St. John's Lutheran Church - Greenville PA

 

John began his call as Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in November of 2015 after serving Abiding Hope Lutheran Church in Erie, Pennsylvania, for fourteen years. He continues to reside in Erie, where he shares life with wife Kathy, adult children Micah and Elena, son-in-law Matt, and toddler grandson Cole.

 

After completing college and graduate studies (Penn State-Erie in 1984 and Johns Hopkins University in 1985), John taught English and directed the Writing Centers at Penn State-Erie and Mercyhurst University until 1997, when he began studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

 

For thirty years, John has considered writing an ongoing vocation alongside teaching and ministry. Author of Questions from Your Cosmic Dance, The Unexpected Teachings of Jesus, Your Grandmother Raised Monarchs, and dozens of poems, stories, and essays, John devotes his efforts these days to his website, A Napper’s Companion (ANappersCompanion.com). When not involved in pastoral work and word-smithing, he practices centering prayer, devours family time, improvises dinners that Kathy claims “bomb the kitchen,” and longs for the motivation to reclaim his old jogging habit.

 

John thinks a lot about Jesus, the Church, the Bible, Lutheranism, and theology. The main question on his mind is, “How can I best please God with my life?” For a whole bunch of answers to this one question, John invites you to visit St. John’s on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. In between the singing and Scripture readings and Holy Communion, he talks for about ten minutes and tries really hard not to put folks to sleep.