Pastor’s Corner
Greetings and welcome to Grace United Church of Christ in Lebanon, PA. Grace UCC is a community of faith striving to listen and respond to God’s call.
The response to God’s call is lived out in community; however, the definition of community has been growing and changing with advances in technology. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the virtual community of Grace UCC. I hope that this glimpse through the internet will keep you informed and encourage you to participate in the life of our church.
I would invite you to spend some time searching through this new website to discover the ways in which God is at work in Grace UCC. You will find information on our Christian Education Program, weekly worship services, mission projects, and special ministries such as our Good Ship Grace Puppeteers and our Women’s Guild. There are also several links to affiliate organizations with whom we work to carry out God’s mission in Lebanon County and the world.
I pray that this new medium of communication will allow members to enjoy seeing familiar faces and explore in detail additional ministries they may wish to become involved in at Grace. I also hope that visitors will find this site to be a safe way to learn about Grace and our mission and then to join us for worship and other events listed on the site.
With God’s Blessing,
Pastor Holly
About Rev. Holly MillerShank
Welcome—and thanks for checking out the Pastor’s Corner at Grace UCC in Lebanon, PA.
Here’s a little bit about me. My name is Rev. Holly MillerShank—I have a great deal of energy and enthusiasm for serving as preacher and teacher of Grace United Church of Christ; I know this is where God has called me to be, and I invite you to come and join us in ministry.
I am a native of Lebanon County, a graduate of Eastern Lebanon County High School. I left the area for about eight years, most of which was spent in Washington, DC. I have my BA in International Relations American University in Washington, DC, as well as a minor in Religious Studies and a teaching certificate in English as a Second Language.
While I was in college, I began serving the wider church as the Associate for Community Outreach for the United Church of Christ Office of Public Life and Social Policy. I specialized in making U.S. policy towards Latin America come alive for members and congregations of the UCC. As a result of this work I was honored with the Margru Kinson Justice Award at General Synod 24, the highest honor bestowed upon Youth and Young Adults in the denomination.
I find inspiration and hope in Jesus’ prayer that we may all be one (the motto of the UCC). God has been active in my life not only within local congregations but also in larger contexts. I have served as a Global Ministries Volunteer in India, participated in mission trips to South Dakota, completed my third year of Seminary at the Universidad Biblica Latino Americana in San Jose Costa Rica, and currently I represent Penn Central Conference on the Local Church Ministries Board of Directors for the United Church of Christ.
My Master’s of Divinity degree is from Lancaster Theological Seminary. After I completed my religious studies, I served as the National Grassroots Organizer for Witness for Peace. It was during that time that I felt God calling me to local church ministry at Grace UCC. Through the discernment of the Holy Spirit by myself and by the members of Grace UCC, I was called as their pastor in September of 2005, the same month I married my husband, Jonathan, who is also from Lebanon County.
My husband and I are currently building a house—no contractors; it’s really us building it. I also belong to a local Rotary Club and take weekly yoga classes to relax and find focus in my studies. I thoroughly enjoy ministry in this vibrant congregation. I look forward to discerning God’s call for our lives and responding with joy and purpose to Christ’s ministry in our midst
Blessings,
Pastor Holly
Rev. MillerShank’s drop-in office hours are Tuesday 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and Wednesday 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
