Pastor DanaLee Simon
Hello! My name is Pastor DanaLee Simon and I am so joy-filled to be the
pastor at Elim. This is my second call in ministry and I've been here
for three years as of March, 2010.
There
are many aspects of my call to Elim that excite me, but I want to
highlight a few. First of all, the people here excite me. We are a
small community with big commitment and bold hospitality. We function
in many ways like a big family that always has room for at least one
more chair around our table. It has been exciting to join my own
spiritual gifts with the gifts of the people here. It has not taken
long to discover that we can do much more together than any of us can
do on our own.
Secondly, our neighborhood excites me. It's a neighborhood in
transition. We're just a couple blocks east of new buildings, homes and
commerce on Washington Boulevard. We're also just a couple blocks from
Dee Elementary School where a majority of the kids live in poverty. We
sit in the middle of a lot of diversity -- diversity of culture,
language and economics. Our challenge is always to figure out how to be
a vital ministry to our neighborhood community.
In my
church life, I love writing, visiting our shut-ins, preaching and
teaching (kids and adults). Evangelism gets my blood pumping, not
because it's easy, but because by doing it, I believe it opens a door
for the Holy Spirit to move and breathe. I enjoy getting to know people
and hearing about their life and faith journeys. I believe that our
faith calls us to ask a lot of questions. I don't promise to have all
the answers, but promise that I will sit in the questions with you as
we figure out how to call upon our faith together.
My
husband and I have been married for almost three years (May, 2007) and
we just welcomed our first child in November (2009). So, we are busy
figuring out a life of parenting and I have to say, it's a pretty
wonderful learning curve. I love almost anything that is active --
exercising at the gym, biking (mountain and road), skiing (downhill and
cross-country), taking our dog, Madison for a walk, hiking, and
swimming. I also enjoy reading, listening to music, cooking (eating),
making cards and movies. I cherish my connection to my family and
friends and spend a fair amount of time maintaining those connections.
My
call at Elim right now is part-time, which means I help lead worship
every Sunday, but that my time in the office is somewhat limited.
However, I do want to be available to you. Since you're on-line reading
this, maybe the best way to reach me is by e-mailing me at pastor@elimlutheran.org. Or,
call the church office (801/394-5543) and see when my next office day
is. If you're a visitor to this site, and looking for a church home, I
welcome you and invite you to join us for worship or any other event
that is happening at Elim.
Peace,
Pastor DanaLee Simon