On April 15, 2007, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to call The Rev. Renie Kirk to be our first full-time minister since 1978. The Reverend Kirk brings a strong faith in an ever-loving God to her ministry. When Pastor Renie speaks of her faith journey she describes knowing a loving Creator as one of her earliest memories. “Hard to imagine a child knowing God” she states, “but children, I believe, see God better than the adults; A child sees God with their hearts, not their heads.”
Pastor Renie grew up in Beacon, NY, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Social Work from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY, and a Masters of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley.
When asked about ministry Pastor Renie states “Pastoral Care and Ministry begins with first hello, it’s all about relationships. The role of the church is vital to the building of community and the doing of the work of justice.” “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) “The church is called to speak truth to power, to be the voice for the unheard, to name the unnamed, to speak out against injustice, and to help move toward a more just dominion.”
In November of 2023, Pastor Renie announced her retirement from ministry effective May 2024. Her service of release will be on May 19th, 2024 ending a 17-year ministry and honeymoon with the church. Pastor Renie is clear that she feels this ministry is the best she could have ever imagined.
Click Here to check out some of her recent sermons here.
