Merlyn Lawrence, associate pastor at United Protestant Church (UPC) 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.
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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.
