about helping children encounter the love of Jesus. From the “Tinies” all the way up to the “Bigs”, I’m honored and overjoyed to watch these smallest of God’s kingdom learn, grow, worship, and truly feel the love of our living Lord!

When I’m not at the church I enjoy time with my husband Ian and our son James. I also run my own small business online and spend as much time as I can outside gardening or in my kitchen baking & cooking! I also have the privilege of loving-on and doing life with our ELEVEN nieces and nephews! My life is full of little people;)

I began my relationship with Jesus in college and I gave my life to Lord in December of 2013. It has been the best decision of my life and I continue to love him more and more every day. The second-best decision was marrying the love of my life, Logan Schwandt, in December of 2015. We now have 2 beautiful children, Kiah and Logan Jr. I graduated college from UW-Whitewater with my Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Math Education in 2016.

I then continued my education at UT-Arlington to earn my Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2020. I was a math teacher for 6 years until Logan and I followed our call to The Lakes Church. It was then that I stepped back from teaching and walked into the administrator position at church.

My job is to handle the daily business and financial operations at church. I was also blessed enough to go to Jesus School in 2023-2024, an online program from Jesus Image Church in Orlando, FL.Each day, I get to fulfill my passion for serving and loving others while having the privilege to care for my family. It has been incredible to call The Lakes Church my family and to call Waupaca my home. I am blessed beyond measure.

I joined the team at The Lakes in the summer of 2023, and since then, my love for this community, the people, and especially Jesus has only grown deeper. I’m grateful to be part of such an amazing church family!

You’ll probably spot me in the tech booth most days, making sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes—whether that’s updating the website, posting on social media, or capturing moments with photos and videos. I’m always working on something creative, and I love collaborating with our tech volunteers to make Sunday services the best they can be.  In addition, I’m grateful to serve part-time at our Children’s Center, where I’m able to support the growth and care of children in our community.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me hanging out with my friends and family. As the youngest, I’ve always looked up to my older siblings, who continue to inspire me in so many ways. I’m also a huge music lover—whether it’s performing, songwriting, or just jamming out, music fuels my creativity and keeps me balanced.

With all of this, I’m incredibly grateful for the way The Lakes has invested in me spiritually and professionally. I feel blessed to be part of such an amazing team!