Our Pastor

Sue Van Stelle is a proud Iowa native who is thankful she now only uses her snow shovel to load leaves into the yard waste container. Having lived in Gladstone for almost 15 years, some of her favorite things about Oregon are the coast, all the great hiking opportunities, and the wonderful varieties of fruits and veggies that are so easy to find.

Sue’s undergrad degree is in English, and she began her career in the classroom. When she answered a need for a children’s ministry director at her Presbyterian Church in Nebraska a number of years ago, Sue began to discern how God might be calling her to use her gifts of teaching and leadership to serve the church in other ways. After 17 years in children and youth ministry and after taking the tortoise’s path to get her MDiv., Sue graduated from Portland Seminary in June of 2020. She is now eager to serve a congregation as their pastor, with a goal of helping a congregation thrive in a cultural landscape that is constantly changing.

Sue has two adult daughters–Danae, who is an ER nurse in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Gail, who decided to take a gap year from college while she determines a career to pursue. Sadly, Sue’s husband of 28 years passed away in October of 2019, and while this has been difficult, she is thankful for the unfailing support of God’s love through her Christian community and friends. Sue lives with Gail, with her yorkie mix Petey, and with Gail’s pit bull mix Charlie. Guess which dog runs the show.

Sue enjoys reading, gardening, quilting, photography, hiking, coffee, and messy crafts. Her kids tease her about her obsession with birding, but they always let her know when they see an unusual bird and ask for her help identifying it.