Staff Information
What’s been going on with your presbytery staff?
Sharon has returned from a very fulfilling meeting with the board for The Presbyterian Outlook. She took a trip down memory lane as the meeting was held at her alma mater, Columbia Theological Seminary. The rest of this week is being spent preparing for upcoming events—preaching at St. Mark’s, the Presbytery meeting on Monday, a meeting with the Vision Mission Task Force, a meeting of the Committee on Nominations and conversation with folks in Ashtabula County and Lake Erie Presbytery around the possibility of shared pastoral leadership sometime in the future.
Judy spent the week doing behind-the-scenes work supporting The Prebytery and continuing to prep for the Presbytery meeting on Monday.
Laura met with the Race Action Network, Coordinating Cabinet, and the Vision/Mission Task Force (multiple times!) She also worked with various groups planning events around the September Stated Meeting.
Josh is embroiled in Stated Meeting prep week! Gathering worship materials, finalizing meal arrangements, monitoring registrations, and other tasks are in the queue for this week.
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Sharon Core
General Presbyter
I am honored, humbled and excited to serve as the General Presbyter for the Presbytery of the Western Reserve. I LOVE this work, our congregations, our staff, our clergy and our members. Seriously, this has to be the best job in the world! I continue to take delight in learning about the many ways God is active in the lives of those in this Presbytery. I come to this work of General Presbyter with a commitment to and love for parish ministry. I have learned much from the congregations I have been privileged to serve and the ways they have incarnated the love of Christ influences my own sense of ministry. I share life with my husband Nick Kuhn and our Black Lab Sassy (who lives up to her name).
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Judy Mitchell
Stated Clerk
I am glad to be continuing to serve as your Stated Clerk. My work is sometimes trivial, sometimes crucial, sometimes joy-filled, sometimes challenging but always engaging and gratifying. I don’t know all the answers, but I’ll do the research to find out who does! I am grateful to all those on committees and in churches who do their part to make my job go more smoothly. I came to this position after I taught math to middle school students for 31 years before retiring and then answering God’s call to serve here. I enjoy walking and playing with my dog Molly, and my two cats Jingle and Alice, visiting with my sister and her family in Michigan (They root for State, not that other school up north.)
AVAILABILITY
Flexible around meetings etc. but generally:
Monday and Tuesday: 9:30 am - 4 pm
First Wednesday of the month: 9:30 am - 4pm
2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Thursday of the month 9:30 am - 4 pm -
Laura VanDale
Associate for Justice Ministries
Back in February of 2009, I began a part-time, short-term job with the Presbytery, as your Hunger Action Advocate. Part-time it is still, but I obviously failed miserably at the short-term piece! In the past 15 years my job has morphed into a broader position incorporating various justice ministries, with a particular focus on our work as a Matthew 25 Presbytery. Also during that time, my two sons have finished middle school, high school, and college, and have grown into full fledged, delightful adult humans. My husband, Tedd Roos, and I continue to live in Lakewood, where we love to walk everywhere and eat the many delicious things we find around town. When we are not busy doing that, we also enjoy reading good books, singing in choir, and hiking in beautiful places near and far.
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Josh Daum
Office Administrator
In addition to overseeing daily office operations, I am in charge of coordinating the Presbytery meetings, and I also provide administrative support to individuals and churches in the Presbytery. (And I designed this website…)
I love to worship through music, and I sing and play percussion for a variety of worship styles, from traditional, to Taize, to contemporary. I also enjoy playing percussion in pit orchestras for community theatre productions in the area, and most recently, I’ve joined a polka band!
AVAILABILITY
Usually Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. These hours may be adjusted from time to time to account for evening meetings and office errands. Call, email, or Zoom if you’d like to meet!