Born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, Pastor Marissa Becklin has been a Lutheran in the ELCA for her entire life and has felt a call to ministry since she was a preteen. A spirited preacher and teacher, Pastor Marissa believes wholeheartedly in the life-changing power of God’s grace, and in God’s loving and everlasting presence in the midst of the brokenness that marks this world.

She is particularly passionate about helping people make connections between the holy and ancient words of Scripture and the powerful tenants of the Lutheran faith with their regular, everyday lives. Her husband, Pastor Hans Becklin, serves as the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Reading, PA.

Pastor Marissa is a 2018 M.Div. graduate of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She received a B.A. in religion and psychology, summa cum laude, in 2014, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. While at both institutions she spent time as a tutor, teaching assistant, and former of spiritual leaders, which fostered her love for teaching and for empowering leaders in our church. An author of Bible studies, her study titled Give Unto the Lord: Tithing in the Book of Deuteronomy was shared as an ELCA Stewardship resource in 2018. She completed her vicarage at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Waukesha, WI, and served a part-time internship at Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL.

In her free time Pastor Marissa enjoys reading, hiking, playing the piano and saxophone, and spending time with her family. She also loves to travel—whenever she meets people from other parts of the region, country, or world, she learns more about who God is and about the people who God loves (everyone, that is). Her favorite place that she’s ever been is Istanbul, Turkey. She feels honored to serve in Denver, PA, helping people learn about and experience the love and presence of God in and amongst one another.