Craig Gommer, Pastor, with Cathy and Caitlyn

JP Bohanan -

Let me begin by sharing what I see as my role/goal as a pastor. It comes from scripture, 1 Corinthians 2. I will change the wording a little but I think you will understand my point.

“My friends, I come to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I will not try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I will deliberately keep it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified. I am sometimes unsure of how to go about this, and often feel totally inadequate—I am scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I say could impress you or anyone else. But the Message will come through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power do it, which makes it clear that your life of faith is to be a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.” - The Message

There is always something new to learn about God and about ourselves as we walk this journey. As we do that together, Jesus makes it clear: you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.” As the Church, the Body of Christ, the community of faith, we are to share the story and make disciples for Jesus Christ so as to transform the world! As we practice our faith through action, we reach out locally, regionally and globally in mission and discipleship.

I am a “P.K.” which means “preacher’s kid.” My father is a retired United Methodist pastor. One grandfather was also a United Methodist pastor, and my other grandfather was a Baptist minister. As a preacher’s kid the last thing I wanted to do was become a pastor. So I followed my interest in emergency medicine by becoming an EMT and then a paramedic. That interest came through TV programs like Emergency in the 70s. I knew I wanted to help people. So I worked in the emergency services field from 1980-1996. Near the end of my career in that field and while in nursing school, I received my call to ministry. I joined a church during that time and the Spirit took hold. I found that at the end of my second year of nursing, I was more excited about ministry than nursing. I realized that I needed to explore this call to ministry and placed my nursing career on hold. Since I have put my hand to the plow, I have not looked back.

I believe in what we as United Methodists have to offer the world in terms of personal holiness and social holiness. We cannot have one without the other. God has provided so many means of grace to us so that we stay focused or if we get lost, they help us turn back. We support each other and the world with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. Through our connectional system, we have contact with others who may be able to help us determine our vision, and a path forward into the community around us.

Cathy, Caitlyn and I are excited to begin this journey with you!

Pastor Craig’s Interests

  • Member of Order of Saint Luke 1997-present
  • Led VIM Teams to Russia: January 2001, 2002, 2003
  • Former Member of Salem Township Vol FC #1: serving as Chaplain and QRS Captain
  • Former Pennsylvania State Police Chaplain
  • Enjoys collecting sports cards, Civil War History, Reading
  • Follow his favorite teams: Atlanta Braves, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Love many types of music with exception of some rock and rap
  • “Techy” and on Social Media (Instagram/”X” formerly Twitter/Facebook)
  • Spending time with family and our grandchildren
  • Love the beach.

Cathy’s Interests

  • Cathy works at Wyoming Valley Children’s Association
  • Loves crafting, baking, visiting amusement parks with our granddaughter Clara
  • Spending time with family
  • Love the beach.
  • Planning fun adventures
  • Following her favorite NFL team, the Green Bay Packers

Family Information

Pastor Craig married Cathy in 2013

Cathy has two children:

  • Tom Bretz. He has a daughter, Clara;
  • Cathy’s daughter Caitlyn, is a special needs adult and lives at home.

Craig has two children:

  • Michael: lives in New York with his wife Ashley with children Jayce and Jacoby. Mike has a daughter, Lilanna.
  • Craig’s step daughter is Kristi Gillen, lives in Noxen, PA. She is married to James Gillen. They have two children: John & Olivia