Leadership

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Rev. Lauren Hall

Greetings!

I am delighted that I have been appointed to serve the congregation of Peru Main Street and the community of Peru. Since moving here, I have become well acquainted with Miami County and I enjoy walking along the River Walk, exploring the Reservoir, and spending time downtown, especially during Circus Days.

I grew up in a small, rural community in northern West Virginia located about an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although Bethany, WV is considered an established town, it primarily existed to support the faculty and staff of Bethany College. It had one grocery store, one church, a post office, a firehouse and an elementary school. Every other place of business was associated with the college. This is where I established my roots. When I wasn’t going to school, I participated in 4-H, school sports, Christian Youth Fellowship, and I helped our neighbors with some of the chores on their dairy farm. We spent our summers with our family in New England, where I developed a variety of hobbies, including reading, writing (both poetry and fiction), running, and exploring nature.

How exactly did I end up in Indiana? It’s a long story, but as I look back on my journey, I would have to say that God led me here. When we have time perhaps I’ll share the entire story over a cup of coffee, but for now I’ll simply share that I have had a number of experiences ranging from working at Pizza Hut and 7-11 to serving in the US Army to coaching High School track and cross country to teaching Environmental Education to New York City children to finally, discovering my passion for Youth Ministry. All of these experiences deepened my relationship with Christ, ultimately led to my discovering my call to ordination, and they have all played their part in preparing me for my role of leading the church.

I graduated from Virginia Tech University and Saint Paul School of Theology and hold an undergraduate degree in English Education and a Master’s Degree of Divinity. Prior to my graduation from seminary, I spent many years working in YMCA camping, developing Christian programs for children and youth. Before receiving my first appointment as the Associate Pastor at South Bend Grace, I served as a Youth Pastor in my home church in North Webster, IN and also at Broadway UMC (now called Keystone UMC) in Kansas City, MO. I also served as the Lead Pastor at South Bend Southlawn UMC.

My personal life is relatively simple. I enjoy being outdoors and I like to relax over a cup of coffee. In addition to serving the church you will usually find me involved in some way with ministries that serve the poor. I am also a Gymnastic's Mom. I have one daughter, Rowynn, who specializes in gymnastics and being cute, and who is, second only to God’s grace and salvation offered through Jesus Christ, the greatest blessing God has ever given me. I am raising Rowynn as a single mother and we share our home with an 11 pound dog (a Pug-Chihuahua mix), a cat and a guinea pig.

I firmly believe that the grace and love of Christ is personally experienced and shared in the way we live our lives. I hope to see you in worship!

Blessings,

Pastor Lauren Hall