We are excited to welcome Rev. Laura Mitchell as the new Albany Presbytery Chaplain! Take a moment to learn more about her journey, interests, and the experiences that have shaped her ministry. We look forward to the care and support she’ll bring to our community.
You can reach The Rev. Laura Mitchell in the following ways:
- Website: Contact Us Form
- Albany Presbytery Online Directory
- Albany Presbytery Office: 518-273-4991
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Poughkeepsie, NY, baptized, and began my faith formation at the First Presbyterian Church of Pleasant Valley, now pastored by our friend and colleague, Rev. Lynn Brown.
I loved going to church, and by 8 years old, I had a favorite hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy. During third grade, my family moved to what seemed a very long way, Niskayuna, NY, where, for a bit, we attended a Methodist church before settling in at the Niskayuna Reformed Church. I am the middle sister of three and am fortunate to be close friends with my sisters, Sharon and Jennifer. I graduated from Niskayuna high school and then Russell Sage College with my BSN enjoying a long and varied career in nursing before going to Princeton Seminary. My high school sweetheart/husband Phill and I enjoy summers at our cabin in Lake George and are wintertime “snowbirds” all the way south in Niskayuna, our hometown. We have two grown daughters, Andrea (wife Megan) in Washington, and Heather (husband Bryan) in Minnesota. We delight in the time spent with them and our grandchildren, Josef (9), Alexander (5), Orsa (3), and Henrietta (7 months).
Will you share a little about your hobbies with us?
I read a lot and have now found time in my semi-retirement to enjoy not only devotional/theology but also fiction books! Some of my other interests include playing the piano for my own enjoyment, sewing, going for walks/hikes, and kayaking on Lake George. I love to play with flowers, and I would like to take a class in the art of floral arranging.
How did you decide to go into ministry?
I did not have one burning bush moment. Instead, I believe that I had a growing sense of God’s call over many years going back as far as the Pleasant Valley church where I sat next to my parents, my little feet dangling from the pew. When my family settled at Niskayuna Reformed, I was a shy middle schooler who refused to go to Sunday School. I was content to stay in worship, enthralled by my pastor’s sermons, certain they were written just for me! While raising our girls at First Presbyterian Church Glens Falls, I served two terms on session and felt especially moved while serving communion or reading scripture. At that time, I was also involved in the Methodist Church’s Walk to Emmaus, where I was a speaker several times and then lay leader for the women’s retreat weekend. Over the years, several folks asked if I had ever considered going to seminary. I had been working as an RN and teaching ballet and could not imagine myself at grad school! Then, after our girls had finished college, I began to feel a stronger nudge and entertained the possibility. After waking up one summer in 2006, my heart was quite certain with an almost audible voice reminding me,
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
God had plans for me; Princeton Seminary said yes, so in 2007, at 48 years old, I moved to married student housing and made it through summer Greek! Since graduating in 2010, I have had the joy of completing 5 units of Clinical Pastoral Education as a chaplain at Albany Medical Center, serving many joyful years at Hebron United, as Coordinator of Pastoral Care at Saratoga Hospital, stated supply at First Presbyterian Glens Falls, and now as your Presbytery Chaplain!
What are you most looking forward to in your ministry as the Albany Presbytery Chaplain?
Meeting, developing relationships with, and supporting our active pastors, CREs, retired clergy, and widows/widowers of pastors. Within the first several months it is my goal to reach out to each. Years ago, as a public health nurse, I enjoyed the honor of traveling to meet my patients in their homes. I look forward to meeting folks at their churches or in their homes and being available over the phone, text, email, and Zoom. (Sorry, I don’t Tweet or use social media regularly!) I will support you in sorrow and hardship and delight in your joys and celebrations!
