Rev. Dr. Shawnthea Monroe, Pastor

A native of South Dakota, Dr. Monroe holds degrees from the University of Minnesota, Yale Divinity School, and Chicago Theological Seminary. She has served on the board of the Louisville Institute, and the Deaconess Foundation, and she served as the chair of the Discernment of Call for The Living Water Association (Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ). She is a member of the American Academy of Religion and has taught courses in preaching, pastoral leadership, contemporary culture and theology, and grant writing for non-profit organizations. An accomplished writer, she is the author of Not So Desperate: Fantasy, Fact and Faith on Wisteria Lane (Chalice Press, 2006) and co-author of Living Christianity: A Pastoral Theology for Today (Fortress, 2009). 

Before coming to The Peoples Church, Dr. Monroe served at Plymouth Church UCC in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Before that, she was the pastor of First Congregational Church UCC (Moorhead, MN) and Trinitarian Congregational Church (Concord, MA). Shawnthea is married to Neil Mueller, who teaches trumpet at Central Michigan University, and they have three adult children. Besides her family and ministry, Shawnthea enjoys gardening, canning, and Zumba classes. Shawnthea welcomes the opportunity to serve God in this ministry!

Rev. Haley Hansen, Associate Pastor

Rev. Haley Hansen is thrilled to serve The Peoples Church and the East Lansing community! A provisional elder in the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church, Haley is passionate about creating relational mission and discipleship opportunities in the places she serves. 

Born and raised on a farm in rural South Dakota, Haley spent her formative years attending small town churches, memorizing pop country lyrics, and biking down gravel roads. Prior to entering seminary, Haley worked at newspapers throughout the Midwest, covering everything from pig shows at the Wisconsin State Fair to Aretha Franklin’s funeral procession.  

As a minister and former journalist, Haley has a deep love for the storytelling found in scripture. As part of her role as associate at The Peoples Church, Haley leads the campus ministry and young adult programming at the church and cares deeply about building grace-filled and radically inclusive spaces through which young people can learn and grow in Christ.

In addition to working with congregations in both Massachusetts and Michigan, Haley has also completed an intensive chaplaincy training unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. In her free time, Haley enjoys crocheting, reading nonfiction, and discussing Midwest culture.