Anchored Ministries Staff
The staff members at Anchored Ministries are all local to the area. From growing up here, sending their kids to the Twin Valley School District, or even attending the Twin Valley Schools, the whole team here has a heart for its community, and loves to serve along side of it!
Erika Kanter
Erika has always had a heart and passion for the Twin Valley School District Area. Serving as a paraprofessional for the middle school in 2009-2010 school year, she found ways to serve children in need, such as anonymously gifting warm weather outerwear for kids without heat or necessary items. After moving away for a few years, Erika returned to the area and felt called by God to help those affected by poverty, and used her passion for fashion to help get clothing into the hands of those in need. Now carrying a certificate in Professional Fundraising, Erika is excited to continue to grow what God called her to start, and continue to reach as many people in the communities Anchored serves, as possible. Married for 11 years with two beautiful children, Erika enjoys serving with her family, spending time with her two yorkies, camping, kayaking, and hiking.
Ian Kanter
Ian‘s passion for helping and serving others has been a constant throughout his life. He moved to Elverson, Pennsylvania in 2015 with his wife Erika and immediately fell in love with the area—and the people in it.
Now with two children, ages five and three, it is an honor to serve this community as a family. Throughout his career, Ian has held sales positions as well as customer service roles. He brings these strengths and longtime experience to Anchored as their Director of Operations. Anchoreds vision and purpose reflects his and his family’s values. It is with much excitement to see where God leads this ministry, how it will grow, and the communities that can be impacted in the near future! When not serving with Anchored Ministries, Ian works for the Northwestern Chester County Sewer Authority full-time. Ian has grown a love for camping with his family, going on frequent hiking excursions with friends, and taking his kids out for kayak rides alongside Erika. Ian’s simple: surround him with friends and family, preferably around a good campfire, and he’ll forever be happy.
Melissa Werner
Melissa has a lifetime dedicated to serving others. She has continually served in Christian Camp Ministry since her early 20s at Pocono Plateau and is actively involved in her church (MCC) serving on various teams. She and her husband Kurt have three daughters and have had the pleasure of seeing each of them accept Jesus and serve others independently and as a family. Melissa was always interested in Anchored Ministries and serving those that they have the pleasure of working with. When Anchored Ministries moved into their Elverson building, Melissa was able to serve on a regular basis while still balancing time with her family. Melissa has grown into the Program Director position over the last 5 years, and is excited to continue to help each program grow to reach as many people as possible.
Amy Gursky
Amy, food service worker for nearly 25 years as Cafeteria Lead for the Downingtown Area School District, currently subs in the cafeteria part time – in between babysitting her 3 precious grandchildren. Amy has been married to husband, Steve, for 35 years in which the Lord has blessed them with 3 sons, 2 daughter-in-laws, and 3 beautiful grandbabies. She enjoys serving the Lord in various areas such as Women’s Ministry at her local church, and Leading a Small Group (Bible Study). Amy is passionate about providing meals to church families, friends, and community members in time of need.
“I am honored and blessed to serve with Anchored Ministries as their Director of Food and Nutrition. It has been a privilege to plan for and provide meals for our community and also build relationships with our participants, the Anchored Ministry team and fellow volunteers!”
Kaeley Werner
Kaeley has always had a heart for serving others. She will often look for opportunities to help anyone in need, whether at home, church, or in her day-to-day activities. More often than not she already has a plan on what needs to be done and takes action rather than pointing out the need. Others recognize Kaeley’s heart for service as well. As she was finishing middle school she received a community service award from the Twin Valley Community Education Foundation. She is involved in various teams at her church (MCC) and she brings the same passion for serving others to those teams. She often prefers serving at Anchored Ministries as opposed to most other activities and can be found doing any task that needs to be completed.