Rev. Dr. Kathryn Nystrand Dwyer, Pastor
Rev. Dwyer came to St. John's in 2001 after serving as the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Thornville, Ohio. She has also served as Associate Pastor for Karl Road Christian Church and as Director of Children's Ministries for First Community Church, both in Columbus.
 
She received a B.A. from Miami University (Ohio), a Master's of Divinity from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and she was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 1998. In 2009 she received her Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching from the Chicago Theological Seminary. The title of her thesis was The Largest Table Effect:  Preaching to Cultivate Compassion, Justice and Inclusion in the Urban Church.
 
She currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Methodist Theological School in Ohio and serves as the chair of the Development Committee.
 
Rev. Dwyer loves cooking and entertaining and looks for every opportunity to gather people around a table to break bread together.  She has two children, Courtney and Drew.  She and her husband, Dale, and dog, Samson, live in Hilliard, Ohio.
 
May Schwarz, Minister of Music

May Schwarz, Minister of Music, leads a diverse music program at St. John’s including: multiple choirs, the Triune Concert Series, Java & Jazz Series, Mostly Mozart, Messiah Sunday, and Taizé-style Evening Prayer. She encourages musicians of all ages to share their musical gifts -- vocal and instrumental.

May is a graduate of Oberlin College - Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music), The Ohio State University (Master of Music), and Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Master of Theological Studies). She also pursued graduate studies at Erlangen University and the Kirchenmusikalisches Institut in Erlangen, Germany. Before coming to St. John’s, she served parishes in Erlangen, Germany; Oberlin, Port Clinton, and Sandusky, Ohio. She served as Dean of The Columbus Chapter American Guild of Organists and as National Vice-President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Her music compositions are published with Morning Star Music Publications (Magnificat and She Came to the Banquet), Augsburg Fortress (Come, Holy Spirit, Blow Across the Waters, and psalmody in Psalter for Worship), and The Pilgrim Press (Psalm tones in The New Century Hymnal).

She enjoys playing Mozart and Joplin four-hand piano works, attending music events, composing music, travel, and spending time with her family. At St. John’s she enjoys the people, the wide variety of musical and spiritual gifts they bring, and making music together!

Contact May via e-mail.
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