Bishop of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod
Phone: (517) 321–5066, ext. 1
Email: BishopJST@mittensynod.org
Michigan has been my home since birth and I have been blessed by a number of congregations in
our synod that have served as “home” in this time: Saron, St. Joseph; St. Thomas, Cheboygan;
Zion, Comstock Park and Hope, Rockford. I attended Adrian College where I studied
Philosophy/Religion and German. While I was there I met my husband Bryan Schneider-Thomas,
who also happened to be a Philosophy/Religion major! Pastor Bryan serves as an Interim Pastor in
our synod and is currently with Grace, Lansing. We have been married 32 years and have one
daughter, Katie, who will be working this coming school year as an English Language Teaching
Assistant at a teacher’s college in Innsbruck.
In 1995 I graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and shortly after began
serving Zion Lutheran Church in Comstock Park, where I served up until a month ago. Along the
way, I was called to serve a second congregation, Hope Lutheran Church in Rockford. Being a
parish pastor has been a joy and a blessing.
In my free time I like to travel, hike, garden, practice Tae Kwon Do and try to catch the northern
lights. I’m looking forward serving you all in this new part of my call as bishop