Profiles in Religion - Donna Ruggles, pastor, Lakeside Presbyterian Church

Donna Ruggles heard that it was too soon for women to lead in ministry many times in her life.

In fact, she came close to making a career out of singing, a job others had seen more fit for her.

Her father was in broadcasting and at the age of 7, Ruggles began singing on the radio. She also sang at many other events like the opening of the legislature at the Governor's Mansion.

The only place that ever made her nervous was singing in church.

“It was God’s house,” Ruggles said. “And it was too all important for me to be singing.”

This fear didn't stop her – she went on to spend most of her life singing, in choirs, symphonies and on cruise ships. She even had a stint in the Metropolitan Opera after getting a push from opera great Jerome Hines.

It wasn’t until age 28 when her pastor in Chicago asked her to fill in one Sunday that she began to realize it was finally her time to step into the male-dominated world of preaching.

Ordained in 1983, Ruggles has led quite a few churches, including ones in Illinois and another in Washington state before she was called to her current position of pastor at Lakeside Presbyterian Church – a job she hadn’t anticipated for herself at the age of 79.

Lakeside Presbyterian also is different from those in her religious background as a Lutheran.

“Jesus is Jesus,” Ruggles said. “The message is pretty much the same.”

Lakeside Presbyterian church is currently in the stages of redevelopment, one of Ruggles' specialties.

The church started in 1924 and the congregation once held several hundred members. Today that number is down to about 45 or 50 – a trend that Ruggles said is common for churches today.

The task of a redevelopment pastor isn’t an easy one. It can bring on issues amongst the members as changes take place. But dealing with conflict management is a skill Ruggles attributes to her work as a hospital chaplain before she began preaching.

“It takes a tough head,” Ruggles said. “You just don't let yourself get beat down.”

Although the congregation is small, the building itself is home to many organizations outside of the church.

The preschool has been there for 65 years, and the church sponsors a Boy Scouts group.  Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups meet at the church, as well as a Pentecostal congregation that holds services there during the week.

Ruggles is taking it step by step to grow the congregation while also making sure the current members feel comfortable enough to stay.

She is working to connect with the groups by having activities like chapel time with the children, and just being present during meetings in hopes of leading group members to join worship services on Sundays.

“It's up to me to sound the call,” Ruggles said. “My goal right now is to get a few, I have no expectations that we will get 50 families, but even if we get two or three, that's a start.”