Staff

Pastor – Jason Talsness

Jason has served as Amazing Grace’s pastor since 2003. He brings a passion for preaching and teaching the Bible, and connecting the faith to everyday life.

He and his wife Alexandra have been married sixteen years, having been blessed with three children. A native of Minnesota, Jason has been a pastor since 1997. Before coming to the South, he served churches in New York and Minnesota.

Pastor Jason’s education includes a Masters of Divinity Degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Mn and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, majoring in psychology.

In his free time, his interests include Frisbee golf, reading, following sports, listening to music and going to concerts. He loves being a husband and father, enjoys coffee shops, listening to NPR, and travel.

• Recent Movies watched: Constantine;  Forks Over Knives.
• Recent Books read: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides;  Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.
• 5 favorite albums of all time: The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street, R.E.M. – Reckoning, Glenn Gould’s version of JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Beck – Sea Change, Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise.
• Favorite Bible verse:  I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

---

Director of Music – Lois Simon

Lois began her musical training as a piano student and a French horn player.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Arizona.  Previous to her joining the Amazing Grace family, she was a middle school band and chorus teacher.

Lois began singing in college, still studies voice and has sung in and around Atlanta with the DeKalb Choral Guild, Lutheran Chorale, Sacre Voci, and the William Baker Summer Singers.

Lois has served as the Music Director at Amazing Grace since 1996. She has channeled God’s word with voices and varied instrumentation through many different musical styles ranging from bluegrass, rock, jazz, gospel, mariachi, Appalachian, and Sacred Harp to brass choir, wind ensemble, and string quartet.

Lois, a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, also teaches piano lessons and maintains a large piano studio in Lawrenceville. Lois maintains membership in the American Choral Directors’ Association, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Georgia Music Teachers’ Association, and is past president of the Gwinnett County Music Teachers’ Association.

---

Organist – Alayne Brown

Alayne Brown has served as organist, accompanist and keyboardist at Amazing Grace for ten years. In addition to two Sunday morning services and a Wednesday evening service, she accompanies the choir at their weekly rehearsals.

Alayne studied organ performance and piano with Alberta Yeaglin Nicholas of the Juliard School of Music, and later with Dr. R. Karl at the Pittsburgh Music Institution. She continues to broaden her education in church music by attending courses in contemporary and traditional music offered by local universities and at conferences and classes. She is a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Previous to moving to Atlanta, she has served as organist at various Lutheran churches in Pittsburgh, Houston, and Miami. She attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where she was instrumental in forming a Lutheran Church on campus.