Pastor Shrum is a U.S. Navy Veteran who served at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and aboard the USS San Jacinto, with deployments to the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean regions. His deep love and respect for those who serve our country in uniform has shaped his ministry, including his additional role as a chaplain supporting local law enforcement officers. Pastor Shrum is married to his wife, Stacy, and they have two children: Kora, who is now with Jesus in heaven, and their adopted son, Judah. He completed his pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and currently serves at St. Paul’s Ministries in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Session #2 | Standing Down: Finding Peace in a Mind that Won't Rest

Tonya holds a Master’s in Professional Counseling from Liberty University and is pursuing a doctorate in developmental psychology, focusing on Christianity's impact on adolescents who have attempted suicide. As a military spouse for 20 years, she understands the challenges faced by Service Members and their Families. She works with Christian Family Solutions, runs a private practice, and serves as the Director of Counseling at Maine Maritime Academy, supporting students entering the military and maritime industries. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and volunteering with the Civil Air Patrol.

Session #3 | Resilience, Reflection, & Connection: Navigating PTSD and Emotional Labor in a Christian Military Family Life

Dr. Crystal Abitz, PhD, LMT, is an author, international educator, wife of a retired combat Veteran, and mother of three young children. Crystal brings both professional expertise and lived experience to conversations surrounding emotional labor, identity, nervous system regulation, resilience, and the unique challenges military families face. Her approach emphasizes compassion, trauma-informed care, self-awareness, and sustainable support strategies for individuals navigating high-demand roles in both family and professional life.  

Session #4 | After the Uniform: Rediscovering Who You Are and Why It Matters

Todd Tucker spent over thirty years serving the United States in counterintelligence and national security roles — first as an Army counterintelligence agent for twenty years, then as a civilian counterintelligence, cyber counterintelligence, and national security professional with the federal government. His postings took him across more than twenty countries, including two deployments to Afghanistan. It was through the challenges of that career, and the personal reckoning that followed, that God reshaped his understanding of identity and purpose — and set him on the path he is now walking as a pre-seminary student at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. Todd and his wife make their home in Minnesota, where he is preparing to serve as a pastor in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Session #5 | The Armor of Illusion: Unmasking the Truths We Guard

Brad Price is President and CEO of the Lutheran Military Support Group, leading operations, strategy, and outreach to support Service Members, Veterans, and their Families. A Texas Army National Guard Veteran, he served from 2004 to 2011, including a deployment to Iraq with the 124th Cavalry Regiment while attached to the Strategic Counterintelligence Directorate. His background also includes jail operations and search and rescue. Brad holds advanced training in family support and theology. He and his wife, Laura, have two sons, Ben and Will.