Merlyn Lawrence, associate pastor at United Protestant Church of Grayslake, will be ordained by the United Church of Christ at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11 at First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn, 535 Forest Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL. Members of the UPC sanctuary choir will join with Lawrence’s home church’s choir for this special service, and UPC members and staff will also attend the ordination service. In May 2013, Pastor Lawrence, of Wheaton, received her Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary.
Lawrence has served the United Church of Christ in a variety of capacities at local, association, national and international levels. She served for two years as the Moderator of the UCC’s 26th General Synod and presided over the 26th General Synod/ UCC’s 50th anniversary in Hartford, Conn., in June 2007. Prior to that, she worked for 37 years as a social worker. Lawrence was actively involved in the anti-violence movement in South Africa and in the U.S., organizing communities against apartheid, sexual assault, domestic violence and all forms of violence and oppression. For the past 30 years she has coordinated counseling programs for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. She earned a Master of Social Science degree from the University of Cape Town.
About UPC: The United Protestant Church of Grayslake is made up of two denominations: the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. It is a member of the Elgin District of the United Methodist Church and the Fox Valley Association of the United Church of Christ. The senior pastor is Rev. Dr. David Russell, and the associate pastor is Merlyn Lawrence. The website address is www.upcgl.org. Sunday worship services are held at 8:15 and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday morning Christian education for all ages. Childcare is available all morning. For more information, call (847) 223-8131. The UPC is fully accessible, the sanctuary is air conditioned and an elevator is available at the west entrance.
