meet our staff

Pastor Dan sees himself as a pastor to all people. The Bible passage that shapes him the most is Romans 8.38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Recognizing that this is a fundamental truth for all people, he hopes to help all people feel loved by God and welcome in the church. He understands faith to not just be knowledge about God or a part of life, but fundamental trust in the promises of God that shapes every aspect of how we live. He strives to help people live into “life-orienting” faith through his ministry. 

He loves spending time with his wife, Jen, and their son, Ethan. He delights in spending time in creation whether through hiking, biking, climbing, kayaking, ultimate frisbee or just sitting and taking it all in. Though he plays piano and guitar, voice is his preferred instrument, especially when he can sing with others. Being a people person, he always looks forward to spending time with his friends, having conversations with people, and passing time in the presence of others. He is known for his love of coffee and expresses creativity through cooking and brewing beer. He also likes reading both fiction and theology. 

He grew up in North Central Iowa as a pastor’s kid. He attended Luther College where he studied Psychology and Classics (Greek). He attended seminary at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA. His first call was to Grace Lutheran Church in Muscatine, IA. After getting married to Jen, he took a call to Lutheran Campus Ministry at KU in Lawrence, KS. When Jen took a position as Associate Professor of Chemistry at Luther College, bringing them back to Northeastern Iowa, Pastor Dan was called to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cresco. 

Cindy Yslas had been the Office Administrator at Immanuel Lutheran for the past 10 years.  Originally from Cresco, Cindy and her husband Mike traveled around the world with the United States Air Force for a combined 50 years coming back to Cresco in 2014 to retire.  Together, they have 4 grown daughters, 12 grandchildren and have raised the eldest grandson CJ since birth, recently sending him off to College in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Since retiring from teaching in 2014, I have taken up the duties and responsibilities for creating the slides for worship on Sundays and Wednesday night for the WOW service. My goal is to make the worship service easy to follow for members and visitors through the projection of the slides. I appreciate the people who volunteer on Sundays to run the computer. I also serve as the recorder for the songs that the hymn selection committee chooses. I am thankful for the contributions these people make to worship service.

I have lived in Cresco for the last 23 years. I am originally from Ossian, Iowa. I have 4 children and 3 grandchildren. I am currently a full-time student at Upper lowa University in Fayette. I am studying to become a science teacher. In my spare time I enjoy reading, putting together puzzles, and spending time with family and friends.

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