Rev. Lynn Casteel Harper began as Olivet’s pastor in August 2024. Prior to Olivet, Rev. Lynn served as the Minister of Older Adults at The Riverside Church (NYC) and as a nursing home chaplain. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University Divinity School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s chaplain residency program.

In addition to her work with the local church, Lynn is an essayist and aging justice advocate. Her debut book, On Vanishing: Mortality, Dementia, and What It Means to Disappear (Catapult, 2020), was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice. Lynn’s essays and interviews have appeared in Kenyon Review Online, Salon, The Paris Review, North American Review, The Christian Science Monitor, NPR’s Think, The Sun Magazine, and elsewhere. In August 2021, Lynn served as the Chautauqua Institution’s featured author and guest preacher.

Originally from southeastern Missouri, Lynn has lived in New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Maine, and South Carolina. She now resides in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with her husband Ryan. Lynn is happy to be part of the Bridgeport community and is always eager to welcome visitors to Olivet!