St. Mark’s Lutheran in Claremont calls Senior Pastor

The congregation of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, ECLA, in Claremont wishes to announce our new Senior Pastor. On Sunday January 8, 2023, we extended the call to the Reverend Heather Ann Langan.

Pastor Heather, as we call her, is no stranger to St. Mark’s as she has served for almost 3 years as our Associate Pastor. She was ordained March 1, 2020, and began her ministry in Word and Sacrament. Upon the retirement of our previous Senior Pastor, Gary Haddock, Pastor Heather took on the majority of leadership roles because interim pastors were difficult to find, especially in the wake of COVID. While congratulating Pastor Heather on her new appointment, the congregation also celebrates the dawning of a new era for our community of believers.

Pastor Heather received her BA in Elementary Education at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, beginning her career as a teacher. Her journey to ordained ministry began with serving as a camp counselor at Luther Point Bible Camp in Wisconsin, and teaching Sunday School and overseeing Vacation Bible School in her church. Hearing God’s call, she served as Youth and

Family Ministries Director at Augsburg Lutheran Church in Winston-Salem, Learn Ministry Director at Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, and Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Mt. Olive Lutheran in Hickory. In 2018, she began her pastoral internship at Mt. Hebron Lutheran in Hildebran, where she remained after completing her internship serving as a Deacon. She graduated with her Master of Divinity through Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, in May of 2019.

Pastor Heather is the daughter of Dr. Ed and Mary Crowell who reside in Taylorsville. She has two children: Bradley who recently graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy with a Bachelor of Performing Arts, and Mary who is a freshman at Roanoke College in Roanoke,Virginia. She is also the dog mom of three lively canines.

The installation of the Reverend Heather Langan is in the planning stages, potentially occurring in early March, with community and friends invited. In the meantime, we hope that you will visit us at St. Mark’s Lutheran in Claremont for worship and fellowship. Welcome again, Pastor Heather!