ACTS of Hope
ACTS (Assisting Community Through Service) of Hope is a ministry that provides assistance to families in our community with urgent and ongoing needs through musical events. Please join us and make a donation to help families in need.
Professional musicians donate their time and talents to provide live music at local venues in order to raise funds and awareness for an individual or family. To date, ACTS of Hope has been able to assist over a dozen families in paying off medical expenses, covering increased deductibles, and allowing opportunities for therapies not covered by insurance. Most importantly, ACTS provides hope and support in times of need. Therefore, it is the goal of ACTS to grow by including additional musicians and venues therefore aiding families more readily. If you would like to partner with ACTS of Hope, submit your information below. To know more about ACTS of Hope contact Nikki Peters at npeters@sllcs.org
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Musicians
NIKKI PETERS, Guitarist, Vocalist, Violinist - Originally from upstate New York, Nikki was raised in a musical family and began playing the violin at age seven. As a solo artist, she finds inspiration from a variety of artists, including Nichole Nordeman and Joy Williams. Nikki is currently St. Luke’s Lutheran Church’s Assistant Director of Worship Arts and has been involved with ACTS of Hope for more than two years. NikkiPetersMusic.com
GREG EYMA, Vocalist, Guitarist - Growing up in Queens, New York, Greg Eyma’s musical repertoire draws from a wide spectrum of musical genres including rock, pop, R & B and even country stretching from the ‘60’s to the present. Currently based in Orlando, Greg performs in a variety of Central Florida venues. For more information visit GregEyma.com
KIRK GAY, Percussionist - Kirk is the Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies for the Music Department and an Associate Instructor of Music at UCF. He teaches student lessons for the percussion studio and directs “Black Steel” the UCF steel drum ensemble. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance from Northern Illinois University and his Master’s Degree in Timpani Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is a frequent performer with the Orlando Philharmonic, Bach Festival Orchestra and the Walt Disney World Orchestra. Kirk lives in Oviedo, FL with his wife Kimberley and daughter Kenna, who is a recent graduate of St. Luke’s Lutheran School.
RUSS WEAVER, Composer, Woodwind Specialist - Russ has served the music industry in many capacities, including having founded the Osceola County School for the Arts, located in Kissimmee, Florida, which is still going strong since opening in 2003. Currently, Mr. Weaver is a freelance musician working with many Central Florida groups including a Christian Jazz Group that performs at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Orlando.
NATE HAUPT, Musician - Born and raised in a small town outside of Dayton, OH, Nate learned to play the Alto Saxophone at the age of 9. He has played as a volunteer in the St. Luke's Orchestra for four years and contributes as a musician/stage-hand/promoter with Acts of Hope Orlando whenever possible. Professionally he works as a Director in the IT Staffing Industry, helping companies locate and hire technical talent.
RICK HORNE, Drums, Percussion - Rick currently serves as Director of Education Resource Management at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. He's responsible for the campus scheduling of 5000 students and 400 instructors involved in a variety of Entertainment and Media curriculum. Rick received his Bachelor's Degree in Percussion Performance from Texas Christian University. He has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Opera Association, Six Flags amusement parks, and various pop and jazz groups in Texas, California and Florida.
TIM MULLER - Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Tim originally wanted to be a guitarist like his older brothers, but they informed him that the family needed a bassist. Nearly 30 years later, Tim has played both electric and upright bass in orchestras, jazz groups, chamber groups, rock bands, and musicals. He has a minor in classical bass performance from Eastern Illinois University and played professionally after graduating. Eventually ending up in the house band for Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach, SC and playing for corporate events in Florida. Tim ended up taking a hiatus from playing for several years until deciding to start playing at St. Luke’s. When not running a small custom wood working business, Tim enjoys playing in the praise band and ACTS of Hope.
MIKE NOWICKI, Drums, Percussion - Michael is the Director of Start New for FiveTwo. FiveTwo is a ministry that equips entrepreneurs to launch a variety of sustainable start-ups that reach people for Jesus. He started his musical journey in eighth grade when he joined his first band. Throughout the years, he has played in numerous bands and worship teams, which gave him the opportunity to tour nationally and participate in 5 recording projects.
ZACK LAYMAN - Originally from Birmingham, AL, Zack graduated from Samford University with a degree in Exercise Physiology and then promptly relocated to Gainesville, FL in pursuit of his then-fiancee. Good news! It was worth the effort and he and his now-wife Mandy have lived in Orlando for 15 years. As things go, they made two brilliant, beautiful and exceptionally destructive children. Zack works for ADP as an HR Systems Implementation Consultant and has sung with his church band for several years. In addition to singing, Zack enjoys photography, eating food that makes him feel like a "Foodie" and finding evermore pretentious ways to make his daily coffee.
Meet the Team
TONY CLINE, Media - Tony, a native of the Chicago west suburbs, grew up attending church where he was able to work as a member of the tech team for both Sunday services and youth events. He made the decision to make a career out of the skills he had been taught. After graduating from high school, he pursued a degree in Studio Recording and Audio Live Event Production at Chicago’s Tribeca Flashpoint Academy. After graduating in 2014, he relocated to Florida in the summer to work for Disney on a variety of special events. Tony has since established himself as a self-employed audio/video technician in the Orlando region. He started helping with both on-site and off-site events when he joined St. Luke’s at the end of 2016. He is now pursuing an Electrical Engineering degree at the University of Central Florida.
KATE MASON, Leadership - Kate helped to co-found ACTS of Hope in December 2017 after hearing of the needs of a child battling cancer. Since then Kate has worked closely with many ACTS families and continues to enjoy assisting with both family needs and also at musical events. Kate has been working at St. Luke’s for the past 10 years and is currently a first grade teacher.
PAUL HEINZTEN - Paul Heintzen has been an audio technician at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida since 1989. He currently serves as the Audio Crew Chief for the “Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage Show” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. He has been involved in stage shows, special events, and other production activities at the Disney Resorts, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Pleasure Island, and the Disney’s Hollywood studios. Outside Disney, he was the House Engineer for the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, the first annual “Chicago Lyric Opera Concert Under the Stars” in Chicago, Illinois, and toured with the “Pipefitters with Lou Diamond Phillips”. Paul currently serves on the Production Team at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.
Venues
We Love working with the ACTS team! It's so wonderful seeing them help our local families in need.
We are so thankful for Acts of Hope using their gifts of singing to support our organization.
Love Missions fights human trafficking by using projects of impact.
Education, prevention, empowerment through job training and safe housing.
We couldn't accomplish our goals without the support of organizations like Acts Of Hope and their hearts to impact our community.
Wonderful music from the ACTS team!
