When economics students need prayers at finals time, they know where to turn.  Judith Van Kennen, administrative secretary in the economics department, is also the ordained pastor of Emmanuel Congregational United Church of Christ in Massena, N.Y., about 30 miles from Canton.  She was named 2009 Woman of the Year by the St. Lawrence County Chapter of New York State Women, Inc.

A 2008 graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, Van Kennen first went to Emmanuel in 2000 as an intern.  In May 2007, the church was struck by lightning and suffered extensive fire damage.  Van Kennen held the congregation together, led the rebuilding effort, and the church was formally dedicated last December 12.

First hired by St. Lawrence in 1998 as a secretary in alumni and parent programs, Van Kennen continued her education after moving to economics, earning a B.A. in religious studies from St. Lawrence in 2002.  It was her connection with St. Lawrence that led to her finding her calling to be a pastor.  “My undergraduate work at St. Lawrence gave me the confidence to reach for bigger goals,” the pastor says.  Her advisor, Prof. Michael Greenwald, was the one who encouraged her to pursue graduate school, she recalls.          

At Emmanuel, Van Kennen oversees a congregation that ranges from 65 to 75 people every Sunday. Her duties include “preaching, leading worship, administration, teaching and pastoral care (visitation and counseling),” she says.

For Van Kennen, one of the most important aspects of her success in her work has been the encouragement of her department. “It is people like my colleagues that make St. Lawrence the place it is,” she says.                                                               

--Katelyn McBurney ’10