Sheryl Palmer has been an ordained pastor in The United Methodist Church for over 30 years. She has served in several different UM Conferences across the country, but her membership is in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference where she “retired” from in 2024.

Sheryl grew up in Northern Virginia and Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Penn State University. She did not grow up in the church but was introduced to the love of God through Jesus in college. Not much later, she heard her call to ministry through camping, which has always been an important part of her ministry along with working with children, youth and young adults. And she loves working with adults as well.

She received her Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio and a Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Leadership from Garrett-Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, IL.

Before a recent gap year in Colorado, she served as the lead pastor in two large churches in Illinois, one in Edwardsville and the other in Champaign – both college towns. She is very excited to return to campus ministry since she has a heart for service, bridge-building, and helping young people grow in their faith so that together they can help make the world a better place for all people.

Sheryl is married to Mike Heaton, and they have been married for over twenty-six years. Mike recently retired as a mechanic and has strong roots in Alabama, including two children and four grandchildren. Mike’s oldest and his wife live in Punta Gorda, Florida with their three children, which is the main reason they opted to move to Alabama with Luverne and Troy pretty much right in between. Sheryl’s son lives in Colorado, but they hope someday he will head this way as well. They love the outdoors, sports, staying active, travel, and trying new things.

Sheryl’s favorite part of ministry is meeting with people one on one, in small groups, and generally building strong relationships with those she is blessed to work and serve with and looks forward to meeting and serving alongside students at Troy University.