Jan ("Zippy") ZemanI am a native Minnesotan, born in Litchfield and raised in Hennepin County near Lake Minnetonka. I am the third of five children, sharing the same birth date with my twin sister who is 15 minutes older than me. Besides us, there is an older brother and a younger brother and sister. We were all christened and confirmed in the Moravian Church. My father died when I was seventeen and my mother moved and remarried the following year when I graduated from high school. I then enlisted in the Air Force, attending basic training at Lackland AFB in Texas, going from there to Mather AFB near Sacramento, CA. I spent five years in the service before settling in San Francisco. Fifteen years later, a job change moved me to northern California for a few more years before I moved back to my home state of MN. I settled in Little Falls the summer of 1983 and have made my home here ever since.
While I first visited Our Saviour's Episcopal Church about ten years earlier, I did not become a member until 1998. It was then that I was drawn by the welcoming congregation and by other personal experiences that led me to seek a stronger relationship with God and I knew that I had found my "home". I am in my third year of Education for Ministry (EFM). I was called to the Ministry Team in 1999 as Christian Education Minister and in 2000 became the Communication Coordinator for Spirit of the Heartland. In August of this year, I received the awesome call to that of Lay Preacher.
I have a business background, mostly in the accounting field, having gotten my education at the Golden Gate College in San Francisco. My hobbies include genealogy research and some woodworking when I am able. I like to read, write, enjoy the outdoors and spend lots of time communicating, learning, and playing on the Internet. Mostly, I look forward to using a multitude of insights from my life experiences, and talents, as God shall reveal them, to help others experience the potential of God's Promise He has created in each of us. The biggest and best realities often come to us in the smallest moments. I look forward to sharing some of your small moments. God's peace be with you. - Zippy.