Meet Our ILME Leadership Couple. . .
Mick & Sandy Preston
ILME Chair Couple
Mick and Sandy Preston married in August 1978 and live in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area.
They attended their first LME weekend in August 1981 and have actively participated ever since. They have held various leadership positions and been presenters since 1991.
Their family includes 3 adult children and 8 grandchildren, totaling 4 boys and 4 girls.
They have been blessed by many couples and families throughout their years in ILME.
Our ILME Board Couples
Pastor Håkan & Eva Persson
European Region
Håkan and Eva Persson married in 2002 and now have two daughters ages 19 and 17 years old.
In 2012 they attended a Marriage Encounter experience in Sweden. They also participated in a Deeper Weekend in 2013 and became a clergy presenting couple for Marriage Encounter in Sweden in 2014 and continue to do so. They have also been on the European Region ILME Board since 2016.
The Perssons believe Marriage Encounter is very important work because they are working for and with God and are part of a good team that have also become their good friends. They believe being a part of Marriage Encounter is a blessing.
Pastor Sigga (Sigríður Kristín Helgadóttir)
& Eyji (Eyjólfur Einar Elíasson)
European Region
Sigga and Eyji have been married since June 5, 1993. They have 4 daughters, 4 sons-in-law and 3 grandchildren.
Sigga is a family therapist and a pastor in two beautiful churches in Reykjavík, Bústaðakirkja, and Grensáskirkja, Iceland. Eyji is the head of the Reykjavík City Kitchen and makes sure senior citizens get their main meal every day.
They first attended a Marriage Encounter experience in Iceland in 2005 and have since been active in the work of Marriage Encounter in Iceland. They are very grateful for Marriage Encounter and have a saying: “All couples should attend a Marriage Encounter experience!”
Pastor Kevin & Raye Guynn
North American Region
Pastor Kevin and Raye Guynn were married in 1977 and encountered in 1995. They have three adult children, one granddaughter, and one grandson. Their children are scattered throughout our beautiful nation – from California to Ohio.
After retiring as an educational administrator, Kevin attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and became pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Mentor, Ohio. After 15 years as church secretary at Faith, Raye retired in 2013.
The Guynns feel blessed to serve in the Lutheran Marriage Encounter ministry.
Jim & Jill Steinke
North American Region
Jim and Jill Steinke are from Grand Island, Nebraska, and have been married for 27 years.
Jim is in sales and marketing, and Jill works in insurance billing. Their favorite thing to do is take short road trips and sample the local flavors at new and interesting places along the way.
Their busy life also includes their two sons, Brett and Nolan, and a new daughter-in-law.
Jim and Jill were encountered in February 2011 and have been singing the praises of LME ever since! They are passionate about helping couples communicate and connect with one another in new ways.
Our North American Leadership Couples
David & Jean Fell
North American Eastern District
David & Jean Fell have been married for 53 years, are residents of Kent, Ohio, and are members of Advent Lutheran Church in Solon, Ohio. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters and grandparents of two.
David is retired from a career of “head hunting” in IT and finance. Their hobbies include golf and photography for David as well as cello and handcrafts for Jean. Together they enjoy traveling, birding, biking, hiking, & snorkeling.
They were encountered in 1980 They believe Marriage Encounter shows the value of intentionality and making decisions to love. Since then they have read many communication and relationship books and served in numerous lay leadership roles at every level of LME. They have been richly blessed by the “internal adventures” and friendships with ME couples all over the world who also want the best for their marriages.
Pastor Ted & Marty Hartman
North American Western District Clergy Couple
Pastor Ted and Marty Hartman have been married since 1967, and have been involved with Marriage Encounter since 1979, when their lives were richly blessed by an experience.
They live in Garden Valley, California, and have four daughters and sons-in-law, and 11 grandchildren, which are their greatest joy.
Ted is now “mostly” retired from the ministry, and Marty is retired from her teaching career. Their time is spent working on their beautiful property and small vineyard/winemaking business called Four Angels Vineyard. Ted and Marty also enjoy reading and music, and both sing in a community choral group, Colla Voce of the Sierra.
Over the years, it has been their privilege to use their gifts as presenters and leaders in LME. The blessings from that have been abundant, as they have met many wonderful people and experienced meaningful relationship growth in their experience as LME volunteers.
Jason & Leah Cole
North American Western District
Jason is a Land Planner, working with large land development in Northern California and Leah is an American Sign Language Interpreter.
Leah grew up with parents who were actively involved in the growth of Lutheran Marriage Encounter and saw firsthand the benefits of the experience on her family throughout her childhood. Now, Jason and Leah use the techniques and concepts contained within Marriage Encounter to not only deepen their own relationship, but also to enhance the connections between their children.
A frequent family dinner conversation topic/game includes each person describing a strong feeling they had during the day, and everyone else at the dinner table guessing the right analogy of what that feeling was like (was it anticipation like waiting for Christmas morning or anticipation like waiting in line for a roller coaster?) until someone nails it!
Jason and Leah Cole have been a presenting couple in Marriage Encounter for over 10 years. They enjoy connecting with other couples from around America who are all united with a passion for marriage growth and focus.
Dave & Pastor Linda Pedersen
North American Central District
Dave and Pastor Linda Pedersen live on Lake Marion near Hutchinson, Minnesota, not far from where they grew up in St. Paul. They were married in 1973 at the same church where they were baptized, confirmed, and served as a clergy couple.
Pastor Linda has served as an associate pastor, senior pastor, and a synod minister in Southwestern Minnesota. She now enjoys watching movies and cooking. Dave is a former sportswriter who enjoys following local sports teams and researching genealogy. Both volunteer for various activities and enjoy fishing and spending time with their family of two adult children and three grandchildren.
They were encountered in the fall of 1999 in Bloomington, Minnesota, and started presenting in 2001.