Reverend Dawn Teuthorn was ordained an ELCA pastor on July 28,1991. She is a graduate of the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) in Berkeley, which is part of a unique ecumenical collaboration of seminaries called the Graduate Theological Union (GTU).
Prior pastorates include: Co-pastor, Peace Lutheran Church in Newton, Kansas, 1 year; Associate Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Master, Sacramento, CA, 4.5 years; Pastor, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Cupertino, CA, 9 years; Associate Pastor, St Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA, 3.5 years.
Having spent much of her life in leadership, having worked with children and youth in a variety of settings, loves living faith through acts of service, and deepening one’s connection with God, self, and other. Her ministries have characteristically involved shared ministry with laity and clergy. She loves collaboration. She loves encouraging the discernment of gifts and living out those gifts in service for the good of the Gospel. She appreciates the gifts our differences offer in building up of the body of Christ, and perceives the encompassing love of God made known to us in Jesus Christ is all about GRACE. She lives for grace. It ultimately is what brought her to the Lutheran church. She was raised Roman Catholic while also dwelling within evangelical Protestant circles. Her exposure to the Christian church has been varied along denominational lines throughout her life, however, when she came into Lutheran circles, it felt as if she had come home. She finds Lutheranism rich in all it has to offer the Christian church and world beyond. She seeks to follow God's lead in all she does and finds the inclusively surrounding the good news of Jesus Christ often informs her journey. It’s what led her to her current position at Coastside Lutheran Church.
Pastor Dawn is married with three teenage sons and lives in Sunnyvale. She looks forward to getting to know our congregation and the community, and loves hearing a person's life story. We are blessed to have her presence, faith, and spirit leading us into our future together!