About Us
Rev. Jan S. Worms, Interim
The Rev Jan S. Worms
I am honored and delighted to serve as your Interim Pastor. I look forward to meeting you and working with you. I answer to most anything, but prefer Pastor Jan.
Throughout my ministry I have been a worker priest, meaning that I have always had a “secular” job in addition to my ministry. I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist, MLS (ASCP). I’m the person in the lab coat who tests all the samples that are sent to the clinical laboratory . . . chemistry tests such blood glucose and cholesterol panels, preparing donor blood by typing and performing a cross match for infusion, coagulation (Pro Times and PTT’s), microbiology (culturing specimens to find what bugs are making you sick), urinalysis, spinal fluid testing and a host of other laboratory tests too numerous to mention. I have worked in several local hospitals, an independent laboratory and for the American Red Cross. I’ve been a bench tech, lead tech, supervisor and laboratory manager. Three years ago, I hung up my lab coat for the last time and retired from the field after 40+ years.
Currently, I work as a tutor for the Illinois Tutoring Initiative (ITI) and am an employee of SIU-E. I tutor grade 3-8 in Math and English Language Arts. The ITI is a new program to help “catch up” learners who fell behind during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Since ordination, I have served the church as Pastor, Assistant to the Pastor, Pastoral Counselor, Interim Pastor, Director of Music and Director of Education. In our Synod, I served two terms on the Social Ministry, Justice and Advocacy Committee and two terms on the New and Renewing Congregations Committee. With my colleagues on the New and Renewing Congregations Committee, I led workshops on church renewal throughout our synod. I am a trained Natural Church Development Coach and a trained Renewing Congregations Coach.
After I received my Master of Divinity degree, I completed a three-year residency in Pastoral Counseling at CARE and Counseling in St Louis. I continued working there as a therapist, counseling individuals, couples and families. It was there that I met and worked with your founding pastor, The Rev Dr Frederick C Giraud. I have completed a one-year training through the National Association of Lutheran Interim Pastors (NALIP) as an Intentional Interim Pastor.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry/Zoology granted by Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana. My Master of Divinity is from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. I was in the last class to begin study at Christ Seminary-Seminex in St Louis.
I am a musician. I play the piano, organ, flute, recorder, Celtic harp and mallet percussion.
I enjoy reading, knitting, travel and gardening. I am a Bookbinding Master, which means I have completed over 600 hours of “at the bench” training from some of the finest bookbinders. I studied bookbinding at Hollander’s School of Bookbinding and Paper Arts in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sadly, the school is closed. I paid for my study by teaching bookbinding workshops in St Louis, Springfield, Il, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio and Washington DC.
I live in Mascoutah with my little, gray cat, Lilly.