Dear Members and Friends of Open Door Churches:
We are pleased to be able to share with you that Reverend Deb Olenyik will be joining the pastoral team for Open Door Churches!
Pastor Olenyik is assigned as a part time campus pastor for Trinity United Methodist Church, as of July 1, 2023. She comes to us as a retired elder of the Mt. Sky Annual Conference. She has served as a District Superintendent, assisted with the formation of cooperative ministries, helped congregations come to terms with their present reality, lead congregations in discerning their futures, and pastored with compassion and caring emphasizing relationships in all her work.
Click on the link provided to read the appointment letter from District Superintendent, Tim Overton-Harris: Link for Open Door Churches appointment of Pastor Deb Olenyik
Interview with Pastor Deb
Where did you grow up and what was your family like?
I grew up in Pennsylvania [until age 6], New York [until age 13] and Maryland [high school years]. My father worked for IBM after serving in Korea, and my mother trained as a nurse but stayed home with my three younger brothers and me. We enjoyed big meals with relatives, family game nights, camping and playing in the snow.
What were you like as a kid and teenager?
I was a good student who liked to read, be with friends, listen to the latest music and be outdoors. I was active in 4H until moving just before high school from the Hudson River area of New York to a D.C. suburb. In high school I participated in drama, yearbook, choir, math club, student government and track.
When did your Christian faith become important to you?
I enjoyed Sunday School when I was in elementary school. When we moved to Maryland, I became active in a youth Bible study and a Christian rock music ministry at our United Methodist Church. That’s when my Christian faith really became alive for me.
How did you get a call to ministry?
I went to a Lutheran college in Indiana [Valparaiso] and was active in a United Methodist collage group. I studied criminology and mass communications and worked in law enforcement for two years. With encouragement from pastors, friends, and my own faith journey, I made the big leap and responded to a call to ordained ministry at a time when few women went to seminary. I went to the Iliff School of Theology in Denver for my Master of Divinity degree.
You served several churches during your years of active ministry, isn’t that right?
Yes, beginning in 1980, I pastored churches in Indiana, Colorado, and Wyoming. The church I served just before retiring was in Evergreen, Colorado. From 2008-2015 I was District Superintendent for the state of Wyoming [driving 30,000 miles a year] and served in another conference position a few more years as the first Transitional Ministry Developer before returning to the local church. I moved to Portland after retirement in 2021 and after a year “off” of ministry served this past year as the ¼ time pastor with the fine folk at Parkrose UMC in Portland.
Could you share about your family?
I’m a proud mother and grandmother with grandsons, Owen [5] and Miles [2]. Son Chris and Tamara were living in Portland, which is why I landed here. However, as life happens, they moved to Nashville this past winter. [I thought I would also be moving to Nashville, but those plans changed this spring.] Daughter Kelly and partner Brandon live in Seattle. Chris is an architect, Tamara does pharmaceutical research, Kelly does solar energy research, and Brandon is an editor at the Seattle Times. We enjoy our time together cooking, playing games, doing local adventures and being in the outdoors. My extended family – father, brothers & kin – live in Maryland.
What do you do in your free time?
I putter in the yard, travel, watch movies, watch sports, read, walk, exercise at the local community center and try to stay active. I visit my father and family back East a few times a year.
What have you enjoyed most so far about Oregon?
The rivers, beaches, flowers, local neighborhoods wineries, food carts, parks, and the Timbers/Thorns.
You’re going to be commuting from Portland, right?
Yes. As a ¼ time pastor I’m planning to be onsite in Salem 8 hours a week – a combination 2-3 Sundays a month and a day during the week. I’m planning to work remotely 4 hours a week. My weekly schedule will be in the bulletin and newsletter.
How is it going to work out with the ODC pastoral teamwork and ministries?
The pastors I will be privileged to work with as part of the Open Door Churches team are amazing! I can already tell I am quire blessed [and pastor colleagues from the area have also been sending messages sharing how great they are]. They and the Open Door Churches’ leadership realize that I will be about 85% devoted to the ministry with the folk at Trinity and about 15% devoted to the work of Open Door Churches combined relationships and ministries.
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