Our Leadership

Rev. Dr. Steven R. Jungkeit has served as Senior Minister in Old Lyme since 2013, becoming the 19th leader in the long and storied history of the congregation. A scholar of deep intellectual rigor, he earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University, where he also completed his Divinity School training. He later brought his dynamic voice to Harvard Divinity School as the Lentz Lecturer in Religious Ethics, teaching and shaping students from 2011 to 2019. He is the author of Spaces of Modern Theology: Geography and Power in Schleiermacher’s World, published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager brings warmth, wisdom, and a remarkable breadth of experience to her role as Senior Associate Minister. Before joining FCCOL, she served as the solo pastor of First Church in East Haddam.

Rev. Carleen Gerber is a beloved leader whose lifelong connection to Lyme, deep faith, and decades of service have shaped generations within our church community. Born and raised in Lyme, Carleen brings the heart of a hometown servant and the perspective of a global Christian leader. She earned her B.A. from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where she studied music and elementary education, gifts that would become central to her ministry. In 1976, she began serving our church as organist—launching a remarkable chapter of leadership that has spanned decades.

The Board of Deacons develops and implements the spiritual activities of the church, in close cooperation with the ministers. The board administers the Sacrament of Holy Communion and oversees the Board of Youth & Adult Education, the Board of Music & the Arts, the Board of Missions and the Partnership Committees. Deacons coordinate our hospitality ministries and assist in weekly worship.

The Board of Trustees supervises the procurement, custody and care of all church property and manages all of the church’s financial affairs. The board maintains custody of all church funds and oversees the use of church facilities and equipment by other individuals or organizations; appoints and supervises the Budget Committee, the Property Committee, the Endowment Committee, the Communications Committee, the Personnel Committee; the Preservation Fund and the Audit Committee; and authorizes the annual financial audits of church accounts and activities.

The Board of Stewardship is responsible for securing the ongoing financial support of the church’s ministries and missions through the solicitation of annual pledges by members of the congregation, and coordinates all fund-raising activities held by the church or a particular board or committee. The board also develops and supervises any capital fund drives.

The Church Council serves as a sounding board for all church activities.  oversees the entirety of the church’s activities—spiritual, financial and otherwise. The council facilitates the interaction between all of the church’s various boards and committees.

The Board of Missions administers and disperses the money given to us by the Board of Trustees each year, raised  through our annual Stewardship campaign. A large portion of our mission giving supports ministries of food and shelter insecurity in New London and Middlesex Counties. Additionally, we  support the work of the United Church of Christ, as well as communities with which we have long-standing partnerships and agencies that demonstrate a bold commitment to human rights throughout the world.

Throughout the year, members of the Board of Missions visit the local agencies we support to enable us to better understand their work and mission in the communities they serve. A complete list of outreach giving can be found in the annual report.