Our Pastors

Pastor Sandy Knapp LLP

Hello and Greetings from our Lord Jesus Christ,

My name is Sandy Knapp, and I am grateful to be assigned to Community UMC as your Coordinating Pastor. I appreciate the opportunity to serve alongside you. I am excited to be involved in Community UMC’s ongoing food pantry and other missions. The dedication and love within this community are truly inspiring.

Now, a little about me: I grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. I have two children— a son who now lives in New Orleans and a daughter who resides with her husband and two children in Plainfield, CT. My husband Mike, whom I’ve been married to for 16 years, moved to New England nine years ago.

I began my ministry 12 years ago after attending a Walk to Emmaus retreat. I served as a lay speaker and later became a Certified Lay Minister. For six years, I served as the associate minister at a church in Rhode Island, and in 2024, I accepted the assignment to serve as pastor at Moosup UMC and Oneco UMC in Connecticut. At our New England Annual Conference, I was anointed by our current Bishop as a Local Licensed Pastor to serve as a servant leader for all three churches.

I assist a pastor in the yearly training program for new CLMs and am also a trained labyrinth facilitator. I am passionate about connecting and engaging people to a deeper relationship with the sacred, which exists within all of us and creation itself.

My husband and I love to travel, mainly through cruising. We enjoy spending time together without outside distractions. However, my favorite pastime is being a grandma. As my grandchildren grow, I have become more of a driver since both are involved in sports and school activities.

I look forward to learning about your stories over the next few months.

I invite you to join me at Community UMC on the fourth Sunday of each month, when I lead worship and share Holy Communion with you.

Peace be with you.

Pastor Sandy Knapp

Pat Fleming

I haven’t the heart to remove this posting even though Pat has passed away.

Pat is an amazing soul who never stops looking for ways to help others and make the church a better place. She is a strong pillar of faith who gives out the best hugs! She loved being part of the choir and now wants to share some insight into our favorite hymns, bringing out hidden meanings that we might never have guessed. She will be playing the hymns and putting a spotlight onto various features of them on the fourth Sunday of each month. She also loves to make soup to feed her lambs on the first Sunday of each month … and her crockpot always goes home empty!

Our sister Pat is now collecting information on hymns and composers from her Heavenly home. We miss her terribly.

Kevin Grimm

Kevin has come a long way to find his church home with his wife Julie at the Crystal Lake Church. Kevin finds music the perfect way to express his faith in God, both in singing and in motion. On the fifth Sunday of each month (those that have five Sundays), he will be sharing amazing music with us as well as his experiences over the years as they pertain to the scripture he loves. His stories are sure to be surprising and enlightening.

For prayer requests or confidential conversations, we can be reached by calling the church telephone number: 860-872-0798 or email Pastor@crystallakecommumc.org.