“It’s an honor to be a pastor at North church. I’m grateful to be here.” These are two statements you will hear often from Janet. She and her husband Chuck attended North church during a service in the summer of 2005, a transition time of ministry for her. They felt at home that day, and in time, found their way here to stay! She comes as an ordained pastor in the Church of God, headquartered in nearby Anderson, Indiana. Together she and her husband, Chuck, have served as pastors in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Most recently she served for ten years at East Side Church of God in Anderson as a member of the executive team as Pastor of Discipleship and Missions.

Janet graduated from Ferrum College, a Methodist college, and Anderson University, a Church of God institution. She received her Master’s degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, a Reformed Church of North America seminary and was awarded the Henry J. Pietenpol Senior Excellence Award. She is a certified spiritual director, completing an internship through the ministry of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Beech Grove, Indiana. One of the highlights of her life was receiving the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grant in 2002 and studying in Israel at an Episcopal college. She values diversity and inclusiveness, two reasons she loves North church.

A music education major, with concentrations in piano and organ, Janet was very involved in the music ministry as an accompanist, piano teacher, and children’s choir director. One of her greatest joys is being with children as a godly play teacher. She studied three years with Dr. Sonya Stewart and with Jerome Berryman who co-authored the book, “Children and Worship.” Janet has trained godly play leaders in several states and initiated using the method in her previous church, leaving with seven sacred spaces for children to experience godly play with trained parents and others to lead them.

She serves as adjunct faculty member at The School of Theology, the Church of God seminary, in the Adult Education field and taught a class on ministry with children at Anderson University. She also taught at the Mediterranean Bible College in Beirut, Lebanon and produced a multi-media godly play training workshop to help village teachers in West Africa. Janet continues to serve in leadership for state and national ministries of the Church of God, especially in the ordination process, the Strategic Planning for Transformation Teams, and the Executive Committee of the General Assembly.

Janet’s husband, Rev. Charles G. Wanner, is an executive with the national offices of the Church of God. They love spending time with their children and granddaughter, Isabelle. Janet enjoys researching her family’s history in colonial Virginia. (And the answer to the frequently asked question, “Is Janet related to The Lilly’s here in town?” is NO!) Just ask her about the landing of her Lilly family ancestors on the shores of Jamestown in 1624!