Our Staff
Reverend Jason E. Reitz
Sr. Pastor
Email: pastor.jason@blcwh.org
Phone: 860.521.5076
Hey Bethany!
I want to start by saying that Julie, the girls, and I are really excited to be part of your family, working together to spread the Gospel, and be part of your community. I suspect that this ministry, in this culture, is going to be an adjustment for me. While Julie, my wife of 17 years, was born in New Haven and grew up in Lakeville, MA, I am a Midwest boy from the start. From what Julie tells me, this transition will be worth it. If everyone is like her, I canât disagree.
Iâve been a Pastor for 15 years now. After graduating from Concordia Seminary St. Louis, we moved to Ogden, UT to serve Godâs people there. In December 2010, we started our ministry at Zion in St. Charles, MO. We came to Bethany in the midst of COVID in 2020 and are loving life in New England.
I have three girls. Berkley (18) just graduated from Simsbury High School and plans to attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall. Charlotte (16) is in 10th Grade at Simsbury High School and plays lacrosse and basketball. Hazel (12) owns Latimer Lane elementary (youâll know why soon) from the 6th grade classroom and loves life. Oh, and we have a dog too. His name is Moses. He is a two year old black mini labradoodle.
Julie is an amazing stay at home mom and wife, moonlighting as a D-1 Womenâs Lacrosse official in the Spring. She loves to run, puts amazing food on our table, and makes me a better man/husband/father.
I was given a million questions to consider sharing answers to with you. I chose five. Here they are:
- Whatâs the funniest movie you have ever seen? I love a funny movie. The one that should give you some idea of what I think is funny isâŠ. Christmas Vacation. That is the movie I never get tired of watching, but only watch between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Coffee or tea? Coffee, multiple times a day.
- Claim to fame? I ate lunch with Muhammad Ali at McDonalds. He asked me!
- If I could master one skill instantly, what would it be? There are a bunch, but I will only give two (the rules canât contain me). To be able to fly a plane and professional golfer skills
- What sport do you enjoy watching, and who are my âteamsâ? I will watch just about any sport (baseball on TV is my least favorite), but hockey is probably the most fun. I am a Michigan Wolverines fan. My professional teams are: Detroit Red Wings and Tigers. Chicago Bulls and Bears. I grew up in Michigan, but in the Southwest corner so we got the Chicago TV stations.
Bonus question: If I could pick someone to narrate my life, who would it be? Probably Morgan Freeman, but the director/producer would be Ken Burns. I love his stuff.
God bless,
Pastor Jason
Elizabeth Taylor
Office Administrator
Email: elizabeth@blcwh.org
Phone: 860-521-5076
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Resident Musician
Dongbin Shin
Interim Choral Coordinator
George Tavernier