Pastor Laurie Carson loves to ponder questions of faith and spirituality, wondering and wandering with others on a shared journey. She has a passion for LGBTQ+ Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Campus Ministry. She came to St. Luke Lutheran Church, Collegetown, in 2015, after leading congregations in Western New York State, serving on Bishop’s staff in the Upstate New York Synod, and teaching Youth Ministry courses at Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. Pastor Laurie has a BS in Environmental Science and Education from Long Island University. After working in Outdoor Education for several years, she attended the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg (now part of United Lutheran Seminary), where she earned a Masters of Divinity. She also has a Certificate in Youth Ministry from that fine institution. Pastor Laurie loves to tent camp, hike, bike, kayak, ski, snowshoe, read, and laugh. She lives in Ithaca with several plants, and she’s Mom to Cyrus (Colleen) and Noah (Brian). Her grandcats are Josiah, Mitchell, Cricket, and Harry (he’s a bit of a wizard).