St. Paul’s United Church of Christ to hold celebratory service for retiring pastor

The Rev. Gregory P. Lucas, the pastor at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, will retire soon after 37 years of ministry and 19 years at the Crystal Lake parish.

The church will hold a celebratory service for Lucas at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 21, according to a news release.

While at St. Paul’s, Lucas introduced online livestream feeds of the Sunday services during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued the service when in-person worship returned, according to the release.

Prior to St. Paul’s, Lucas served congregations in Indiana, Kansas and West Dundee. Lucas also sat on the Advocate Aurora Good Shepherd Hospital Governing Board, worked as a volunteer for the Crystal Lake Food Pantry and was a regular participant in the CROP Walk.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1982 and received a Master of Divinity from the Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1985. He was ordained by the Christian Church Disciples of Christ in 1985.