Pastor Sarah Rossing, who joins LAMPa’s policy council as a representative from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, has roots in a number of different communities across the continent of North America, but most of them run through the Lutheran church. She was born and baptized in Texas, raised and confirmed in Georgia, before attending St. Olaf College to study art history and Spanish. She served as a Young Adult in Global Mission (YAGM) in Cuernavaca, MX, working with women and children in a community center before returning to the United States to serve as a member of Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) in Washington, D.C., living and working alongside the communities of Luther Place and N Street Village. She also had the opportunity to work with the refugee resettlement program at Lutheran Social Services of the National Capitol Area, building bridges between local churches, volunteers, and their new neighbors.

Sarah graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2015 and now serves as pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Youngstown, PA in the foothills of the Laurel Highlands.

Through her experiences in the wider Lutheran church, Sarah has come to believe deeply in the power of ministry that empowers people to live out their faith in the public sphere, especially as it gives people of faith the means to love their neighbor to the fullest extent possible.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys exploring her new home in Pennsylvania with her dog, crafting, baking bread, and other creative endeavors. She also believes in the power of food to bring people together, even when the dishes don’t get cleaned right away.  Because in the end, we are all people who love to eat, love to be loved, and are loved by God.