WELCOME – We’re delighted that you’ve chosen to visit with us today.

To help you know us a little better, here are some basics about Grace:

We are Christians of a Lutheran tradition. This means that we hold as our core belief an understanding of God’s grace. Saint Paul writes in the Book of Ephesians “…since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  We understand this to mean that before we can do anything or offer anything, God claims us, forgives us, and promises us eternal life and abiding presence.

Here at Grace, the cross is at the center of our worship space. It is a constant reminder of God’s grace, which centers our lives as we answer Jesus’ invitation to follow.

We gather weekly around Word and Sacrament (Baptism and Holy Communion). Our communion table is open to all baptized Christians. We worship God with prayers and songs of both traditional and contemporary styles. We also desire to know God better and to understand God’s presence in our daily life more fully. We attempt to accomplish this as we participate in Christian Education (available each week for children and adults), and service to others (support of the Faith Kitchen in Dover, cooking meals at Homeless Solutions, participating in Habitat Builds, quilt making for Lutheran World Relief, visiting with residents at the local nursing home, to name a few.)  In these ways we attempt to follow the example of our Lord Jesus and grow in faith and practice.

We also acknowledge that we are not perfect in our following. One way we talk about this is to understand that we are both saints (by God’s grace) and sinners (because we can’t save ourselves.) Together we journey in faith, supporting, encouraging, and challenging one another to grow in ways that lead us to be more like Jesus.

We invite you to join us in this journey.


Grace’s Mission Statement

“We are a community of people who are gathered by God’s Holy Spirit in order to worship, learn and serve. We do all of these things in order that we might grow in our relationship with God and God’s people.”





Pastor Carol Petersen has been pastor at Grace for eleven years. She has a BA from Gettysburg College (1980).    She is a graduate from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg (1984). She has a certificate from the Blanton-Peale Institute, NYC, in Pastoral Studies. She has served Ascension Lutheran Church in Glendale, Queens, NY (1984-1988); Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Red Bank, New Jersey (1988-1998); and now at Grace Lutheran in Mendham (1998 – present).

Pastor Petersen is active synodically and locally. Synodically she is a member of the Candidacy Committee of the New Jersey Synod. Locally, she is the President of Interchurch, the ecumenical group in the community; President of the Local Assistance Board; member of the Chester-Mendham Alliance, which works with local leaders to address issues of drug and alcohol education for youth.

The rest of her family includes her husband of 20 years, Dick Smullen, and sons Richie and Scott. Dick is an investigator for the State of New Jersey. Richie is sophomore at Virginia Tech.  Scott is in eleventh grade and his passion is football and lacrosse.

Pastor Petersen loves worship and preaching. She experiences worship as central to our life as Christians. It is the place where we hear of God’s great love for the world and us, where we are nurtured in word and sacrament, and where we are challenged to grow in following Jesus and caring for others.
Profile: Pastor Carol A. Petersen
A Message From Pastor Carol: