About 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 received it after moving to Utah from Kenosha, Wisconsin, in order to live in the same city as my fiancé, Kirk, now my husband.

     There are many aspects of my call to Elim that excite me, but I want to highlight a few. First of all, there is a vitality of prayer that exists here that I believe will be a great foundation and launch pad for all the ministries of this congregation. For example, evangelism with the support of prayer is much stronger than evangelism alone. Stewardship drives with the support of prayer is much stronger than stewardship drives alone. You get the picture.

     Secondly, our neighborhood excites me. Because it is a poorer neighborhood and maybe viewed as less safe than others, many people might view it as a liability, but I see it as an opportunity. Our challenge will be to continue to figure out how to be a vital ministry to our neighborhood community. Finally, I’m excited about the lay leadership that seems very strong even though we are a smaller congregation. I am excited to join my own spiritual gifts with the gifts of all the people who are already here and with the gifts of those who will come.

     In my church life, I love writing, 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.

     Kirk and I were married on May 27, 2007 in the presence of many of our family and friends. Still, there is time for the other good things in life. 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 read every day and enjoy listening to music, cooking (eating), making cards and going to movies. Kirk and I are taking a swing (dance) class right now and I’m hoping to take up Bikram yoga at some point in the next couple months. 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@mail.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