Our Pastoral Staff
Matt Giesman
Senior Pastor
Matt was born in Lima, OH, in 1981, but spent over 20 years living in the Deep South being raised by Midwesterners. In college, Matt studied Journalism at the University of Alabama, worked for the campus radio station, served as the Sports Editor of The Crimson White student newspaper, and served at several Christian camps.
Matt earned his Master of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, while interning at Trinity Presbyterian. Later, Matt served as Assistant Pastor of Youth and Families at Fort Worth Presbyterian from 2009-2011. He also served for five years as Assistant Pastor at Providence Presbyterian in Clinton, MS before moving to Colorado Springs to serve as Senior Pastor of Forestgate on October 1, 2015.
Matt is married to Liz, a registered nurse who serves as the elementary school nurse at the same charter school that their children attend. Their children are Annabelle (born in 2013) and Benjamin (2017). The Giesmans also have a Welsh Terrier named Oswalt. Matt is glad to be closer to good skiing destinations. Matt defended his dissertation (on leadership and teamwork among ruling elders) for his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological Seminary on April Fool’s Day, 2020.
Josh Harstine
Assistant Pastor of Youth & Families
Josh was born and raised in the midwest. He studied at Grove City College and then Reformed Theological Seminary (DC) where he earned an MA in Biblical Studies. Josh served as an Intern at NewCity Church and taught high school Bible and Theology for seven years. Josh met his wife Courtney at Trinity Christian School where they both taught.
Josh and Courtney moved to Colorado about a year after they were married where Josh's pursuit of pastoral ministry continued in the Rocky Mountain Presbytery. Josh has a deep desire to see the next generation of Christ's Church raised up in faith and a confident hope in the promises of God which led him to Forestgate in the Spring of 2023. Josh and Courtney welcomed their daughter in April 2022.
Our Elders
“Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
Acts 20:28
Chuck Young
Chuck was blessed to be raised in a Christian home in Alabama and accepted Christ to be his Lord and Savior as a teenager. He attended a small college on a baseball scholarship and majored in Christian Education and minored in Bible and Greek. Upon graduation, the Lord led him to the projects of Newark NJ for an Inner-city ministry for 4 years. It was a great time of spiritual growth and biblical learning from Bill Iverson, who led that ministry. The Lord called him back to Alabama where he met and married Debbie. They moved to Mississippi where they raised their 3 sons, and he started a business selling orthopedic implants to surgeons for 35 years. Chuck served as an elder at a PCA church there for 14 years until the Lord called them to Colorado Springs. He likes to teach and has a passion for discipling and teaching men. He enjoys hiking and spending time with their sons who live here in Colorado and playing with their 2 grandsons.
Craig Odell
Craig grew up in a covenant family that has attended Forestgate since the first service in 1986. He came to know Christ at a young age and does not remember a time when he did not trust Christ as Lord and Savior. Blessed with an upbringing of believing parents, Craig has been active in the Church body throughout his life in various capacities. Craig married his wife, Jessica, during his undergraduate schooling in Fort Collins, CO. After receiving an undergraduate in Electrical Engineering, Craig and his wife moved back to Colorado Springs and joined Forestgate in 2011. Since moving back to Colorado Springs, Craig has earned a Master’s degree in Computer Science and has enjoyed working in the software space. He and Jess now have three children: Sophie, Lottie, and Elliot, who are 10, 7, and 4. Craig enjoys time with his family, hiking, backpacking, skiing, and all things technology-related. As an officer-candidate at Forestgate, Craig’s heart is to serve and ultimately bring glory to God in all he does. Craig welcomes any questions you may have for him while considering him for election as an officer. Craig’s contact info is odell.craig@gmail.com or 719-201-4883.
Bartel de Leeuw
Bartel was born and raised in Canada and moved with his family to England and later to the Netherlands where he met and married Annelies. He was blessed to be raised by parents that loved the Lord and grew up in reformed churches. When their daughter Gabrielle was 6 months old, Bartel and Annelies moved to America and spent 10 years in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Bartel and Annelies both have a special place in their heart for adoption and kids with medical needs, and God blessed them with two daughters from China. Mei Li was adopted in 2011 and Li Na in 2013. All three of their daughters have medical needs. Bartel served as an elder in a PCA church in the Atlanta area. The mountains of Colorado were still calling, and in the spring of 2016 the family moved to Colorado Springs and joined Forestgate Church. Bartel and Annelies were involved in setting up the two Adoption and Foster Parent groups at Forestgate. Bartel loves hiking and especially likes taking on Colorado’s Fourteeners. He also enjoys woodworking. The family likes camping and spending time outdoors. Bartel has worked in business software for 20 years and currently works remotely in the software company in Wisconsin that he owns with his two partners.
Daniel Klute
Daniel grew up in Southern California becoming a Christian in his junior year of high school as the lead for a church musical about one's search for God. He participated in musical groups and choirs through high school and college. Daniel and his wife Melissa have been married for thirty-six years and have two children Sarah and Joshua. They have lived in Colorado for almost thirty years moving to Monument in 2018. Daniel has served as a Chief Technology Officer, System Architect, and Technology Strategist for large corporations, state, and federal government clients for over thirty years. Daniel is a retired scuba instructor and enjoys woodworking and outdoor activities.
Josh Drake
Josh is a 2nd generation missionary kid (his parents and grandparents served at home and abroad with the Navigators) and a RTS-Jackson seminary graduate. Before moving to Colorado Springs, Josh served for five years as a pastor in rural Vermont, engaging in church revitalization, evangelism, as well as establishing and leading a collegiate ministry with FCA. Presently, Josh is engaged in studies pursuing at Doctor of Ministry at New Geneva Theological Seminary here in town. He and his wife Ashley joined Forestgate in 2018, along with their young son, Tim.
Dale Oderman
Born in New Jersey, Dale moved to California at age 13. During his senior year as a cadet at the Air Force Academy, he began questioning the meaning of life, and his water polo teammates (involved with the Navigators) directed him to Christ as the answer. Convinced of the reality of Jesus and what He had done on the cross, Dale confessed Him as Lord and Savior. He met his wife, Vera, in graduate school at Purdue University, and they married in 1970. They lived all over the world during Dale’s AF career, have three grown children, and five grandchildren. Dale retired in 1995, he then worked as a professor of aviation management at Purdue for 15½ years. Dale was originally ordained as an elder in 1975 in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which merged with the PCA in 1982. After joining Forestgate in April 2011 he was ordained as an elder in 2012. Dale teaches adult Sunday school, and enjoys shepherding members and leading worship. He volunteers weekly at Compassion International and also enjoys golf, snow skiing, and woodworking.
Chris Odell
“I professed Christ as Lord and Savior, and was baptized at a summer church camp 50 years ago. It wasn’t until after high school though that I really understood and began to take my faith in Christ seriously. Molly and I have been treasured companions (married) for almost 42 years; we have been members of Forestgate for over 36 years. We have been blessed with four married children and twelve grandchildren.
Molly and I began attending Village Seven Presbyterian Church in 1981. It was here that we first were exposed to, and began to fall in love with, a comprehensive Biblical view of Christianity (which many call a reformed view). We started with Forestgate at its first service in Feb. 1986. I was ordained as a ruling elder in Oct 1992, and have served as an active ruling elder for approximately 20 years, in between required and voluntary sabbaticals. Over the years I have also served in various capacities in the Missions, Men’s, Fellowship and Finance ministry teams, as a Sunday school teacher and small group leader. Currently, I lead the finance ministry team and a community group which meets in our home.
As an elder at Forestgate, my heart is to shepherd and protect the flock, to equip others for the work of service, and to encourage and support my fellow elders, that our Father might be glorified through Forestgate and each of us.”
Our Deacons
Peter Chon
Peter Chon was born in Seoul Korea, parents immigrated to Memphis Tennessee in 1973 then moved to Houston, Texas in 1978. First memory of being introduced to Christianity was attending a large Billy Graham crusade in 1973 with his mom and grandmother months before moving to the US.
He grew up and met wife-to-be Stephanie in 1978 at Korean Presbyterian Church of Houston (PCA). He and Stephanie married in 1993 and have two kids, a daughter Claire and a son Ethan.
They moved to Monument, Colorado because of work in 2014 and have been attending FPC since.
Harry Seidel
Harry grew up in Wisconsin and met Ginger while stationed at Lowry AFB, Denver and they were married while still in the Air Force. After the Air Force Harry worked as a manager for companies in the auto and oil industries. Prior to moving to Colorado, Harry was involved in church ministries including positions of deacon, elder, small group and study leader. Harry and Ginger have been communing members of FPC since moving to Colorado Springs in 2019.
Bob Welch
Bob Welch and his wife, Kristen, and their children, Tate (17) and Allie (14), live in southern Douglas County. Bob was raised by a churchgoing family east of Colorado Springs. A true awareness of the depth of the Christian faith, however, did not begin to dawn on Bob until after seeing the Truth Project and subsequently diving into R.C. Sproul’s Ligonier Ministries teachings. The Welch family joined Forestgate in late 2019 and Bob serves on the communications team and has helped with the youth group. Bob’s professional career includes work in the publishing and film worlds—primarily with an agriculture focus—and he and his family raise beef cattle.
David Ulsh
David Ulsh came to a saving faith in Christ at a small PCA church in Belleville, IL in 1987. David and his family moved to Colorado Springs in 1993 and he retired from the Air Force in 1995. He and his wife Evelyn joined Forestgate in December 1994. They have three grown daughters and seven grandchildren. David was ordained deacon in 1989 and first elected as deacon at Forestgate in 1997. Since then, he has served as deacon from time to time over the past 25 years and has also served as the church treasurer for 7 years. From 1997 until his retirement last year, David was a project manager for defense contracts. He now enjoys retirement by skiing, mountain biking, and visiting family.
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones was born and raised in a small textile town in North Carolina. At a very young age, during vacation bible school, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized in a local Southern Baptist Church. In the late 1980’s he realized that something was missing in his life and that was “Jesus Christ.” He had been living for years under false pretense of his childhood conversion. He confessed that he was a sinner and repented of his sins. He acknowledged that Jesus Christ was Lord of his life and that He alone is the only way to the Father and eternal salvation. He rededicated his life to follow and to serve Jesus Christ and was baptized in Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. Nancy and Kelly were high school sweethearts and in July will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary. They have three grown children and five grandchildren.
Mike Patterson
Michael believed that he grew up in a Christian family but came to understand the truth and accepted Christ after hearing the gospel for the first time in 1986. He grew in faith and understanding of the reformed tradition while living in Florida and attending Christ Community Church (PCA) while also studying materials from Ligonier Ministries. He was ordained as a Deacon at CCC and was blessed to be able to attend RTS-Orlando studying the Westminster Confession of Faith under Dr. R.C. Sproul. Michael married his high school sweetheart Sharon midway through college and has now been married for more than 40 years, being blessed with 3 children and 5 grandsons. Michael has a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and a master’s in engineering management. Before retiring in 2020, he worked in the space launch industry for over 33 years. Since arriving in CO in 1996, Michael and Sharon have been members of Forestgate. Michael has been a Deacon Assistant for the past couple of years serving as coordinator of the Service Bank previously and now as Building Manager for Forestgate. He and Sharon host a small group in their home and enjoy serving the Wise Owls Community group. Michael enjoys time with his family (grandsons are awesome!), hunting, baseball, fixing cars, and volunteering at Mercy’s Gate - a crisis ministry in Colorado Springs.
Derek Smith
Derek grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, becoming a Christian at an early age and served as a member/officer of Embry Chapel, African Methodist Episcopal Church. He participated in Christian service projects through high school to present. Derek and his wife Corina have been married for twenty-five years and have three children Daniella, Noah and Emma They have lived in Colorado for nine years moving from Madrid, Spain in 2014. Derek has served as a military officer and a consultant for government and non-government agencies for over thirty years. Derek enjoys music, movies, hiking and helping others!
Bill Denham
Bill Denham, his wife Claudia, and their three sons Peter (20), Patrick (17), and Stuart (15) live in Black Forest. Bill grew up in Connecticut, attending various churches but not having a faith in God’s grace until his second year while attending the US Air Force Academy. Since then, he and Claudia have been active in Officer’s Christian Fellowship throughout his military career while attending local churches at their various posts. They first became members of a PCA church in 2015 while attending Trinity Presbyterian in Montgomery, Alabama. They were also members of Main Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Mississippi before moving to Colorado in late 2019 and joining Forestgate. Bill leads the security team, serves on the communication team, and has taught Sunday school to the high school youth group. After finishing his career in the Air Force, he continues to fly for a military contractor. He and his family love being outdoors in Colorado, whether it be skiing, hiking, mountain biking, or backpacking.
Worship Staff
Gracie Brandt
Music Director
gracie.brandt@forestgate.org
Gracie is the daughter of a Christian, Air Force couple, and one of seven kids. The Air Force brought Gracie and her family to Forestgate in 2004 during a short assignment, and then brought them back to Forestgate in 2015. Music has been Gracie’s passion since she was young, and she grew up performing with various musical theater groups and leading at different churches. She has led with various ministries in the Denver-Metro area, and worked with organizations that train and develop worship teams in their musical and spiritual formation. Gracie, trained as a vocalist since the age of 13. As of May of 2023, she is a graduate of Colorado Christian University, where she received her Bachelor’s in Communication and Rhetoric, with an emphasis in Music Performance and Biblical Studies. Gracie has been on staff at Forestgate since June of 2022, first as a Worship Intern, and then accepted the position of Music Director in December of 2022.
Our Support Staff
Rhonda Paulk
Church Office Administrator
office@forestgate.org
Aria Rayes
Communications Coordinator
cc@forestgate.org
Shannon Stark
Events Coordinator
ec@forestgate.org