New Pastor Arrives Bethany Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake

Bethany Lutheran Church is thrilled to announce that Pastor Cathy Daharsh (pronounced DAY-harsh) has accepted the call to be the new Senior Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church! The entire community is invited to her installation ceremony, August 23 at 3:00 pm. at Bethany Lutheran Church, 76 W. Crystal Lake Ave., Crystal Lake, Ill.

Those unable to attend the ceremony are invited to meet Pastor Cathy every Sunday during services at 8, 9 and 10:30 am. For more information on services and the abundant variety of activities at Bethany Lutheran Church, please visit http://www.bethanylc.com/home.

Pastor Cathy comes to Bethany Lutheran from Gilbert Lutheran Church in Gilbert, Iowa, where she has served since August of 2009. She and her family moved to Crystal Lake earlier this month.

Pastor Cathy succeeds Pastor Carrie Ballenger Smith, who was called to serve as Pastor of the English-speaking congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, Israel.

Pastor Daharsh is a graduate of Wartburg Theological Seminary where she graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. Prior to beginning ordained ministry, Pastor Cathy served a congregation in Sheboygan, WI as Director of Youth and Family Ministry.

She also was an elementary teacher and a high school volleyball coach in Sheboygan.

She has been married to Tom for 22 years. They have two children, Aaron, a junior, and Mitchell, a freshman in college this fall, both at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

She has discerned her call in ministry to guide the congregation and its people in discovering who they are as a community and where they sense God is calling them. Her leadership is rooted in strong honest relationships. She brings a vision of mission that will both comfort and challenge.

Pastor Cathy has seen much growth in her congregation in the last three years. Gilbert Lutheran Church has grown theologically, in membership, and in outreach. They have grown through worship, bible studies, book studies, retreats, and intentional task forces that Pastor Cathy has initiated. Through intentional conversations the people of the congregation have come to a deeper understanding that the church is Christ’s church, including those who are here, those yet to come, and those we serve. In the last three years new visions have become a reality for the church from adding a weekly Wednesday Worship Service, to establishing Backpack Buddy outreach program, to starting weekly Holy Communion, to adding a larger staff, to reconfiguring the church council, to updating and rewriting the constitution and bylaws, to developing future building plans, to renovating and updating outdoor landscaping and the indoor facility. There is much excitement and forward movement happening with a deeper understanding that Christ is at the center of it all.

Pastor Cathy’s hopes and dreams for Bethany Lutheran Church are to build upon what is already good and to find new and innovative ways to communicate a rich outreach focus to the larger community. She looks to find time to intentionally listen to members of the congregation and members of the community of Crystal Lake to discover what God is doing in this place and to hear what gives people the most joy and fulfillment in their lives. Pastor Cathy believes that matching gifts with the congregation and community’s needs encourages ownership of people’s involvement and commitment in ministry at a higher level of involvement.

Pastor Cathy’s interests include serving on the Companion Synod Committee, the Synod Assembly Worship Committee, and volunteering in the local community. She has also chaired the Synod’s Fall Theological Conference and attended the 2013 Churchwide Assembly as a voting member. She enjoys playing volleyball, running, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Pastor Cathy has many interests and gifts. Her hope is to be in a congregation where her gifts meet the needs of the congregation and the gifts of the congregation meet her need to be challenged and encouraged with a variety of inspiring possibilities for ministry, creative ideas, and a cohesive staff.