Rev. Sara Salomons

Contact Rev. Salomons at ssalomons@ahcc.org

I was born and raised in the beautiful hills of Western Massachusetts.  I am an only child and thoroughly enjoyed my childhood with my two energetic, creative and wonderful parents.  My journey with the church began as a young child.  I was actively involved in my home church until I graduated from high school.  I even joined the staff of my home church during the summers while I was in college as the middle school youth director.   When it was time to leave for college, I decided to try Midwestern living.  I graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1996 with a degree in sociology.  After college I worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer.  I spent that year of my life overseeing the entire operation of a 90-unit single room occupancy building.  I also spent a lot of time preaching and teaching in a store front church.  The current mayor of Grand Rapids, George Heartwell, who incidentally is also a minister, really became somewhat of a mentor to me.  It was his urging that led me in the direction of seminary.  He saw gifts for ministry in me and he helped me discover those gifts.

I married Joel Salomons during the summer of 1997, and together, we moved to Chicago so that I could attend seminary. I graduated from North Park Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Urban Ministry in 2000.  My time in Chicago was spent in an incredibly diverse and dynamic urban church.  I spent a great deal of my seminary career studying and being a part of the urban church.  I also was an institutional chaplain in Chicago.

Joel and I have three young boys: Gabe, Eli, and Caleb.  We moved our family to West Hartford from Chicago in 2004 so that we could be closer to my parents.  We love Connecticut and are so happy to call it home.

Most of my time these days is spent playing with my boys.  You can find me in my backyard throwing a football, racing to the swing set, playing with light sabers, or digging in the sandbox with the front-loader.  The little bit of free time that I get to myself is spent reading, writing, knitting, baking, cooking, walking to West Hartford Center, and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

After moving to Connecticut I began working at the United Church of Chester as Minister of Christian Education.  I loved my time in Chester and am so thankful that I had three wonderful years there.

And now I am here, at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, as your Minister of Children and Families.  I am here to work with you and your families and be a part of this wonderful church.  I am here with enthusiasm and passion for the work of the church.  My hope is to provide a nurturing and loving environment where children want to come each week.  My vision for this ministry does not include lots of "stuff" to fill already cluttered lives.  It simply includes a church that says to its children, "We care enough about you to give you a space to call your own and we also will provide dedicated folks who can be with you as you begin and continue your faith journey."  I know that this is what AHCC is all about and I am happy to be part of this church.