Leaders

The Rev. Cara Spaccarelli

It was the desire to help people encounter God in the world that drew Cara into ministry, and it has been her privilege to walk with many as they discover the ways God comes to them “disguised as their life,” as the theologian Richard Rohr would say.  Cara became the sixth Rector of St. Christopher’s in 2019.  Prior to moving here, she served as Rector of Christ Church Capitol Hill in Washington, DC for nine years, and Canon for Youth, Young Adults, Outreach, and Adult Education at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for four years.   A Midwesterner by birth and upbringing, the Rev. Cara Spaccarelli grew up in Cincinnati. After graduating from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a major in American Studies, she attended the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas and received a Master of Divinity.

Cara and her husband Michael have been married since 2004 and have two sons – one in middle school and one in high school. Cara enjoys working out (Orangetheory), occasionally crafting, and meeting her annual goal to read 52 books.  Cara happily goes by her first name, but if you would prefer to use a title, Rev. Cara is good.

The Rev. Chana Tetzlaff

Chana’s great joy in ministry is helping people of faith ask the hard questions of life and God, to discover that “it is in the shelter of each other that the people live” (old Irish proverb). Or, as Jesus said it, wetruly show our love for God when we show care and concern for every person we encounter, “like” us or not. Prior to joining St. Christopher’s, Chana was priest-in-charge of congregations in North Carolina and Kentucky. Chana has over two decades of leadership experience at the parish, Diocesan, and Provincial levels that includes public advocacy, social justice, teaching for transformative change, and interfaith collaboration. She is a cum laude graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary (M.Div) and holds a Bachelor’s of the Arts in International Relations from the University of California at Davis in her beloved native state.

Chana is actively working on fulfilling her bucket list before she turns 65 (so far 23/75!). In her spare time, she can be found drinking coffee, indulging her foodie inclinations, dancing Lindy Hop, or exploring local activities and events with her husband, TJ, and their dog-children, Molly and Momo.

Allie Wacker

Allie has extensive experience in working with children and youth in both volunteer and paid capacities in educational and religious organizations. She has taught Sunday School, volunteered at Vacation Bible Schools, and served as the Director of a Vacation Bible School with 500 children from eighteen months to sixth grade. A cradle Episcopalian, she graduated from an Episcopal high school in Houston, Texas.

She has a Bachelors of Arts in French and Comparative Literature from Indiana University and a Master of Science in Library Science from Texas Women’s University. She has been a library director and a teacher. Describing herself as a “serial volunteer” Allie has served on city boards and directed large-scale festivals.

Allie and her husband Brian celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary this year. They have two daughters. Allie is passionate about family and children, and says “family is the center of my universe.” In her leisure time, Allie loves reading, camping, and taking road trips with her family, stopping along the way to read historical markers.

Robert Richter

Robert is the Director of Music & Organist at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Carmel Indiana. He received degrees in organ performance from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Arizona State University. He also freelances as a collaborative pianist/accompanist and teaches piano lessons. As a composer and arranger, his work focuses on music for liturgical use, especially choral works, mass settings, and congregational hymn arrangements with brass and organ. Robert’s new composition ‘O Señor, Vivifícanos’ (SSA) won the first place prize in the 2023 Annual Composition Contest – Liturgy Alive, sponsored by the Notre Dame Magnificat Choir. It was premiered in worship at the Basilica of the Sacred on the campus of Notre Dame University April 2023.

Cindy Short

Cindy is in her sixth year with St. Christopher’s. She came to us with 14 years of accounting experience. She has an Associates in Accounting from Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana. Cindy works on Monday and Thursday mornings.

Cindy and her husband have two children. She is an avid reader.

Julie Maus

Julie is a native Hoosier but lived in Chicago for 15 years before moving back to Indiana with her family. She has a Bachelors degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. Julie works in the office on Tuesday through Thursday’s.

In her spare time Julie loves her family adventures, being outdoors, international travel, and expanding her wine knowledge as she is Level 2 Certified with the WSET.