West Side Presbyterian Church has new associate family life pastor
The congregation of West Side Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood have hired Penny Hogan as new associate pastor for Family Life with Youth, Children and Parents.
This ministry is dedicated to sustaining and expanding West Side’s traditionally strong family life programs and serves a wide range of family needs – those of children, middle and high school youth, and their parents – in a more integrated manner.
“In today’s world, families are looking for places to be together in meaningful ways. West Side’s focus on family ministry allows each age and stage to develop spiritually together,” said Liz Junod, pastoral associate at West Side.
“Parents who work all week and barely see their children don’t want to ‘get rid of them’ on the weekends. I think parents like the idea of sharing and growing together with their children.”
This thought led West Side to look for a “family minister” not a “youth pastor” as has been the model in the past for many churches.
“Penny has extensive experience with children and parents,” noted Cynthia Cheesman, co-chair of the Associate Pastoral Nominating Committee, the team of church members who led the 15-month long selection process. “She has demonstrated outstanding organizational skills from tasks as small as weekly prayer groups to those as large as family mission trips to Africa. Through all of this she displays wonderful relationship talents. We are very fortunate to have been introduced to her.”
Hogan received a Master of Divinity in 2010 from Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Before entering seminary, she served for six years the youth, family and mission ministry at the 1500-member La Jolla Presbyterian Church in La Jolla, Calif. Among her many responsibilities, she planned and co-led a youth mission trip to Kenya, co-led multi-generational trip to Malawi, and implemented an annual youth group house building trip to Mexico for nearly 100 people.
She also attended Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. and is a 1994 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a B.S. in Education. Raised in Upper Arlington, Ohio, she is married to John Hogan, a Bergen County native. They reside in Ridgewood.
Article source: http://www.northjersey.com/news/138181179_West_Side_Presbyterian_Church_has_new_associate_family_life_pastor.html