MEET OUR TEAM
Dan is accustomed to life in Colorado as he grew up across the mountains in Estes Park at another Torchbearers Bible School and conference center: Ravencrest Chalet. Dan's family has a rich history with Torchbearers. His grandfather founded the ministry back in 1948 and Dan’s father directed Ravencrest for decades and served as the General Director of Torchbearers International. For Dan, as the Director of Timberline Lodge, his jobs are to take care of the needs of his staff, provide direction organizationally, and most of all make sure communicating Christ's life is at the forefront of everything Timberline does.
Contact: director@timberlinelodge.org
Dan Thomas
Director
Joseph Weissman
Operations Director
Joseph Weissman was born and raised in Estes Park, Colorado at Timberline’s sister center Ravencrest Chalet. After finishing high school (a year early as a homeschooler) he headed to Caprenwray New Zealand for his gap-year experience. One year after Bible school he returned to New Zealand to work on staff. It was there that he sensed the Lord’s leading in his life to become involved full time with Torchbearers. After finishing up College at Colorado State University, Joseph was hired as the Dean of Students at Timberline. He married Rachel in 2013, and they have since enjoyed welcoming five children into their family: William 9, Ezra 8, Jane 7, Huxley 4, Roaslie 3. Joseph Transitioned from being the Principal in 2019 to His current role as the Operations Director. Joseph leads the Kitchen, Hospitality, and Property teams to serve the Bible School and Guest programs through behind the scenes support.
A native of the Colorado Mountains, Megan spent the first three years of her life at Timberline while her parents were on staff. She attended Tauernhof, a Torchbearer Center in Austria, where she grew in her love of Jesus. After college she worked in college ministry before coming on staff at Timberline. As the program director, she helps to provide an environment for guests to experience God through the many outdoor adventures the area has to offer. In her free time Megan enjoys skiing, mountain biking, running and reading a good book.
Megan Osteen
Program Director
Sam, a 2012 Timberline Alumni, is originally from North Carolina but has spent most of his adult life in Colorado. and his wife Laura returned to join the staff in 2015 as one-year volunteers and have been at Timberline ever since. They now have two children, Floyd, Willa and Olive. Sam likes snowboarding, fly fishing, cooking, and most of all speanding a quiet day at home with his family. As a Principle Sam is responsible for planning and facilitating everything relating to Bible School. He would say the best part about his job is the community dynamic between staff and students.
Contact: principle@timberlinelodge.org
Sam Hatfield
Principal
Philipp hails from Vöcklabruck, Austria. After finishing highschool in Austria, Philipp attended Bible School at Timberline Lodge in 2012. His wife Haley and him have been blessed with two children. They joined the staff team in 2023. Outside of learning God's word Philipp enjoys playing volleyball, soccer, and mushroom hunting. As Communications Director it is Philipp's job to keep Timberlines audience engaged as well as take care of all internal communications within our staff team.
Contact: communications@timberlinelodge.org
Philipp Stieb
Communications Director
Michael grew up in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. He came to Timberline as a student in 2012, then served in Capernwray New Zealand as a ministries coordinator for two years before coming back to Timberline as staff. He has a heart for outreach and sharing the gospel with people for the first time, as well as real New Zealand licorice, surfing, and Justin Bieber.
Michael Dyck
Ministries Coordinator
Andrew was born and raised in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. After graduating from Timberline as a student in 2005 he married his high school sweetheart, Lisa. Since then they spent 12 years serving at Capernwray Quebec Bible Center in Quebec, Canada, had 3 boys, and are thrilled to be back in the Rockies serving at Timberline. Andrew really enjoys living in community alongside other staff, students, and guests.
Andrew Dusing
Property Manager
Harper is a 2020 Timberline alumni and proud Minnesotan. Despite growing up in a Christian home, it wasn’t until her Timberline year when she actually understood the power and freedom of the indwelling life of Christ. After her student year at TL, she went to college to get her business degree. Five months before her college graduation, she felt God calling her back to the valley to serve as Timberline’s registrar. She is loving using her gifts in communication and hospitality to disciple students. She is grateful to work somewhere where her coworkers are her best friends/neighbors and feel like family.
contact: registrar@timberlinelodge.org
Harper Aumock
Registrar
Sarah has served at Timberline for 15 years in many capacities but has more recently taken up the role of helping to communicate what God is doing in and through the staff and programming here. It is her passion to spread the good news about the incredible Life Christ offers us, and how beautifully He works in all our lives – staff, student, and guest alike. She feels privileged and humbled to work in such an environment with faith-filled staff surrounding her and looks forward to what God will continue to do through Timberline Lodge.
contact: communications@timberlinelodge.org
Sarah Thomas
Communications Manager
From Kansas City, Missouri, Janelle's love for the outdoors deepened at Timberline since 2020. The changing mountain seasons offer constant beauty and adventure. As Hospitality Manager, she finds support and friendship among the staff. Janelle enjoys witnessing the Lord's work in students' hearts and values building relationships. She takes joy in seeing guests at Timberline blessed during their stays. Active and always ready for music, meals, baking, or coffee with friends.
Janelle Bergthold
Hospitality Manager
Claire grew up in England but now enjoys watching the sun rise over the Rockies while cooking breakfast in the Timberline kitchen. She is known for once serving the students locusts at a graduation brunch and for spending too many painful hours hand rolling dough for kouign amann pastries. In her spare time she enjoys reading; she is currently ploughing her way through 'The Magic Mountain' by Thomas Mann and 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' by Jeff Kinney.
Claire Eastlund
Kitchen Manager
Shammah grew up in Eugene, Oregon, but spent many years adventuring around the midwest until she came to Timberline as a student. God has done a lot of work in her life since first coming to Timberline. She is super thankful to now be involved in a deeper level as full time staff, walking alongside the students and staff as she works hard to maintain the property with Andrew. Shammah loves riding horses, driving big trucks, and wearing cowboy boots. She is also popularly voted as one of the hardest workers and loudest laughers, though she would probably never acknowledge it.
Shammah Gershom
Property Assistant
Originally from northwest Montana, Paige has lived in the Fraser Valley since 1986. She came to Colorado to pursue a career in the ski industry, working at various resorts and departments. Seeking to slow down a bit when kids entered the picture, Paige began working in non-profit bookkeeping for a local church. She joined Timberline in 2018 and enjoys helping students and families navigate the business end of attending Bible School as well as keeping Timberline's finances organized and current. She feels blessed to work alongside the faithful staff making a difference in so many people's lives by sharing the abundant life of Christ.
Paige enjoys Nordic and Tele skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
Paige Walker
Accountant
THE HISTORY OF
It was a God-given vision born out of the devastation of World War II when Major W. Ian Thomas, returning from the war, determined with his wife Joan to open their hearts and doors to European young people. Providing them with lodging and food in a holiday setting, Thomas also gave insightful teaching from the Bible and soon these guests began to discover the adventure of knowing Jesus Christ personally.
It was the German youth who came in those early years to Capernwray who began calling themselves the “Fackeltraeger” or “carriers of the torch,” and so the name “Torchbearers” was born. The dynamic reality of the Christian life as a relationship with the indwelling Christ began to rekindle the lives of hundreds from all over Europe as Bible Schools sprang up first in Germany and
then Austria. Since its founding in 1947, the ministry has spread to every continent in 26 different centers, and thousands of people each year have been changed by the reality that first touched the life of Thomas at the age of 19.
One of those centers is Timberline Lodge, nestled in the beautiful Fraser Valley.
Timberline Lodge was purchased back in 1995 when Brad and Jane Keirnes, who had been involved at Tauernhof, a Torchbearer Bible School in Austria, felt led to bring the same life-transforming blend of Bible teaching, discipleship, and outdoor adventure back to Colorado. The non-profit, Timberline Ministries, was founded. Shortly after, guests started coming to “The Lodge” to retreat from the busyness of life, ski at Winter Park Resort, and above all else be introduced or reintroduced to the person of Christ through the teaching of His Word. From day one, the heart of the ministry has been to share with guests the incredible outdoor
hundreds of youth throughout the summer to enjoy Colorado in full bloom as well as serves youth groups and adult groups throughout the winter months, often taking advantage of the world renown ski resort just 10 minutes away. For the last 20 years, Timberline has also run a Bible School, where our staff adventure through life with around 35 students for 8 months. This Bible School program takes Timberline’s history full circle to when its founders originally had the vision to reproduce the life transformational experience that they had so many years ago in Austria, showing again that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore!
environment of the Rocky Mountains in partnership with personal discipleship and Bible teaching. This remains our heart to this day. Now, almost 25 years later, Timberline hosts
Learn more about Torchbearers International and the world-wide ministry Timberline is proud to be a part of!