Grace Lutheran Church of Glen Ellyn installs new pastor

GLEN ELLYN – On Sept. 20, Grace Lutheran Church in downtown Glen Ellyn celebrated the installation of its new pastor, Rev. Melody Beckman Eastman.

“This has been an almost overwhelming experience of the movement of the Holy Spirit for me,” Eastman said in a church news release. “The people of Grace are so eager for the mission God is calling us to, and an amazing set of gifts is coming together from so many directions. To say I am excited about our new mission together is an understatement.”

Prior to coming to Grace, Eastman served as senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wheaton for almost 17 years. Before that, she served as associate pastor at Edison Park Lutheran on Chicago’s northwest side, Trinity Lutheran in Evanston and Ebenezer Lutheran in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.

Eastman sits on the Board of Directors of Lutheran Services in America, the 20th largest charitable organization in the United States, and she is the board chairwoman for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. In 2009, she received a Distinguished Alumnae award from the school for Excellence in Parish Ministry.

She is a regular contributor to "Christ in Our Home" and "The Word in Season," both daily devotionals published by Augsburg Fortress, as well as other worship-planning publications.

Eastman and her husband, Marty, have been married for 36 years and have two adult children. The couple enjoys biking, hiking and listening to live acoustic music.

Sunday worship at Grace Lutheran Church is at 8 and 10 a.m., with a Christian education hour between services. Information is available by calling the church at 630-469-1555 or going to its website, www.graceglenellyn.org.