Clergy

Rev. Emily Goldthwaite
Bridging Team Lead Minister

Rev. Emily Goldthwaite joined Creekside UCC as Bridging Team Lead Minister in June 2026, leading the talented staff team and care for the church through a time of transition following the retirement of Rev. Sarah Campbell. Emily formerly served Creekside (then Mayflower) as Associate Minister from 2013-2018, and then spent eight years organizing full time for affordable housing development and policy at Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative. At Beacon, Emily worked with more than 100 congregations in the Twin Cities metro area. Previously, she also worked with churches and nonprofits in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota, as well as Global Ministries partners in Palestine and Israel. She recently celebrated her 20th anniversary of ordination in the United Church of Christ. Emily holds a Master’s of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion and a bachelor’s degree in French and English from the University of Oregon. Go Ducks!

Rev. Susie Hayward, PhD
Minister for Justice Organizing and Adult Faith Formation

Rev. Hayward came to Creekside on the heels of two decades’ work in human rights, peacebuilding, and teaching in Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Boston. Born and raised in Edina, Susie cut her teeth in justice as a teenager skipping school to attend anti-war and queer-rights protests downtown. After a handful of years studying religion, violence, and peace at Harvard and Tufts, practicing Buddhism in Nepal, and working on-the-ground for peace in Sri Lanka, she joined the Religion and Peacebuilding program at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Ordained by the UCC in 2009 to the ministry of religious peacebuilding, her work at USIP had her partnering worldwide with religious leaders of different faiths and backgrounds to transform violence and advance justice. More recently, Susie helped build the Religion and Public Life program at Harvard Divinity School. She co-edited the book Women, Religion, and Peacebuilding: Illuminating the Unseen and has published widely in various policy fora, academic journals, and popular media. Susie returned home to Minnesota in 2023 and lives in Minneapolis with family. Her side hustles include struggling to complete her dissertation, advising organizations advancing just peace, inserting Prince lyrics to quotidian conversation, and backcountry camping.

Bree McKee-Miller
Director of Faith Formation

Creekside member Bree McKee-Miller (she/her) holds a BA in Religious Studies with a minor in History from Chapman University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She is a writer, fiber artist, knitting instructor, rock climber, and geek. She is fundamentally a creative with a passion for empowering others to try new things, express themselves, find meaning, and be understood. She lives in Eagan with her husband Greg, daughter Chloe, and King Charles Spaniel Nezuko. Bree has been a member of Creekside for roughly a decade.

Doe Hoyer
Student Organizing Chaplain

Doe will be serving both the congregation and the wider activist community of which Creekside is a part. In this new role, Doe hopes to be available for climate spiritual care, tending to eco-grief and active hope (a la Joanna Macy), and accompaniment of Creekside’s organizing teams. Doe recently graduated from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, and is currently work as the Organizing Director for the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, supporting a faith-based movement for Indigenous justice and liberation. They are excited to bring some of the Coalition’s fundamental skills trainings to Creekside and the wider Minnesota Repair Communities this year. Doe is also a community song leader and hopes to bring this connective style of group singing into this role as well.

Music Leaders

Nancy Grundahl

Nancy Grundahl has been the conductor of the Mayflower/Creekside Adult choir for more than 40 years. She is the recipient of the 2019 F. Melius Christiansen Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Choral Directors Association of MN, a prestigious award that recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions, noteworthy servant leadership, and promotion of choral music within their communities and throughout the state of MJ. Nancy holds vocal performance degrees from St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota. As a soprano soloist, she has appeared in recitals and concert throughout the area and has taught voice at St. Olaf College. In addition to her work at Creekside, she is the conductor of the Angelica Cantanti ENCORE choir, a 60 voice choir of alumni, staff, parents and friends of Angelica. She conducted the Riverside Singers at Augsburg University for 25 years before retiring in 2019. More than 75 of her arrangements and compositions for choirs have been published by Hal Leonard, Augsburg Fortress and several other publishers. Her exploration of vocal techniques for beautiful singing is a focus of her teaching and conducting. She enjoys finding diverse styles of repertoire for the Creekside Choir that challenges the singers and enhances and deepens the worship experience. Family time at the cabin, enjoying watching her grandchildren grow up, walking the dog with her husband Steve, and gardening keep her balanced and full.

Franco Holder

Franco comes to us with 20+ years of experience in church music after serving Methodist, Lutheran and Unitarian churches, and he shines in many different areas. Besides being a highly skilled pianist and organist who is fluent in many styles (classical, contemporary, jazz, blues, gospel and pop), Franco has experience with bell choirs, children’s choirs, conducting, composing, musical theater, performing and teaching. He will conduct our Creekside Bell Choir and perhaps start a chime choir for children in the near future. He says that his favorite  part of being a church organist is accompanying the choirs and forming relationships. He holds degrees in piano and organ performance from Indiana University and in religious studies from Iowa State University.

Randi Rexroth

Randi Grundahl Rexroth is the conductor of the Creekside Youth Choir. She has taught choral music in Minnesota and Wisconsin and grew up in the Creekside youth music program. Growing up singing at Creekside was a meaningful experience and she hopes to provide the same for the next generation of singers. As a youth who sang with the late and beloved Dana Blanck, Randi is honored to continue the vibrant tradition of children and youth singing at Creekside. Currently she teaches at Visitation School in Mendota Heights and is the artistic director of the Twin Cities Women’s Choir. Randi is also an arranger and composer and enjoys creating new pieces for choirs and small ensembles. She loves to garden, knit, and spend time with family at cabins.