New pastor at First Congregational Church in Wellington came from the business world

Cheryl Lindsay was doing just fine, running her own business as a marketing consultant and event planner. The Cleveland native had her bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and had worked in banking and finance before going the entrepreneur route. She was busy volunteering her time at her church, Mount Zion Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Cleveland. And then she got the call. Not from a client or a business - but from God. She was enjoying her time at church and taking on increasing responsibilities, singing with the praise team and helping to lead youth, when suddenly she realized she needed to go into ministry full-time. "It made no sense," she readily admits. "Long story short, I think it was all God's way of easing me into this idea." She enrolled at Ashland Theological Seminary and earned her master's, then a doctorate in worship studies in 2012. She was named associate pastor at Mount Zion until this summer, when she began her new position June 1 as pastor of First Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Wellington. The lifelong "city girl" is learning her way around a town separated from Cleveland's east side in more than just miles. "I'm beginning to explore Lorain County. I joined the local Kiwanis here in Wellington, and I just worked at my first Lorain County Fair. That's a whole new experience for this city girl," she said. "It's a lovely little town, a whole different way of being, but it reminds me a little bit of growing up in Cleveland; in some ways, that's familiar. Walking around town is like walking around my neighborhood. Everybody speaks to everybody. That's a real eye-opening experience." Lindsay was the answer to the church's three-year-long search for a new pastor. Its previous minister had spent 12 years at the church, said church council member Amy Calfo. A formal installation service will be 3 p.m. Nov. 3. The church is a landmark in Wellington. At 195 years old, it was the first church in the 200-year-old village. Lindsay, who is single, still is commuting from her home in Orange but said she may move to town in the next few months. She served on boards for organizations throughout the Greater Cleveland area, and is active with the graduate chapter of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, and is involved at the state and national levels with the United Church of Christ denomination. She is on the board of UPCaM, the United Protestant Campus Ministries that serves Cuyahoga County Community College and Cleveland State and Case Western Reserve universities. While the congregation may be small - about 40 attend weekly services on Sunday - it's a mix of young and old, she said. Modern technology and changes in family schedules are shaking up the traditional church structure. The church in the corporate body is in a state of transition right now, and she welcomes the challenges that brings. "I think the church has to be more open to walking alongside people in their own journey of faith, in their own exploration of life, not being dictated to but companions to one another as we explore who God is, what that means in our life and what he is calling us to do." Lindsay wants to make the church more active within its community. It is currently increasing its involvement with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a county chapter of volunteers who build and provide beds and bedding to children in need, and is planning to host a kid-friendly activity and offer hot drinks on Halloween to trick-or-treaters. It is exploring ways to become a dementia-friendly congregation to support dementia sufferers and their caregivers, and she is considering adding a nontraditional Sunday evening dinner service next year. She also is starting a six-week Bible study in October, open to the community, and revamping the website. "I think people still want to have that connection, that spiritual meaning, that understanding that there is something greater than themselves," she said. "Our role is to inspire that connection and empower people to do ministry they're called to." First Congregational Church United Church of Christ is at 140 S. Main St. For information, visit the church Facebook page. Contact Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.