Rev. Christine Kaplunas

Reverend CHRISTINE KAPLUNAS

Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries and Congregational Care

About Pastor Christine

Christine Kaplunas grew up around big cities in the South before finding she really prefers the Midwest most of all! She studied violin from the age of 12, eventually earning a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from the University of Georgia in 2008. She met the sweetest violinist/conductor there and married him the first chance she could get (they’re still together)! She then earned a Master of Divinity in 2011 from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, focusing her studies in music and worship traditions.
 
In 2011, her husband, Daniel, started a job as Assistant Professor of Music at Wartburg College. They moved to Waverly in June, and Christine began working at CHCPC as an Outreach Director by that fall. This church helped welcome into the world her son, Jacob, in 2013. She was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on November 11, 2013 at Unity Presbyterian Church in Clarksville, going on to serve Unity Presbyterian in Waterloo starting in 2015. She comes full-circle in becoming an Associate Pastor for CHCPC!

Fun Facts About Pastor Christine

How long have you served CHCPC?  Since July 2026, and previously in 2011-2013

Tell us about your family:  Besides my dear husband and son, I also enjoy the companionship of my mother, Paula, a couple indoor cats, and a host of friendly outdoor cats. We live a couple blocks from CHCPC, with the wildest gardens you’ve ever seen.

Who are people that inspire you?  People who live authentically, with ordinary brilliance and a commitment to compassion and resilience, are people who inspire me.

What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?  I love the arts, from visual arts to dance to literature and ALL sorts of music! My music degree gave me an opportunity to explore the arts across thousands of miles and years, from people and cultures most people don’t know about. My perspective on religious history is filtered through these studies.

Do you have any weird quirks?  I love naps.

What is your least favorite thing to do?  I’m not a fan of accounting or investing. It’s why I notoriously see people who like these fields as total geniuses.

Hidden talent?  Foraging for food and medicine in prairies and forests of the Midwest.

What makes you laugh?  Dad jokes. Really bad ones.

What is your biggest fear?  When cruelty is normalized.

Favorite Music, Movies or TV Shows:  I love all music, but 19th century German Romantic Lieder top the list.

Favorite Sports Team(s):  I must admit- I don’t love the Georgia Bulldogs nearly as much as Dave Kivett does. (But he won’t read this, right?) Otherwise, I cheer for the underdog.

Favorite Books:  whimsical ones, fascinating ones, and sometimes technical ones

Favorite Season:  Growing seasons. All of them.

Favorite Scripture:  Psalm 139 (the first part), Amos (from the prophets), and the parables of Jesus.