A Note from the Pastor
Dear West Lawn Church Family -
What a joy it is to reconnect with so many of you and begin to get to know those of you who are “new” since last I served at West Lawn. (Now, you may be saying to yourself, “I’m not ‘new’ but I don’t remember her.”) Well, that’s because it has been 17 years since I last served here as one of the full-time pastors. For those of you who do not know, I was appointed as the associate pastor of West Lawn in July of 2000 and served alongside Pastor Jeff for nine years, before being appointed to shepherd the congregation of Cedarville UMC beginning July 2009. I served at Cedarville for 15 years before retiring in June of 2024. I was two years into retirement when Pastor Tom invited me to serve once again at West Lawn. This time, in a part-time role as Visitation Pastor.
In my role, I have the privilege of ‘taking the church’ to those who are no longer able to get here for worship services and ministry opportunities. It’s amazing to me how many times people will say with regret or sorrow, “I just can’t get to the church anymore.” And, I remind them that we understand and that is why we bring the church’s love and ministry to them. I seek to bring the church’s love and presence to people who, often, have been faithful over the years in their attendance and worship of God, their giving to the church with gifts of money, time and talent, and who simply can no longer physically get to the church. Many are blessed by being able to worship online on Sunday mornings. Yet, having in-person visits or phone calls brings another dimension of care to those who physically cannot come to West Lawn.
In this ministry, I visit with people who are in various care communities in Berks County and those who are unable to leave their homes, as well as visiting in the hospitals. In this ministry, I listen, I pray, I serve holy communion, I seek to create space for the Holy Spirit to speak into each of our lives and touch us with divine grace.
There is a role that you can play in this ministry. If you have received from God gifts of compassion, caring and listening, prayerfully consider serving on the Caring Community Visitation Ministry Team. All that is required is presence - either through telephone calls or with visits - to share the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with those of our church who no longer can come to this place of worship that they have faithfully supported over the years and who miss being in their church with their church family. Helping them to know that they are not forgotten by their church family is an amazing gift you can give simply by calling, or visiting, and listening.
If you would like to join me in sharing in this ministry of love and presence, please reach out with an email to sherrylantz@westlawnumc.org. I look forward to getting to know those of you who I do not yet know and to greeting those of you whom I have known for many years.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Sherry Lantz
What a joy it is to reconnect with so many of you and begin to get to know those of you who are “new” since last I served at West Lawn. (Now, you may be saying to yourself, “I’m not ‘new’ but I don’t remember her.”) Well, that’s because it has been 17 years since I last served here as one of the full-time pastors. For those of you who do not know, I was appointed as the associate pastor of West Lawn in July of 2000 and served alongside Pastor Jeff for nine years, before being appointed to shepherd the congregation of Cedarville UMC beginning July 2009. I served at Cedarville for 15 years before retiring in June of 2024. I was two years into retirement when Pastor Tom invited me to serve once again at West Lawn. This time, in a part-time role as Visitation Pastor.
In my role, I have the privilege of ‘taking the church’ to those who are no longer able to get here for worship services and ministry opportunities. It’s amazing to me how many times people will say with regret or sorrow, “I just can’t get to the church anymore.” And, I remind them that we understand and that is why we bring the church’s love and ministry to them. I seek to bring the church’s love and presence to people who, often, have been faithful over the years in their attendance and worship of God, their giving to the church with gifts of money, time and talent, and who simply can no longer physically get to the church. Many are blessed by being able to worship online on Sunday mornings. Yet, having in-person visits or phone calls brings another dimension of care to those who physically cannot come to West Lawn.
In this ministry, I visit with people who are in various care communities in Berks County and those who are unable to leave their homes, as well as visiting in the hospitals. In this ministry, I listen, I pray, I serve holy communion, I seek to create space for the Holy Spirit to speak into each of our lives and touch us with divine grace.
There is a role that you can play in this ministry. If you have received from God gifts of compassion, caring and listening, prayerfully consider serving on the Caring Community Visitation Ministry Team. All that is required is presence - either through telephone calls or with visits - to share the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with those of our church who no longer can come to this place of worship that they have faithfully supported over the years and who miss being in their church with their church family. Helping them to know that they are not forgotten by their church family is an amazing gift you can give simply by calling, or visiting, and listening.
If you would like to join me in sharing in this ministry of love and presence, please reach out with an email to sherrylantz@westlawnumc.org. I look forward to getting to know those of you who I do not yet know and to greeting those of you whom I have known for many years.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Sherry Lantz
