New Pastor: Rev. Kristen Lawson

We will welcome our new pastor on Sunday, May 3. We hope that you will take a moment to read this letter of welcome ahead of her appointment:

Dear siblings in Christ,

I am looking forward to joining the Mechanicsburg United Methodist community this summer. I am very excited to get to know you and to partner with you in ministry and mission. Please allow me to briefly introduce myself.

I grew up in Colorado, Oklahoma (where much of my family lives), Chicago, Washington DC, and graduated from high school and university in Alabama (where the rest of my family lives). I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a bachelors degree in Religious Studies, from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology with a masters in Marriage & Family Therapy, and from United Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity.

I love music and play the guitar and djembe. My other hobbies are hiking, drinking coffee & tea, reading, and martial arts. I also serve as a consulting therapist on occasion for individuals suffering from religious trauma and/or church mediation.

I have been serving in the West Ohio Conference for nine years in a variety of contexts as an associate and lead pastor, and have been in ministry since 1997. I carry a deep passion for social justice and missional service, but the most important thing for you to know is that I love God and love people. It makes my heart sing when I see the Holy Spirit connecting people with God and with each other.

I am excited to worship, serve, learn, and grow with you, as together we embody Christ in our community and world. See you in May!

Peace,
Pastor Kristen Lawson