Rev. Linda Noonan (Credit: St. John's UCC)
Rev. Dr. Linda Noonan to be formally installed Sunday in Lansdale
St. John’s United Church of Christ, the historic “church with the red doors” on Main Street, is ushering in a new era of leadership just as it approaches its 150th anniversary.
According to information submitted by Grace Marchione on behalf of the church, the congregation has welcomed the Rev. Dr. Linda Noonan as its new lead pastor following a lengthy search.
"Pastor Linda," who began serving in March, will be formally installed Sunday at 3 p.m. in a service open to the community. Bishop eDwayne Royster, an ordained UCC minister and national nonprofit leader, will preach during the ceremony.
Marchione said Noonan, a Midwesterner with 35 years in ministry, has worked as a congregational pastor, hospice chaplain, overseas mission personnel, activist and teacher in both South Africa and the United States. She holds a Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary and a PhD in Religion and Social Change from United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, where she also teaches as an adjunct professor.
Before coming to Lansdale, she served as senior pastor at Chestnut Hill United Church in Philadelphia and previously held roles in Chester County and Chicago.
Her appointment marks just the eighth senior pastor in the church’s 150-year history. Deborah Dayton, president of the St. John’s Church Council, described Noonan’s leadership as “a breath of fresh air,” saying she “brings warmth, energy, and a clarity of vision that calms our fears while challenging the church to be the best version of itself.”
As St. John’s looks toward its sesquicentennial in 2026, church leaders say they will continue building on a legacy of service and inclusivity. The congregation helped launch Manna on Main Street in Lansdale under former pastor Rev. John Touchberry and has maintained an “Open and Affirming” status for LGBTQ+ justice since 2014. This summer, members joined Lansdale’s Pride Walk & Roll and held the church’s first “Pride Sunday” service.
“Inclusivity, accessibility, and service are more important now than ever,” Noonan said, pointing to initiatives such as food aid for Gaza and creating sensory-friendly worship spaces. “St. John’s UCC is a congregation ‘rooted and rising in love.’”
For more information about St. John’s UCC and the installation service, visit www.st-johns-ucc.org
