Pastor Lori Ruge-Jones, "PL" (she/her) loves spending time with students, buying coffee, hiking, worshiping, and accompanying them on their journey to an encounter with the risen Christ. She's a Biblical storyteller and enjoys making connections between people and building community, which feed her extreme extroversion.
PL is a wife, mom, and grandma, and enjoys playing with her granddaughter, bicycling, singing, crochet, and attending Zach Bryan concerts.
She earned her BA in Spanish from the University of Northern Iowa, where she was active in Lutheran Campus Ministry, 1987; MDiv from Luther Seminary, 1993; and DMin from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 2016. She's been the pastor at ULC since 2016.
Contact:
Email: pastor@universitylutheran.org
Work: 715-834-8026
Mobile: 715-557-2213
Joanne Erickson began working in the ULC office in October 2024, having retired from 31 years at UWEC in 2020. Most of those years were spent right next door to the ERC in Hibbard Hall, where she worked as an academic department associate for Philosophy/Religious Studies and then for the English Department.
Joanne loves music—she plays piano (occasionally accompanying worship at her home church and filling in at other churches) and she listens to CDs, LPs, and music streaming services. She also enjoys: spending time with her two dogs (and one grand dog), reading, watching old movies, and watching sports. She is the mother of two adult daughters.
She likes being semi-retired, and enjoys her part-time hours working with the ULC community, and sharing space with Newman Parish in the ERC.
Contact
Email: office@universitylutheran.org
Office: 715-834-8026
Mobile: 715-495-7077