Olivet United Methodist says good-bye to Pastor Shorb-Sterling

Friday, July 18, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo Olivet United Methodist Church’s Pastor, Sue Shorb-Sterling, right, and her husband Chuck Sterling, were recently treated to a farewell Luncheon at the church in Lusby. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

‘‘Rev. Sue” has been reappointed by Bishop John R. Schol of the Baltimore-Washington Conference to the United Methodist Church of Salem United Methodist Church in Brookeville. The appointment was effective July 1.

‘‘The people of Olivet,” Shorb-Sterling said in the release, ‘‘will always have a special place in my heart. In my six years of service I have experienced their spiritual journey, their development of lay leadership, and their involvement in several new ventures in ministry.”

As the Olivet pastor for six years, Shorb-Sterling has been active in the church redevelopment, a program between the Olivet congregation and the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

During her time at Olivet, the church also completed its long-term dream to build an addition providing more space for programs, ministries, and events. The Good News Center was dedicated May 22, 2005.

She currently serves as a board member of southern Calvert County’s SMILE (Service Makes Individual Lives Exciting) Ecumenical Ministries, as a clergy member of the Calvert Interfaith Council, and has served as a chaplain for the Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department.

She has been very active in the Southern Maryland Emmaus Community, and currently serves as the Community’s spiritual director.

As a hobby she enjoys being a member of the St. Mary’s Musica performance group.

Her passion is to reach people for Christ, to help people develop their faith and to help develop leaders in the church.

Prior to the ministry Shorb-Sterling worked as a children’s librarian and storyteller for the Carroll County Public Library. In ministry she first served as a student pastor at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Reisterstown from 1998 to 2002.

She received a master of divinity degree (magna cum laude) from Wesley Theological Seminary in 2002, and was ordained as an Elder of the United Methodist Church in 2005.