Introducing Our...
Wyoming/Northeast Colorado District Superintendent
The Reverend Deb Olenyik is District Superintendent for the Wyoming/ Northeast Colorado District of the United Methodist Church.
Rev. Olenyik was appointed by former Bishop Warner Brown for the Rocky Mountain Conference to give supervision and support to the ministries of the forty-four United Methodist Churches in most of Wyoming and the far northeast corner of Colorado (the Interstate 76 corridor area). The northwest corner of Wyoming is in the Yellowstone Conference and has a different District Superintendent.
Rev. Olenyik began ordained ministry in 1980, first with the North Indiana Conference before transferring to this conference in 1983, and, has since, pastored churches in Colorado and Wyoming.
Rev. Olenyik is no stranger to the Newscastle church. She and former husband, Rev. John Olenyik, served as pastors for Newscastle from 1983 - 1988. Their two children, Chris and Kelly, were born while here. Chris is in his final year of a Masters of Architecture program from the University of Idaho. He married Tamara Bacca in 2007 and she is a graduate student in molecular biology at the Oregon Heath & Science University in Portland. (This church gave special support and prayer to Chris when diagnosed at birth with PKU). Kelly graduated in June, 2008 from the University of Chicago with a degree in chemistry. She is headed with the Peace Corps to Africa in September, 2008 to teach secondary science. Pastor John retired from ministry in 2000, remarried in 2007 and currently lives in Torrington where he is a child protection social worker for the state of Wyoming.
Rev. Deb Olenyik most recently served as pastor in Estes Park, Colorado. Previous to that she served in Torrington, Wyoming; at Wilson U.M.C. in Colorado Springs; and in Montrose, Paonia and Olathe in western Colorado. Prior to that she was in Newscastle.
She married Chuck Labuda in April, 2007 and added five more children to her family. Chuck, Jr is an Army airborne ranger, currently in special forces training. He has served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. Jeremy is an Army airborne chaplain's assistant stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Stephen is married with a baby girl in upper Michigan. Garrett and Bridgett are school age, and are living with their mother in Indiana.
Rev. Olenyik's husband, Chuck, works fulltime for Fowler & Peth, Inc., a roofing distributor in Cheyenne. Together they enjoy hiking, motorcycling, skiing, movies and being outside with their golden retriever, Gus.
Rev. Olenyik has served on the conference Board of Ordained Ministry and Board of Global Ministry, as well as led various classes, retreats and camps at the district and conference level. She is a member of PEO and is a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary. Rev. Olenyik was raised on the East Coast. Her parents and brothers currently live in Maryland. She received her undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana and her Masters of Divinity degree from the Iliff School of Theology.
The WYNECO District office and parsonage is in Cheyenne. District Superintendents typically serve in this position for 6 years and then return to pastor a local church.
The Reverend Deb Olenyik
1111 East Lincolnway #203
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
Email: deb@rmcumc.com
