"It all began for me as a young girl growing up in the church." That's how I would start my biography, I guess. My ministry did begin in the church: living and growing and learning from the other saints of God around me. I knew at an early age that I wanted to work and minister in the church; it took a few more years for me to know that life as a pastor was the way for me to go.

I graduated from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 1994 after having completed a Business degree (and music minor) at Roanoke College in 1990. Then, because I was single, young and loved learning, I went on to graduate work in religion at Vanderbilt University. While there, I took my first call as the Associate Pastor for Youth at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Nashville, Tennessee.

Also while I was at Vanderbilt I met my now husband. We married and began a family, which meant that I had some better things to occupy my time than a Ph.D. dissertation. Finally, after ten years of beginning the degree, I finished my Ph.D. in December of 2004.

I began my pastorate at Celebration in July of 2001. The congregation and I are as best a match as I have ever had with a congregation: the interests and focuses of ministry here are exactly the things that I enjoy the most. There is a hunger here for knowledge about the Bible and the Lutheran tradition that I enjoy teaching about. Worship is vibrant and the people are open to a diverse mix of old traditions and new innovations that I find a challenge to mix together. And the people here minister to me and with me so that I find myself as a leader among the people instead of standing alone in the forefront.

I hope that you will find your way through our doors. We are looking for other children of God who long to be in ministry with us.