About The Author
Reverend Cheryl Rieder
Reverend Cheryl Rieder has served the Congregational Christian Church of Somerset, Massachusetts (UCC) as a dedicated pastor for years. Her call to ministry took shape through discernment at Andover Newton Theological School, and her work has always carried a deep sense of personal commitment to those she serves. She writes bulletins, leads worship, provides pastoral care, and shows up for her congregation in the ways that matter.
A Life-Changing Medical Crisis
In late 2016, everything shifted. Cheryl was already hospitalized for a ruptured spinal disk when she suffered a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage on December 20 of that year, just weeks after the death of her mother. Survival came down to seconds. A physical therapist placed a call button in her hand moments before the rupture, an act Cheryl attributes to God’s grace and to the kind of attentive care that changes everything.
Recovery and Resilience
Her recovery involved titanium coils placed via a cerebral angiogram to stop the bleeding. A procedural stroke followed during a later visit, leaving her to navigate arachnoiditis, chronic pain, and what she calls “brief dementia” in the months that followed. She returned to her pulpit in May 2017.
Ministry Shaped by Experience
That experience reshaped her ministry in ways she could not have anticipated. She now brings a firsthand understanding of helplessness, grief, and the slow work of recovery to every aspect of her pastoral care. The people who come to her carry their own invisible burdens, and she meets them with something more than scripture: she meets them with lived experience.
