Carol Hard
I started attending Christ Church with husband Gary and son Corey about 22 years ago, after moving to Denver from the Midwest. Among my first experiences were attending the Alpha and Beta courses offered at the time. Members of those first discussion groups are still dear to me today. Shortly thereafter, I attended a class about the Episcopal Church and was received into the Episcopal Church by the Bishop of Colorado. I grew up in the Lutheran Church in Minnesota and attended Augsburg College, a Lutheran college in Minneapolis.
Since joining Christ Church I've volunteered for: Vacation Bible School, a former version of the New Member ministry and the new Welcome Ministry, helped coordinate meals for the Friends in Need Program, the banner ministry for children, the Christmas/Epiphany Children's Pageant, the praise music group, the Weekend Away coordinating housing assignments, and outreach partner Providence Network. I've been a member of a Life Group for about 20 years and have attended numerous Women's Retreats and meetings and Christian Formation Classes. I was fortunate to be able to join the 2022 Christ Church pilgrimage to Greece "Following in the Footsteps of Paul." I also attended a Cursillo weekend in Northern California in the fall of 2021.
Son Corey, now 26 years old and living in Centennial, grew up in the church and participated in all that Christ Church had to offer our children and youth: Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Youth Group, Youth Group Mission Trips, the Youth Group Good Friday service, and spending regular evenings with our LifeGroup families.
I've recently reduced my working hours to part-time after working for 11 years for the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Prior to that, I spent the first part of my professional life working in the financial services industry.
Andy Colella
The Colellas have been a part of the Christ Church congregation since 2018. Andy, his wife Patricia and their three kids (Charlotte 11, Grace 8 and Griffin 5) can usually be found at the 10:30 service. Andy has spent his entire professional life in education as a high school science teacher. He recently retired from the Cherry Creek School District and currently works at the University of Denver at the Ricks Center for the Gifted and Talented. Andy enjoys exercise, DIY projects, skiing in the winter and going to the pool with his kids in the summer.
Steve Mulhern
Kathy and I started attending Christ Church in 1990. When we first visited, we had a one-year-old daughter, Hilary, and Kathy was pregnant with Riley, our son. Today, both our grown children live in Denver and have three grandchildren. We have stayed at Christ Church ever since our first visit. Over the years I have served on a number of committees at Christ Church (the vestry, three search committees, the finance committee, and the 9 o’clock service committee) and been involved in several aspects of teaching at the church (adult Bible studies, children’s Sunday school, and the preaching committee).
I grew up in Carpinteria, a small town south of Santa Barbara. I ventured to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. USC was an enormous change at every level for a kid who attended a high school of 750 students. Yet, in the midst of the overwhelming urban college life, the Lord provided me with a unique group of Christian friends with whom I am still in relationship.
Following college, I moved to Denver to attend Denver Seminary, where I met Kathy. She was pursuing a degree in Church History and I was pursuing a degree in Theology. We married within a year of meeting and we celebrated our 40th anniversary last fall.
During seminary I felt a strong nudge to be in the private sector and began a career in the commercial real estate business around 1984. I am still in the commercial real estate business today.