Our Interim Pastor
Janet K. Matthews
Reverend Janet Matthews is our Interim Pastor, to serve our church, and lead us in our spiritual journey until we find our next permanent pastor. She grew up in the UCC faith, and brings a variety of life, professional, and pastoral skills to our vibrant community. She has been a stay at home mother, a travel agent, counselor, supervisor, seminary teaching assistant, and pastor. All of these careers have enriched her life and led her into a deeper relationship with the living Christ and a stronger commitment to her faith-filled leadership.
Her education includes business classes at Becker College, Worcester, MA; she graduated Summa Cum Laude 1993 from Lourdes College, Sylvania, OH with a BA in Psychology; graduate classes at University of Toledo, M.ED in Community Agency Counseling; and Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA. M. Div. 2001. She was ordained at her home church, Sylvania UCC 2001.
She has served two UCC churches since her ordination. Her first was Grace UCC, Stone Creek, OH from November 2001-March 2006. Most recently she served as interim pastor at Country Club Congregational UCC, Kansas City, MO. She seems to understand the workings of UCC churches from several perspectives, that of member and volunteer, and as the church leader.
Janet brings much warmth, wisdom, a quick sense of humor and loves the idea of our Radical Hospitality. She has a lively imagination, listens well, and already understands much about Frog Pond. Her daughter recently married, and lives in North Carolina and is a teacher in middle school. Janet will be bringing her 80 lb. black lab, Clare, with her to Oregon. She’s currently packing and finding her home in Wilsonville, preparing for her travel from Mission, Kansas to Wilsonville.
Janet will be joining us in worship Sunday June 1st, and will begin leading worship on June 8. She loved the idea that her first Sunday as our worship leader would be the children’s worship. She will love meeting all of you!