Pastor Lorah Houser Jankord
"I strongly believe that we are called to worship together as a church and need each other to act as the body of Christ here on earth. I look forward to strengthening my personal relationship with God through prayer, study and with my church family."
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 There was never a time that I did not believe in God or was not part of a church family. I was raised in the church – literally. As the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, my two younger brothers and I remember playing as well as worshiping in every church my father served. Church potlucks, Lenten services, annual Presbytery meetings, Advent – our family calendar revolved around the church calendar when others revolved around the school calendar.
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Pastor Lorah Houser Jankord
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We grew up moving around the Midwest and the church community formed our family in every town to which we moved. I went to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Youth Choir and Youth Group… if there was a group in the church I was part of it (not always willingly.)
When we moved to Redfield in 1974, I was 14 years old. My Dad died in 1975, five months after accepting the call at the Presbyterian churches in Bonilla and Wolsey. His death changed everything.
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The highlight of my teen years was Placerville and CYU. Placerville was and continues to be a “faith charger” for me. When my faith batteries get low I go to Placerville – sometimes only in my mind.
After Rich and I got married in 1982, we moved to New Jersey. When we moved back to Redfield in 1993 our son, Bradley, was five and Emma was one and we went to three different churches before confirming that the United Church of Christ was the right one for our family.
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FAMILY PHOTO AND
INTRODUCTION
Pastor Lorah and her husband Rich Jankord have been married 27 years and have two children. Bradley is a senior at the University of South Dakota and Emma is a senior at Redfield High School. May 2010 will be full of celebrating as they both graduate - eight days apart.
Rich and Lorah like to travel and golf and try to travel somewhere to golf at least once a year. Rich administers an early intervention program called Birth to Three for a six county area. They will be moving to the Tulare United Church parsonage the summer of 2010.
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Since returning to South Dakota and the United Church of Christ, I have been the Dean of Woman’s Camp at Placerville, Chaplain (Vesper’s Leader) at Women’s Camp, Moderator of the South Dakota Conference, member of the Placerville Committee, on the Nominating Committee, member of the Media Resource Center Committee and active in every aspect of my local church including President of Woman’s Fellowship, Sunday school teacher, CYU leader, Moderator, and member of both the Diaconate and Trustees.
Although all these roles are important the most important thing I have done to grow in my faith is to take the Yankton College classes required to earn my Associate of Theology degree. The instructors and classmates helped me to define myself in a religious context.
The other ways I have expanded my faith through action is to serve the Tulare United Church (UCC and UMC) for seven months in 2007 as their designated licensed pastor. When I was asked to consider becoming the full time Pastor at Tulare United Church, I was unsure if now was the right time.
In April, I was invited to the UCC national church house in Cleveland to attend a LinK event for licensed ministers. It was at that meeting that I was moved from uncertainty to call. Although my thought of seminary may be put on the back burner again, I know this is the right decision. God has been guiding me toward full time ministry for a long time and I believe Tulare United Church is where I am supposed to start.
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I have a simple faith. I believe in one loving God who created all good things. I believe that Jesus Christ is God’s son and through his death and resurrection I have the incredible gift of having my sins forgiven. I believe the Bible is true and that God through the Holy Spirit continues to speak to me through scripture, hymns, other people, nature, magazine articles… even a bumper sticker once and a while.
Pastor Lorah
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