First Lutheran Church welcomes new pastoral leader in transition
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The Jamestown First Lutheran Church welcomes the Rev. Gail Swanson as its new pastoral leader in transition Sunday, Oct. 4, at its 9 and 11 a.m. services.
Swanson was raised in East Aurora and has a bachelor of music education degree from the State University at Fredonia. In graduate school, she earned her master of sacred music degree from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio. She completed her master of divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
Prior to attending seminary, she served for four years as a full-time director of music and director of youth ministry at Ascension Lutheran Church in Amherst. During the course of 37 years of ordained ministry, Swanson served St. Mark's Lutheran in Mayville, Trinity Lutheran in East Rochester, Atonement Lutheran in Rochester and a large, 1,800 member congregation in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, (Prince of Peace Lutheran in Dublin.) as one of three full-time pastors. Her interest in worship and music gave Swanson the opportunity to serve for a number of years, as a member and chairperson of Synod Assembly Worship Teams in the Upstate N.Y. Synod and the Southern Ohio Synod.
Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center has been a significant part of her life for the past 58 years. From camper to staff member to program director to chaplain, Confirmation Camp pastor, previous member and president of the LCLC board, and interim executive director in 2023-'24.
Her husband, the Rev. Craig Swanson, is also an ordained pastor.
"They met at seminary and still feel blessed to be a clergy couple," First Lutheran officials said in a news release. "Since their retirement from parish ministry this past spring, they have been embracing lake life at their trailer at LCLC."
Their daughter, Corine, lives in Hartford, Conn. Their son, Nicholas, lives in New York City. Swanson said she also enjoys opera, Broadway musicals, cooking for friends and sunsets on Lake Chautauqua.
First Lutheran Church is an ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), with a Sunday contemporary worship at 9 a.m. in the contemporary worship center, led by the Sacred Fire Praise Team, Kimberly King, worship leader and coordinator of contemporary worship. The traditional worship service in the church nave is at 11 a.m. led by Brian A. Bogey, organist/choirmaster and the First Lutheran Choir.
A reception and fellowship hour is at 10 a.m. between the two services as well as Sunday school for all ages at 10 a.m. in the Westerberg Educational Building. The church has a Community Outreach Store ministry, open every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. First Lutheran, along with the YWCA, has transitional housing for women and children at First House, which used to be the church parsonage. The public is welcome to join the church for worship on Sundays and throughout the week.