WESTWOOD FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
WESTWOOD FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
| Pastor Jeff arrived at Westwood First on October 1, 2014 and it was homecoming of sorts, because as he was growing up he would visit Cincinnati every summer to visit relatives. He fondly remembers Reds games at Crosely Field and Riverfront Stadium, shopping at Shillito’s and McAlpin’s and—of course—Cincinnati chili. A second-career pastor, Pastor Jeff received his Master of Divinity degree from the Gettysburg Seminary in 2008 and his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Louisville Seminary in 2020. He has served churches in numerous capacities for twenty years, beginning with youth ministry and Christian Education, moving on to ordered pastoral ministry prior to being ordained in 2009. being the United Presbyterian Church of Pottsville, PA. Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Pastor Jeff and his wife Jane have been married for over 30 years, having met in college. Jeff is one of several members of his family who are, or where, ordained clergy and comes from a long line of Italian Presbyterians that date back to the early 1900’s when his immigrant maternal grandparents, formed their own church, pastored by an Italian Presbyterian missionary. Pastor Jeff loves movies, anything from Alfred Hitchcock to Monty Python, Christopher Nolan to Mel Brooks. A reader by both choice and necessity, his favorite Christian authors are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, C. S. Lewis, N.T. Wright, and will read anything about the Civil War. His music tastes are eclectic and include run from Aaron Copland, Miles Davis and The Grateful Dead to Pat Metheny, Chris Stapleton and King Crimson. After twenty-some years in ministry, Pastor Jeff believes that have been as those created by God we are to glorify God and enjoy God forever. He seeks, in his daily life, to serve with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. Routinely reminding us that “Christ is still risen,” Pastor Jeff’s focus at Westwood First is to help create a caring, authentic, nurturing community of faith where all are truly welcome; a place where people are encouraged to develop a more resilient, mature spirituality by deepening their relationship with Jesus Christ. |