The Humble Walk Staff
Pastor Ray Ranker
Pastor Ray is from Reisterstown, Maryland and graduated from the Univ. of Maryland in 2004. After college he spent a year serving in Argentina with Young Adults in Global Mission of the ELCA and spent another approximately two years serving in South America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe before starting seminary. After graduating from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (now United Lutheran), he was called to be the Lutheran campus pastor at the University of Maryland where he has been serving since 2011. He is a recipient of the James Carr Distinguished Service Award for Lutheran Campus Ministry and currently service as the vice-chair of the National LuMin (Lutheran Campus Ministry) board.
He and his wife, Karin, live in College Park and have two children. Ray likes to play basketball, listen to Taylor Swift, talk about politics and global affairs, travel, and learn from others while in conversation. He loves helping connect students with people and other resources as they seek to share their gifts and passion.
Pastor Rachel Geddes
Pastor Rachel is from Texas and deeply misses Tex-Mex. They have spent time in Presbyterian churches, a Methodist seminary, and grew up in the Baptist church. She is grateful to have landed in the Lutheran church, has a M.Div. from Duke Divinity School, and an MA in Lutheran Studies from Wartburg Theological Seminary. Rachel cares about interfaith partnership and feels it's a great gift to learn from and with others. They love Jesus and are passionate about sharing the good news of God’s abundant love. Rachel is grateful to have landed with the Humble Walk. You can see her playing the Guitar on Sundays, leading bible studies, going on walks with students, or just hanging out! Rachel splits her time between Humble Walk and Christ Lutheran Church in DC.
Rachel and her wife, Kara, currently live in Washington, D.C., with their puppy, Obi. Rachel loves inspirational sports movies, going on long hikes (or more frequently long walks up small hills), working on stained glass, listening to Chappell Roan and other pop girlies.
Pastor Keith Thompson
Pastor Keith, originally from Atlanta, GA, has lived in DC with his husband and dog for 4 years. After college, he spent a year in Belfast, Northern Ireland working with children and youth in peace and reconciliation ministries. Following seminary and his first call in Atlanta, he moved to DC to serve in a congregation before starting UKirk Maryland, which launched in the summer of 2024. UKirk Maryland has now joined with our Lutheran (ELCA) and Episcopal siblings at The Humble Walk to offer a unified voice of inclusion and welcome to students at UMD.
Having previously served in congregations working primarily with youth and young adults, Keith has a special interest in walking alongside young people as they discover who they want to be in this big, wild world. Special interests include playing and watching soccer (go Spirit!), singing with the Washington Chorus, and running.
Deacon Katie Evans
Deacon Katie is from a small town in central Illinois and came to Maryland to attend UMD. Her friend Grace, ironically enough, introduced her to The Humble Walk and it stuck! She graduated in 2018 with a BA in History and Education. Katie then volunteered with Young Adults in Global Mission where she taught English in Palestine. While there, she learned a lot about the liberation theology of Christian Palestinians and met an ordained ELCA deacon for the first time. Her experience in Palestine continues to guide her in ministry and in life. A little bit after returning, Katie went to seminary at Pacific Lutheran Theology Seminary in Berkeley and received her M.A. in Spirituality and Social Change. Since then, she's worked in refugee resettlement, communications, operations, and community engagement.
Katie lives in DC with her partner Jayme and their dog Merton who is the cutest dog you could ever meet. She enjoys crocheting, pretty much all arts and crafts, going on walks, and baking.
Lauren Werley-Wolf
Lauren is originally from a small town in Pennsylvania. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Marketing & International Business. A few of her favorite things include spending time with her family and friends, reading, listening to music, and traveling. She loves being a mom to both her human children and her fur babies!
Chaplain Emerita Elizabeth Platz
Retired Lutheran Chaplain
Chaplain Emerita Elizabeth Platz served faithfully as the Lutheran Chaplain for 47 years. She retired in 2012 after building foundational ministry programs like Caring Kids and En Camino. Pastor Beth was the first woman ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in North America. Her ordination was celebrated on campus at Memorial Chapel. You can find a plaque honoring this historic moment in the chapel.
The Humble Walk Leadership
The Humble Walk has a directing committee made up of clergy and lay people from around the DMV. The committee is a governing body for campus ministry as it oversees staff and assists with budgeting and programming.
Directing Committee
Student Leadership Team
The Humble Walk has a student leadership team that includes a president, vice president, treasurer, and committees. They work with staff to decide the programming and mission of the ministry.
Peer Ministers
The Humble Walk has three student leaders who serve as peer ministers. These three students lead our afterschool tutoring and mentoring programs. This includes recruiting volunteers, activity planning, and building trust with the elementary students.