› SPC Welcomes the Reverend Sabrina LaBelle!
New Protestant Chaplain at Swarthmore College
As one of the founding partners of Partners in Ministry, the mission of which is to support the Protestant campus ministry at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore Presbyterian Church welcomes the Reverend Sabrina LaBelle! Sabrina has been called by Partners in Ministry to serve as the new Protestant Chaplain at Swarthmore College. Pastor Sabrina will begin her campus ministry on August 1, collaborating closely with the local Protestant congregations that comprise this partnership. Having served on the Search Committee for the Board of Partners in Ministry, Dave Rowley, Joyce Shin, and Alex Evangelista are eager to welcome Sabrina as a new colleague and to introducing her to members of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church and our community.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PASTOR SABRINA
Rev. Sabrina LaBelle was born and raised in New Jersey and has always valued higher education. After getter her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, she went on to get an MA in International Economics from the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK and a second MA in Archaeology from the University of Chicago. Following her tenure at the University of Chicago, she felt called into the ministry of Word and Sacrament. She became a candidate for ministry within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA) and attended Princeton Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, followed by a year at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. Pastor Sabrina began her first call as pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Dana Point, CA and was ordained in January 2010. She has served at that church for ten years. During her time at Gloria Dei, Pastor Sabrina led various youth-focused groups that met at the church, including the middle school confirmation group, a high school group, and a college group. She also preached and taught adult education regularly and led and grew the women’s ministry. In January 2020, Pastor Sabrina and her family made the decision to move closer to their families on the East Coast.Pastor Sabrina has been married to her husband, Chris, for almost 7 years. He is originally from Maine. She has an 18-year-old stepson, Gabriel, who is attending California Lutheran University. She also has two younger children, a 4-year-old son, Oliver, and a 3-year-old daughter, Cecilia.
Pastor Sabrina enjoys reading, wine tasting with her husband, being at the beach, spending time with family, and watching/attending baseball games. She has always been a Phillies fan and looks forward to being back in the Phillies stadium.
Pastor Sabrina is excited to work with students of all faiths, those who are questioning, and those with no faith. She loves working with college students because she has seen first-hand the impact of those four years of college on the minds and passions of young adults and would like to be there for students in any ways they may need. She is looking forward to meeting with students, faculty, and staff in her office, over coffee or at college events.
