REPORT OF THE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE TO …

[Pages:6]REPORT OF THE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE TO

DAVIDSON COLLEGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MAY12, 2019

THE REVEREND DOCTOR PETER J.M. HENRY

We are the body of Christ ? worshipping, learning, serving,

loving, giving ? seeking to realize God's vision for the world.

DCPC Vision Statement

Dear Members and Friends of DCPC:

It has been a privilege and honor to serve as your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). We are thankful for your support, involvement, prayers, candidate recommendations, and encouragement throughout this process. We appreciate the trust you have placed in us over these last 14 months and more importantly, the trust you have placed in God to guide us. With gratitude for the leading of the Holy Spirit, the PNC unanimously and with great joy nominates the Rev. Dr. Peter J.M. Henry to be the new Pastor and Head of Staff for DCPC. Peter is currently Pastor/Head of Staff at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, a PCUSA church in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

We hope you will review the information in this brochure in addition to watching the video that will be shown shortly. We believe you will agree that Peter is the right choice to lead our church both now and in the years ahead.

We believe God has given Peter outstanding gifts of ministry, and that God is calling him specifically to our church, because Peter is:

? a Christ-centered pastor whose life and message resonate with a love for and trust in the one triune God

? a gifted preacher whose sermons engage listeners and balance Biblical grounding with stories and humor to reflect on and inspire the changing contexts of life and ministry

? a dynamic, approachable teacher who guides people across all generations to serve alongside pastors in Christ's spirit with faith, humility, and hope

? an experienced leader of program-sized, inclusive churches who uses a consensus-building approach to manage a wide variety of viewpoints and ministries

? concerned for the unchurched ? able to cast a vision for the future that will meet the needs of our

church and the changing demographics of our rapidly growing area.

It is with humility and gratitude for God's faithfulness that we enthusiastically recommend the Reverend Doctor Peter J.M. Henry be confirmed as Davidson College Presbyterian Church's next Pastor and Head of Staff.

In Christ's service, Your Pastor Nominating Committee

Lynn Burris Susan Manning, Co-Chair Cecil Clifton, Co-Chair Mary Muchane Scott Galloway

Steve Scruggs Rosemary Klein Suzanne Worley Cissi Lyles

Peter's Statement of Faith

I trust in God who created all things, seen and unseen, including the earth, spinning at 1000 miles per hour, revolving around a sun whose slow-burning beacon is but one pinprick of light among 100 octillion stars on a cosmic canvas stretched over 100 billion light years. With so much of creation within the field of God's sight, God nevertheless telescopes God's vision to the third rock from our sun, casting an ever watchful, all-compassionate eye on the planet we call Earth, from which God coaxed life and bid it grow and change over 4.5 billion years. With all there is to see, the Lord sees us and has power great enough to hold it all together and love enough to continue its life.

I trust that the Cosmic Christ of the Scriptures is also our Lord and Savior, a shepherd to God's sheep, and that in him God's vision of us is not relegated to what can be seen from above, or from without, but that through Jesus God sees our lives firsthand, from within, as one of us. I trust that the Spirit which hovered over the waters at creation is present in our often-chaotic world, still drawing forth life from death, and aligning our work so that the long, moral arc of the universe continues to bend toward justice.

I trust that Jesus really is the Head of the Church, which means I don't have to be, and that I am free to work within my own limitations and in concert with other similarly limited people.

I trust that God's grace is sufficiently strong enough that I can't stop it, precious enough that I want to hold it, and life-giving enough that I want everyone to have it because it is not a possession or a secret to keep.

I trust that while the Church sometimes does a good job of getting in the way of God's message of love, the Lord is not done with us yet; that despite some of the mistakes we have made, there is still a vital role for people of good will and faith to play.

I trust that when we make way for the majesty of God, live the poetry of Jesus and share the fruit of the Spirit, we show forth the reign of God.

I trust that the artists among us, inspired by the creativity of God, can rise up and bring back the heart of our faith to work with the head of our faith.

I trust that the humblest of our number, in following the model of Jesus, will kneel down and call us to service in the spirit of the Servant King.

I trust that the compassionate in our midst, moved by the Holy Spirit, will rise up and wash us with their tears and by the Spirit baptize the Church into its continued ministry of mercy and love.

I trust that Scripture is clear enough about God's love, circumspect enough about religion, and ambivalent enough about my place in the equations of faith that I am compelled to humility, humor and hope.

I trust.

About The Reverend Doctor Peter J.M. Henry and his family

The Reverend Doctor Peter J.M. Henry is coming to us from Grosse Pointe Memorial Church in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. A Midwestern native and life long Presbyterian from the Chicago area, Peter has been head of staff at Grosse Pointe since 2007. Grosse Pointe Memorial is a 1,200 member PCUSA congregation dating back to 1865 and is located on the shores of Lake St. Clair. During his time at Grosse Pointe, Peter has worked to facilitate change and empower his congregation to be more outwardly focused. Among his many accomplishments are: making connections with neighboring communities of faith of greater diversity, leading a successful $4,000,000 capital campaign, and expanding the outreach programs of the church while also being an active member of the local religious and civic communities. Peter is a forward-thinking leader, willing to adapt to changing ministry contexts while still honoring the best and most effective practices of the past.

He enjoys teaching as an adjunct professor of homiletics at a local seminary in Detroit and the many small groups he teaches each month at GPMC. One of his favorites is a weekly 4th grade Bible study.

Prior to his time at Grosse Pointe Memorial, Peter served as Associate Pastor for Youth and their families at Myers Park Presbyterian Church (1996 ? 2000) in Charlotte and as Interim Associate Pastor at Nassau Presbyterian Church (2001-2002) in Princeton, New Jersey. From 2002-2006, he was a doctoral candidate in homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. Peter holds the Master of Divinity (`96), Master of Theology Homiletics (`01) and Doctor of Philosophy in Practical TheologyHomiletics (`09) degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary. Peter received a Bachelor of Arts (English Literature) from the University of Illinois in 1992.

Peter has recently completed a term as chair of the Nominating Committee of the Presbytery of Detroit and is now serving on the Operations Committee. He is an adjunct professor of homiletics at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit and was Preacher-in-Residence for the Engle Institute of

Preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. Peter recently completed a term on the Board of Trustees of Princeton Theological Seminary and is a member of the Academy of Homiletics. He is married to Shawn Samuelson Henry, a librarian and English teacher, as well as a published playwright and short story author. They are parents to Atticus (16), Haven (16) and Whittier (12). When not at work, he likes to spend time trying to keep up with three busy children and maintaining some sort of physical exercise.

The Henrys have several connections with North Carolina. Prior to his time at Myers Park, Peter served as a chaplain at Duke University Hospital in 1995. During his time at Myers Park, Peter and Shawn met in Charlotte where Shawn was teaching at Charlotte Country Day School. They married in Charlotte in July 1999. Atticus was on the Davidson campus and stayed in a Davidson dorm room for three weeks in 2016 while attending the Duke TIP program. Peter and Shawn have three siblings who reside in North Carolina ?Peter, a brother in Wilmington, and a sister in Raleigh, and Shawn, a sister in Durham. They have four nieces and nephews who attend NC State University.

TERMS OF CALL

Salary

$125,000.00

SECA Allowance (50% reimbursement for Social Security)

9,563.00

Professional Expenses

$6,500.00

Continuing Education(

$2,500.00

Board of Pensions Benefits

$46,250.00

( Medical, pension, death & disability)

TOTAL COMPENSATION

189,813.00*

*In addition, 2 weeks of Study Leave and 4 weeks of Vacation annually, and Sabbatical of 3 months every 7th year

Henry Family Peter, Haven, Whittier, Shawn, and Atticus

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