I have been ordained over twenty years in the United Church of Christ. I have worked
as head of the cataloging department in the library shared by Eden Theological
Seminary and Wester University in St. Louis, MO. While at Eden, a UCC related
seminary, I took a few courses from faculty there, including the Old Testament scholar
Dr. Walter Brueggemann. My husband, Kerry W. Smart, and father-in-law, William
Smart, are both ordained UCC ministers. While a student at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, TN for my masters degree in church history, I worked at the Disciples of
Christ Historical Society, a group which has been in relation to the UCC for many years.
I am a member of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Ecumenical Relations Team,
and serve on the UCC / EKU (Evangelische Kirche der Union) Working Group on the
national level of the UCC.
I grew up a Lutheran, and was an involved member of LCA (pre-ELCA) church in Miami,
Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. I received my Masters of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran
Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.Trinity was in the vanguard of Lutheran theological
education by combining both ALC and LCA students and faculty even before the ELCA
was formed.
as head of the cataloging department in the library shared by Eden Theological
Seminary and Wester University in St. Louis, MO. While at Eden, a UCC related
seminary, I took a few courses from faculty there, including the Old Testament scholar
Dr. Walter Brueggemann. My husband, Kerry W. Smart, and father-in-law, William
Smart, are both ordained UCC ministers. While a student at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, TN for my masters degree in church history, I worked at the Disciples of
Christ Historical Society, a group which has been in relation to the UCC for many years.
I am a member of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Ecumenical Relations Team,
and serve on the UCC / EKU (Evangelische Kirche der Union) Working Group on the
national level of the UCC.
I grew up a Lutheran, and was an involved member of LCA (pre-ELCA) church in Miami,
Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. I received my Masters of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran
Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.Trinity was in the vanguard of Lutheran theological
education by combining both ALC and LCA students and faculty even before the ELCA
was formed.
| Meet Our Pastor |
Previous to my theological
training, I worked to set up a
library at the Halepaghen Schule
in Buxtehude, Germany. While in
Germany, I was a member of the
St. Cosmi Kirche, an Evangelische
Kirche--which is the official
Protestant Church of Germany.
This was my first experience with
a church that did not make a
distinction between Reformed
and Lutheran backgrounds. I
found I like it very much. Little did
I know that someday I would
become a pastor and be
privileged to serve one of the
twelve shared ministry churches
in our area of Pennsylvania.
training, I worked to set up a
library at the Halepaghen Schule
in Buxtehude, Germany. While in
Germany, I was a member of the
St. Cosmi Kirche, an Evangelische
Kirche--which is the official
Protestant Church of Germany.
This was my first experience with
a church that did not make a
distinction between Reformed
and Lutheran backgrounds. I
found I like it very much. Little did
I know that someday I would
become a pastor and be
privileged to serve one of the
twelve shared ministry churches
in our area of Pennsylvania.
| I began serving as the pastor of Huffs Union Church in January 2001. I am excited about being at Huffs because of my strong loyalty to both the ELCA and UCC denominations. Let me share some of my background with you ... |
It is indeed exciting to be doing cutting edge ministry that stands as an
example to others of what true Christian cooperation means, sharing
backgrounds, traditions, and worship experiences in order to make a
more meaningful witness to Jesus Christ. At a recent workshop for
shared ministry congregations, we again heard the prayer of Jesus
"that they may all be one."
At Huffs, we work together, praying that we can be a witness
to our unity in Christ, even while maintaining our diversity
of backgrounds, talents, and worship styles.
example to others of what true Christian cooperation means, sharing
backgrounds, traditions, and worship experiences in order to make a
more meaningful witness to Jesus Christ. At a recent workshop for
shared ministry congregations, we again heard the prayer of Jesus
"that they may all be one."
At Huffs, we work together, praying that we can be a witness
to our unity in Christ, even while maintaining our diversity
of backgrounds, talents, and worship styles.
