Pastor Allyn Itterly was baptized and raised in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Plainfield Township, Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. Her family was deeply involved in church life and so it was only natural that when she started looking at careers she would chose something church-related. Having little experience with female clergy (a relatively new phenomenon at this time) she attended Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC majoring in Christian Education. During her college summers Allyn served as a chaplain in the Pocono Area Leisure Ministry program and developed a love for the ministry different from what she had experienced before. Upon graduation in 1985 she served as the Youth Ministry Coordinator for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod.
In 1987 she enrolled in the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg to study for the ordained ministry. Graduating in 1992 she was called, to the New Florence Lutheran Parish.
It was an exciting first call of 11 years! The two small churches of this rural parish began to explore consolidation and relocation and in 1999 found themselves a unified congregation in a new church building strategically located on a main road in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Faith Lutheran Church, New Florence was the result of vision, prayer and hard work and a blessing to Pastor Allyn’s ministry experience!
In 2003, she took another call to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church where with her mother she serves today. Prince of Peace is also located in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. She finds it an exciting place to live and serve.
In the synod Pastor Allyn has served on many committees in various capacities; at present, she is a member of the Global Missions Committee and secretary for Conference 6. She has served the ELCA on their Evangelism Strategy Team and serves the Evangelical Lutheran Coalition for Mission in Appalachia (ELCMA) as their spiritual director. She feels that it is important to learn and know more about the church-at-large.
For fun she enjoys time with her daughters and mother, reading, gardening, and being with friends. Living close to Pittsburgh has allowed her and her family to enjoy many cultural, educational and sports venues which they all enjoy!
