LEADERSHIP
Every person - young and old - has gifts, passions, and talents to contribute to the mission of the church. Some of us are called to particular leadership roles.
Rev. Sarah Clark, Pastor
Sarah is a shoe-loving, not-really-into-cooking, reality tv-watching, book-loving, curious, enthusiastic, hopefully-on-most-days-follow-Jesus-and-loving-her-neighbor kind of a gal. She's also an ordained elder in the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church. Sarah grew up in Illinois and lived in Brazil for a year before attending Southern Illinois University, where she received a BS in Speech Communications. She worked as a community educator at The Women's Center, a domestic abuse and rape crisis services agency before a call to ministry took her to Indianapolis and Christian Theological Seminary. While in seminary, Sarah worked as a youth minister for two great years. She graduated in 2014 with a Master of Divinity and a vague realization that she was an actual adult now, and moved to Hamilton, Montana where she served with the people of the United Methodist-American Baptist Church. In 2014, Sarah was appointed to serve with the people of Grace.
Sarah's passions in ministry include preaching, crafting worship, teaching, and social justice. She believes that the church is at its best when we are nurturing one another in faith through worship, prayer, and learning, and then going into the world to live out that faith as witnesses and carriers of God's justice, mercy, and hope. She sees her role as pastor as one of empowering disciples for the work of ministry through preaching, accompanying, and administering the sacraments of the church.
Sarah's favorite hymn is "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." Her favorite Bible story is probably the story of the woman at the well. She and her husband, Jerry, were married in 2019 and she is the proud step-mom of 13-year-old Zion.
Joan Shipley, Office Administrator
Joan recently retired from teaching middle school and now spends part of her time managing the office at Grace. Back in Billings after living in Las Vegas and North Carolina, Joan enjoys reading, walking, playing handbells and violin, and spending time with her husband Daniel.
Stop by and see Joan Wednesday-Friday from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. (The office is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays).