Meet Pastor Alina Gayeuski
Pastor Alina (she/her/hers) was raised worshipping at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pottsville, PA. From an early age, her parents let her sit in the front pew of the sanctuary so that she could watch t
he organist play. When she was eight, her mother accepted a position on Trinity’s staff as the Coordinator of Senior Services. Days off from school and summer break meant days spent in the church office with her mom.
Pastor Alina attended Susquehanna University where she studied Religion and Women’s Studies, earning her Bachelor of Arts in 2009. During those years, she spent summers on the hillsides of Camp Nawakwa, working as both a counselor and a program specialist.
After college, Pastor Alina began her studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and graduated with her Master of Divinity degree in May of 2013. She earned a Doctor of Ministry at United Lutheran Seminary in May 2024.
In addition to serving at Reformation, Pastor Alina serves on the boards of the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County, Bear Creek Camp, and the United Lutheran Seminary Alumni Association. She is a member of Young Clergy Women International.
She is the author of Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling: Women Clergy in a Still-Patriarchal Church (Chalice Press, 2026).
Pastor Alina’s husband, Daniel Smith, is also a Lutheran pastor and a PhD candidate at Georgetown University. They are the proud cat parents of Luna and Rory.
Pastor Alina loves iced coffee and good wine.
A sample sermon from Pastor Alina:
Phone Pastor Alina: 610-891-0600 ext. 109
