We are in the process of building a new website but are unable to update many parts of this website. The worship livestream link below is current, and you can check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gloriadeichatham/
WORSHIP THIS WEEK: This Sunday our texts contain some apocalyptic images, ones that sound eerily familiar. We’ll consider what God is unveiling to us in our own time. Join us at 10:00 in our physical sanctuary at 300 Shunpike Road or in our digital sanctuary for worship:https://www.youtube.com/live/2MiJfov1GWE?si=RMfvmqZb1AZxVXBc
Gloria Dei Welcome Statement (adopted June 2024) - Gloria Dei Lutheran Church celebrates that each person is created in the image of God, and God’s wide embrace holds all of us. We trust in a living God who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, continually renews and transforms us. That Spirit holds us in relationship with God and with each other. We invite you to share in ministry here, bringing all of who you are, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race and ethnicity, age, marital status, faith journey, economic circumstance, immigration path, physical and mental health, and any other identity God has given you to shine your light in the world. We believe that we are called to follow Jesus in serving our world and our community: welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, loving our neighbors, and working for justice. We are a Reconciling in Christ congregation, committed to the full inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQIA+ people and to the ongoing work of racial equity. There is a place for you at Gloria Dei. We welcome you – your identities, your histories, your stories. We celebrate your unique and holy gifts as we grow together in faith: created by God, saved by Christ, and nurtured by the Holy Spirit.
Getting to know Pastor Christa Compton
The Rev. Dr. Christa M. Compton is a lifelong Lutheran who grew up in Lexington, South Carolina. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1993 with a B.A. in English and a Masters in Teaching, Christa spent the first decade of her professional life as a high school English teacher in Columbia, S.C. Christa moved to California in 2002 to pursue a PhD in the Stanford School of Education, which she completed in 2007. From 2002 to 2009 she worked with the Stanford Teacher Education Program and enjoyed serving as a supervisor and course instructor for people entering the teaching profession.
Over time, however, the call to ordained ministry grew stronger, and in the fall of 2009 Christa entered Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary to begin the preparation process to become a Lutheran pastor. Her seminary years were filled with many rich ministry experiences, including an internship year at Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Vista, AZ and opportunities to serve in congregations in the Bay Area. Christa graduated from the seminary in May of 2013 with her Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree and joined Gloria Dei in August of that year.
Pastor Christa enjoys having conversations with people about their spiritual questions, their faith journeys, or anything else that shapes their daily lives. She loves teaching people about the Bible and about faith, welcoming all doubts, questions, and curiosities.
Pastor Christa is the chairperson of the New Jersey Candidacy Committee and a member of the planning team for Confirmation Camp. She also serves as a facilitator for the SHAPE of Leadership program and as a member of the Accreditation Commission for the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). She occasionally writes “Preaching Helps” for the journal Currents in Theology and Mission.
Pastor Christa loves spending time with her family in South Carolina when she can, including parents Charlie and Nancy, sister Claire (a high school math teacher), and sister Carrie (a nurse), and brother-in-law Judson (a Lutheran pastor). She is also a proud aunt to Addison (11) and Camryn (7), and she delights in sharing adventures with her nieces, including reading books together, playing fierce games of miniature golf, and collecting shells at Litchfield Beach.
An avid reader, Pastor Christa welcomes recommendations about your favorite books. She enjoys all kinds of pop culture, from the latest Broadway show or Avengers movie to smaller indie films and all kinds of television. (Current favorites are “This is Us” and Madam Secretary,” but she still rewatches episodes of “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation.”) She loves learning new things any way she can and enjoys venturing into the city for lectures, concerts, and museum visits.
We invite you to call the office if you would like to speak with Pastor Christa. She can be reached by phone: (973) 635-5889 and by email: pastorchrista@gloriadeichatham.org.
Chatham, NJ 07928-1659
(973) 635-5889
gloriadei@gloriadeichatham.org
