As a child, LuAnn’s family didn’t attend church, so her earliest spiritual experience occurred when she was exposed to a Bible study class in Elementary school. Something about this class especially resonated with LuAnn and because she couldn’t stop talking about it, eventually her parents bought her a Bible of her own. Then in Junior High she began to attend church sporadically with friends as God continued to pursue her.
Following high school, LuAnn married her husband, Pat Rourke, and while he pursued a career as an electrician, she completed her freshman year of college. The following year though, they began their family, so LuAnn opted not to return to school right away. Instead she chose to spend the next few years focusing all her attention on raising her son and daughter. It was during these years that they joined the Swartz Creek United Methodist Church and became regular church attenders, wanting to give their children a firm religious foundation. As her kids grew more active in church, so did LuAnn. By 1996 she had joined their staff to serve as Director of their Youth Choirs and then in 1999 she became Director of Youth Ministries. During this period, LuAnn decided to return to college and in 2003 she obtained her Bachelor Degree in Counseling Psychology.
Continuing her Pastoral calling, LuAnn transitioned from Director of Youth Ministries to Pastoral Assistant & Minister of Discipleship at Swartz Creek and she also began to work toward a Master of Divinity degree at Ashland Theological Seminary. Then in 2006 she received an appointment to serve as Associate Pastor at Swartz Creek and in 2007 she graduated and received her M.Div. degree.
In 2009 LuAnn was appointed to serve as lead Pastor at Seymour Lake United Methodist Church and in 2010 she returned to Ashland to pursue a Doctor of Wesleyan Studies degree while she continued to lead the church full time as well. In 2015 she was appointed to serve as lead Pastor at Bethany United Methodist Church in Clio, Michigan.
Today, Pastor LuAnn still hasn’t stopped studying or talking about the Bible and she is especially passionate about Jesus and about sharing the love of Christ with those who don’t know Him. This shows in both her preaching and her music. So if you’d like to engage her in conversation, just ask her about her ministry or ask her about her other great passion. . . her four granddaughters, whom she affectionately refers to as “Team Tornado.”
Would you like to visit with Pastor Cathi? We could meet in your home or in a nearby restaurant during the day or early evening. If you would welcome a visit, please let me know. Just call the church office to set up a time. I look forward to getting to know you!