Our Leadership
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Rev. Marianne Romanat (she/her) is the Lead Pastor at Light of Christ United Methodist Church. A native of Charlotte, Marianne attended North Carolina State University where she studied Mathematics and Math Education. During college, Marianne began to experience God’s call to ministry when she served one summer as a short-term missionary in Kenya through the United Methodist Church. After college, Marianne briefly taught high school mathematics but God’s call was persistent, and she decided to attend seminary. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary and was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1997.
Marianne met her husband Kyle in 1999 and they married in 2001. They have four children, Josh and Caleb (Marianne’s stepsons) and Marisa and Austin. As a family, they enjoy travel, riding bicycles, hiking, eating out, and simply enjoying time together.
Marianne’s calling from God is particularly for those who are disconnected from God and/or the Church. Through preaching, teaching, and spiritual conversation, she mentors people in various stages of their walk with Christ. She considers it a true privilege to serve Light of Christ, a church that is authentic, diverse, missional, adaptive, and responsive to the needs of others.
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Tracy Vassil (she/her) was born and raised in Minnesota, but relocated to North Carolina after graduating from college (Winona State University) in 1996 with degrees in elementary education and music. She married her husband, Jimmy, in 2001 and they moved to the Charlotte area in 2005. They have two girls, Caroline and Alayna. Their family has been members at Light of Christ since 2013 and Tracy has served as a volunteer with the praise team, children’s ministry and student ministry.
Tracy is an elementary teacher and has taught students in every grade from Kindergarten through 6th grade. She enjoys having conversations with students and loves when they make deep connections that some adults do not.
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Lauren Lanham (She/Her) has lived in Charlotte her entire life. She has always loved music and felt God’s call to Worship Leadership in high school, when she began playing with worship teams. Lauren also enjoys working with our Tech Team, as well as updating our social media, and editing our podcast.
When she’s not at church, Lauren loves making music, spending time with friends, and being with her dog, Grace.
She is passionate about creating a church that is not only a safe space for all but also a place where everyone is welcomed, affirmed, and celebrated for who they are. She hopes everyone who worships with us feels free to engage as their full self.
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Karen Larson (She/Her) is a wife and mother of four, and she works part-time at LOC. She attended the University of NC at Charlotte, graduating with 2 degrees, one in Finance, the other in Accounting. After college, Karen worked as an Internal Auditor and CPA. Karen grew up in Charlotte attending Wesley UMC. She married Jim Larson in 1996 at Central UMC. Karen and Jim were members of Matthews UMC until joining LOC a few weeks after it was founded in 2001.
Karen enjoys working at LOC, as well as volunteering at church, as room mom for her children at their schools, and as an organizer for her children’s swim teams. She enjoys being mom to her four children and spending time rooting them on at their various activities.