Pastor Dana Caldwell grew up in the farming communities of central Illinois, where faith, hard work, and strong relationships shaped her early life. She earned a bachelor’s degree in History Education with a minor in Political Science, originally planning a different career path before life led her into mortgage banking. While living and working in the Chicagoland area, Dana became deeply involved in church life. During that time, her church community became a place of healing and renewal following a divorce, and she began serving in several leadership roles. It was there that God first began stirring a deeper call to ministry. Dana later moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she spent nineteen years working in residential mortgages while actively growing in her faith. She participated in retreats, small groups, and spiritual growth communities across churches of many sizes. A particularly meaningful experience was participating in The Walk to Emmaus, which helped deepen her sense of calling. In August 2013, during a retreat she helped plan and lead, Dana experienced a clear moment of calling—God placing a simple but powerful word on her heart: now. She knew it was time to step into full-time ministry. She began seminary in January 2014 at Hood Theological Seminary, graduating in May 2017. During seminary she felt called into chaplaincy and completed a residency in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She later served at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where she ministered to patients, families, and staff—including through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dana was ordained in March 2020. In 2022 she accepted her first pastoral call at Amery Congregational Church UCC in Amery, Wisconsin. She now gratefully serves her current congregation in Darlington, continuing her passion for walking alongside people in faith, healing, and community. Pastor Dana believes that God often works through unexpected paths, and she is grateful for every step that led her into ministry and to the people she now serves.