Biographies

Shawn Gingrich
Artistic Director

Shawn serves First United Methodist Church of Hershey as Director of Music Ministry. He has been ringing handbells since 1987 and directing since 1991. In addition to his church work, he is adjunct music professor at Messiah University in Grantham and the Pennsylvania Sales Representative for Malmark Bellcraftsmen. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Sacred Music from Lebanon Valley College, a master’s degree in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College, and the doctorate in worship studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies. Shawn and his wife, Laura, have four children, Peter, Sarah, Christian, and Aaron and they reside in Elizabethtown. They have a Weimaraner named Asher and a Weim-mix named Lilah.

John Kilheffer
Managing Director

John started ringing handbells in 2001 as a charter member of the Jubilation Bronze Handbell Choir at the Tree of Life Lutheran Church in Harrisburg. An active church musician, John equally enjoys singing, ringing, and playing percussion and also served for a time as the handbell director of his church's choirs. He's a graduate with a degree in Computer Science from the Pennsylvania State University and lives and works in the Harrisburg area. He enjoys spending time at home with his wife Barbara and visiting their son, Benjamin, a 2016 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University at University Park with a degree in Electrical Engineering who lives and works in Maryland.

Lisa Beard

Lisa started ringing handbells in 1986 at Grace Lutheran Church, Lancaster. She later co-directed the handbell choir at St. John Lutheran Church, Richfield. While she has served as a church organist, the piano is still her first love. More recently, she wrote the lyrics for several hymns and liturgical pieces for the “Polka Mass with the Heidelberg Brass Band.” She works at Lancaster General Hospital as a medical laboratory scientist in the transfusion medicine department and is also a certified holistic health counselor. She enjoys relaxing with a good book or crossword puzzle and spending time in nature. Lisa lives in Ephrata with her husband, Glenn, and their rescue dog, Jonah.

Holly Brubaker
President

Holly has been ringing handbells since 1995 and rings in several choirs, an ensemble, and a duet, and has participated in numerous handbell festivals and workshops. She is a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Hummelstown where she directs multiple handbell choirs. Holly is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) working for The Hershey Company and lives in Hummelstown with her husband Tim and their five children Coleman, Nicolas, Kira, Megan and Emily (and two cats!). Holly and her family enjoy skiing/snowboarding, camping, various sports and other recreational activities.

Ruth Dunnewood

Ruth has been ringing handbells since 1967. She recently retired from a career as an attorney for the Commonwealth’s Office of General Counsel. She is a founding co-director of A-Pealing Praise, the handbell choir at Penbrook United Church of Christ. Ruth also plays the trumpet and recorder. She lives in Penbrook with her husband, David, and is the fortunate mother of fellow ringer Isaac Salapa.

Kim Grey
Secretary

Kim has been ringing handbell solos, and has been a member of ensembles or choirs since 1999. She is a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown, where she rings and sings in the choir. She is a Social Worker at Penn State Health Pediatrics. She and her husband, Dave, live in Elizabethtown with their cat, Nova. In what free time she has, Kim enjoys gardening, knitting and hanging out with her favorite Godsons Colton and Lucas.

Nate Grim
Board of Direcrors

Nate started playing handbells at his childhood church in 1994. He currently works at Covenant Christian Academy in Harrisburg where he is the fourth grade teacher. Nate also plays for the Hershey Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Harrisburg Concert Band, the Northern Appalachian Wind Symphony and various local playhouses. In addition to performing, he also teaches clarinet, saxophone, and oboe lessons and loves learning about etymology. Nate holds bachelor's degrees in music education and music performance from Lebanon Valley College.

Lorrie Hall

Lorrie has been ringing at St Paul’s UMC in Elizabethtown since 1994. She and her husband Bill live in Mount Joy and have two adult children, three teenagers, three grandchildren, and two orange tomcats. Lorrie is the Professional Development and Technical Assistance Coordinator at Child Care Consultants in York, and she enjoys reading, quilt-making, and trips to Michigan.

Laine Heltebridle

Laine is the director for the Bureau of Planning and Research of the PA Department of Transportation. Laine began ringing handbells in 1982 and has served as a church handbell choir director. Laine has also rung with several church handbell choirs in the York area. Laine and his wife, Laura, reside in York with their cats Orlando and Molly.

Dawn Herring

Dawn has been ringing handbells since 1993 at First United Methodist in Lancaster. She previously started and directed a handbell choir at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Lancaster. Her passion for music started early in childhood with taking piano and guitar lessons. After graduating High School, she pursued a career as a Piano Tuner / Technician and graduated from Perkins School of Piano Tuning and Technology. She has been a certified and registered Technician since 1979 and is involved with The Piano Technician Guild, where she is a chairperson and teaches at several conventions. Besides music, she enjoys traveling. Dawn lives in Lancaster.

Kate Kepner

Kate started ringing handbells in 1980 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Elizabethtown and has been a member of the Wesley Handbell Choir at First United Methodist Church in Lancaster since 1985. She also plays the flute, though it is mostly for her daughter’s entertainment these days. She works at CoreSource in Lancaster as a Client Coordinator. Kate lives in Hallam with her daughter, Natalie, and their two cats.

Liz Kielley
Board of Directors

Liz has been ringing handbells since 1983 when she started at her home church in Baltimore, MD. She has been hooked ever since. While handbells are a passion, she supports herself working as a librarian at Messiah College. She lives in Littlestown, PA with several rescued basset hounds (obviously another passion!). When not working, ringing, or rescuing bassets, Liz fills her time gardening, scrapbooking, and motorcycle trips.

Lois Mason

Lois Mason — Lois began ringing in her church bell choir in her hometown of Upland, California in 1987. She is a database administrator for the federal government and currently has a fellowship with The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She is pursuing her doctoral degree in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity and also works as an Advanced EMT. Lois enjoys taking her therapy dog, Kona, to visit at the hospital. She lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband, Michael, their sons, Luke and Derek, and their four dogs.

Peter McCachren

Peter has been ringing handbells since 2000, getting his start with the Handbell Choir at First United Methodist Church, Lewistown. Peter rang under the direction of Dr. Shawn Gingrich as a student at Messiah College, studying Accounting with a minor in Church Music. Following graduation, Peter took a hiatus from advanced handbell ringing to sing with the Susquehanna Chorale but continued to ring with the Handbell Choir at First United Methodist Church, Hershey, where he and his wife Cassie are active members. Peter is a Certified Public Accountant and is a manager for Boles Metzger Brosius and Walborn PC in Harrisburg. Peter and Cassie live in Londonderry Township with their children Crosby and Grace. They thoroughly enjoy every minute they share with them and their Cockapoo, Zoe.

Elizabeth McElheny
Board of Directors

"Lizzy" has been ringing since 1993 when A-Pealing Praise was formed at Penbrook UCC. in Harrisburg, under the direction of Ruth Dunnewold. She is a Project Coordinator for Aetna’s Medicaid Enrollment department. She resides in Harrisburg and loves spending quality time with her long-term partner, Nick Kohn, their children Briana and Ayden and their "herd" of cats, Yoda, Finn, Chloe and Charley. She also enjoys cross-stitching, video games, cooking and watching her favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves.

Isaac Salapa
Treasurer

Isaac has been ringing handbells at Penbrook United Church of Christ since 1999. He has also been known to play both the cello and saxophone, though not at the same time. Isaac is a statistician for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Together with his lovely wife, Nicole, he enjoys going to see heavy metal shows, working out, and traveling across the country (and sometimes outside the country). They live in Harrisburg with two cats who are the real heads of the house: Sylvester and Tibbers.

Janice Wilson

Janice started ringing handbells in 1994, and is also a member of the handbell choir at First United Methodist Church of Hershey. Having previously worked as a reference librarian in academic and medical libraries, she spent many years as a stay-at-home mom and volunteer. Now an empty nester with her two sons out on their own, she is an employee of UPMC Pinnacle. If she is not practicing handbells in her spare time, she is probably watching a detective show or reading a British mystery novel.