I grew up in a little town, La Plume, Pennsylvania and attended Lackawanna Trail High School. From there I went to Dartmouth College, and majored in math while I minored in education. During the summers before, during, and after college I had the honor of working at Sky Lake. Those who knew me at Sky Lake were not surprised, but those who knew me at Dartmouth were that I next went to Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles, California to work on my Masters of Divinity. I interned for two years at the Hollywood United Methodist Church, and was appointed to the Morris United Methodist Church. During my time there, in June 2009, I was ordained by the Wyoming Annual Conference.

As of July 2010 I have the joy of being the pastor appointed to serve the Park Terrace United Methodist Church, a part of the Upper New York Annual Conference. In addition to the ministry here, I’m also working with the Conference Leadership Team for Upper New York, on the Economic Advisory Team for the General Commission on Finance and Administration, and directing a camp for people with Special Needs at Sky Lake.

More personally, I’m a skier – downhill – fairly hardcore. I jog, but mostly to stay in shape for ski season! I’m a very amateur gardener, but I love having vegetables from my own garden. I’m a knitter, and I’m working on a few projects that should last for years. I love Sky Lake, and pretty much everything about it. I tend to call it my Holy of Holies. I also love to read.

I’m concerned that we don’t teach people our Christian traditions of prayer, and we leave people without the resources necessary to connect with the Divine in harder times. I worry, too, that our current Church form of Sunday School teaches the Bible as fables rather than encouraging understandings of the Bible having an over-arching narrative into which stories fit. It delights me that Park Terrace is so active in caring for the vulnerable, as I see that as key to the gospel message. I’m delighted to be moving to a church so interested in keeping faith relevant!

My parents live in La Plume, PA, which is 13 miles north of Scranton. They’re still in the house I was raised in, and attend the same church too: Clarks Summit UMC. Dad, Andy Baron, is a retired radiologist. Mom, Joan Carey, taught at the University of Scranton in the biology department. I have one brother, older, also named Andy, who lives in the Bay Area and Chicago. He programs for TiVo, and his partner Nicole Stephens teaches at Kellogg Business School (Northwestern.)

I come with a large assortment of friends. You may have the chance to meet some of them as they come to visit, though it is fine if you forget their names! I also have two claimed nieces, although no biological ones. Lily is 6, she lives in Tallahassee and Brynna is 3 and lives in Concord.

I would love to get to you know you better, and discuss with you whatever is on your heart.

(E-mail me at sara@parkterraceumc.org )