Submitted by Dan Evans, LPC Clerk of Session.
Lakewood Presbyterian Church is pleased to announce that it has a new pastor. Rev. Laura Nile Tuell was elected unanimously by the whole congregation after a search that began when long-term pastor Rev. Barlow Buescher retired in mid-2021.
Pastor Laura was born in Redding, California and raised in Salem, Oregon. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle and then completed seminary at the Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. She had wanted to go somewhere different than the Pacific Northwest but after living in Georgia and Ohio she and her husband David were both eager to come back to Tacoma and settle in.
By partnering with Lakewood Presbyterian Church, Pastor Laura insures that the progressive vision of LPC will continue to exist. When she was asked what drew her to LPC she answered “As I read over the materials that your PNC [Pastor Nominating Committee] put together and I saw what your vision is for the church, I got excited. I just really believe in the local church. I have such love for community and I believe that small things can do great things in this world. And I’m very passionate about inclusion for our queer brothers and sisters and the fact that LPC is an open congregation made me even more excited.”
When Laura was presented to the congregation after the vote, several members of the congregation shouted joyfully “We have a new pastor!” All attendees then celebrated on the back lawn with a picnic lunch and music by the PLU Steel Band. Pastor Laura will start her work with LPC on Monday, August 14. Worship services begin at 10:30 AM every Sunday and are open to everyone.
