Our Staff

Senior Pastor John Kratz – John Kratz was born and raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and graduated from Bethel Park Senior High School. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Houghton College with a Major in Religious Studies and minors in Greek, Psychology, and Music. His Master in Divinity was earned through Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg.

Before entering the ministry, John was the Older Adult Protective Services Worker for the Area Agency on Aging of Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Tioga Counties. He also served as the Mental Retardation Case Management Supervisor for Bradford and Sullivan Counties specializing in Early Intervention Services.

John and Jane have been married for over 30 years and have 4 children and 4 grandchildren. Rebecca and her 2 daughters, Cassidy and Rowan, live in Campbelltown PA. Michelle, her husband Adam and daughter Shelby live in Mechanicsburg PA. Steven, his wife McKenna and son John live in North Carolina. Breanna attends Immaculata University through the Immaculata University Presidential Scholarship.

John is a recipient of the Susquehanna Conference Howard and Elizabeth Brinton Award for Mission Excellence. His passion for ministry and love of mission are rooted in his favorite Bible verse: “Indeed God did not send the son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world would be saved thro

ugh Him.” John 3:17 NRSV

Director of Children's Ministry – Cindy Bowen

Hi everyone! My name is Cindy Bowen. I am your Children's Ministry Director here at St. Paul UMC. I was born and raised here in Chambersburg and am a life-long Methodist. I grew up at First UMC. I am married to Bill and we have two fabulous children – Lauren and Andrew. I graduated from CASHS in 1991 and attended Shippensburg University where I majored in Elemenarty Ed. I then obtained my Master's Degree in Elementary Ed a few years after that. I teach 4th grade ELA, Social Studies, and Writing at Guilford Hills Elementary.

It has been my great pleasure and joy to help lead our children here at St. Paul on their journeys as young Christians as they begin to learn about God, Jesus, the Bible, and the beliefs that we hold to be so central to our lives. One of the activities I really enjoy leading is the Children's Choir and the Children's Musical that we perform annually. I am often asked by folks in the congregation – “How do the children learn all of those words?” Well, we practice – we work and drill the words and melodies a lot. But we also laugh and enjoy our time together. They truly do pick everything up so quickly!

Another major area of emphasis in my ministry is organizing the annual Vacation Bible School. Not only is this an important ministry for our own St. Paul kids, but for the community as well. Thank you for your faith, trust, and encouragement that you have instilled in me as one of your leaders of our most precious resources – our children!!! I look forward to many more years serving God in this very important role.

Organist/Choir Director – John Angle

Greetings, I am John Angle your organist and choir director. I am a Greencastle native and graduated from high school there. I have a BME from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ; a MME from Indiana University in Indiana, Pa; and did doctoral studies in choral conducting at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. I taught music for fifteen years in Waynesboro, Pa; ran a small business for 21 years, and was organist and choir director for 23 years at Evangelical Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran Churches in Greencastle. For three years at Westminster I was in their Symphonic Choir; and in that time I was privileged to sing with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. It was truly and “eye-opening” experience to witness the manor in which world renowned conductors rehearsed their players and singers – it was a blessing from God to take part in concerts with these orchestras. I have tried to blend teachings from these learned conductors and use them in training choirs I have been blessed to lead. All my choirs have had very dedicated singers and I appreciate their sharing their talents with their church. The singers here at St. Paul have been very dedicated and hard working and I thank them for their faithfulness. I also appreciate how friendly the congregation has been to me from my first Sunday here to the present. If you want to experience a lot of “fun”, try singing in the choir for a month. We rehearse on Sunday mornings at 10am in the choir room. You do not need to have an exceptionally beautiful voice or read music; what you need is to be willing to support the choir and help make our services more beautiful. It is joy to be a part of such dedicated people and see what a difference their commitment to our church is making in our community – to all – job well done!

Finance Office – Tricia Bush

Hello, I am Tricia Bush and I take care of the finances here at St. Paul UMC. I am a lifelong United Methodist and a member of Christ UMC in Waynesboro where I reside. I moved to the Washington Township area in 2012 from New Jersey. Before joining the office staff of St. Paul in February 2020, I was the administrative assistant for another local Methodist church. I also have many years of experience in the banking industry.
When I’m not in the office, you can find me working in my yard when the weather is nice, sitting behind my computer, or just cuddling with my two cats. However, what I enjoy most is spending time with my husband, Les, and our young-adult kids. I’m extremely proud of my two sons, stepson, and stepdaughter.
I’m very excited about my role at St. Paul UMC and am thankful to God for opening up this opportunity. I was drawn to the position based on my banking knowledge combined with my experience as a church administrator. My greatest reward is the chance to work in an environment that allows me to enrich my beliefs as a United Methodist and to be part of the ministry of Christ.

Office Support – Jodi Struening

Hi, I’m Jodi Struening. I was born and raised in both the beautiful farm communities and “down the shore” in New Jersey. I am a former resident of the Eastern Shore of Virginia and currently make Franklin County, Pa. my home. I reside with my two Golden-Doodles Kipper, my new rescue pup Birdie and my barn cat Ella-mae. The greatest joy in my life is my amazing, hardworking and kind hearted 25-year-old son Wade. I cherish my family and friends as well as my new family here at St. Paul UMC. Some of my favorite things to do are, crocheting, gardening, playing with my pups and spending time in the mountains of New York, with my son, fishing and 4-wheeling.

My position here at St. Paul UMC is to support our office staff in whatever capacity I can, to co-ordinate our Home-bound Visiting Ministry, and to be available for any and all projects that come my way. I find working at St. Paul to be very rewarding, challenging, heart and mind opening, both spiritually and personally. I will be forever grateful to my friends and longtime members for inviting my sister and I to attend one Sunday morning. The rest is history.

Secretary – Lisa Morrow

Hello my name is Lisa Morrow and I have been the church secretary since 2016. I graduated from Shippensburg Area Senior High School and Shippensburg University. My husband and I have been married since 1991 and we live in Shippensburg. We attend Otterbein UMC in Newburg and are very active with our church. I have been their church treasurer since 2000. We love to hike, kayak, take pictures and travel.

I am responsible for preparing the worship bulletins, announcements, calendar, answering the phones, greeting people as they visit the office, maintain membership files on Church Windows, coordinate the monthly food distribution as well as the cart of food that gets put out daily in front of the office and anything else that comes along. Every day is a unique experience. I enjoy helping people and am thankful to be here.