|
About
Matt
Born in
Indiana in 1960, Matt was raised in the “vacation
wonderland” of Missouri. Seriously, though, it was a
wonderful place to grow up. Following high school,
Matt enrolled in the University of Missouri where he would
earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
During his tenure at MU, encounters with Econ. 229 and the
ancient computer language of COBOL helped to open Matt’s
heart and mind to the hearkening of the Holy Spirit, whose
“still, small voice” challenged him to consider what
alternative life plan God might have for him.
A
Presbyterian since birth and grateful for the faithful
witness of pastors, parents and friends, Matt entered Union
Theological Seminary in Virginia and received his Doctor of
Ministry degree in 1987.
Upon his
ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, Matt began
his work as Associate Pastor of Providence Presbyterian
Church and in 1990 was called to serve as the pastor of
Northminster Presbyterian Church in Hickory, NC where he
also had the privilege of serving as the President of the
local ministerial association and the local crisis ministry.
In 1998,
Matt accepted the call to become the Senior Pastor of First
Presbyterian Church of Morganton, NC. While in
Morganton, Matt had had the opportunity to serve as the
President of Burke United Christian Ministries and to serve
on the Executive Committee of Burke County United Way.
In 2002, Matt was elected to serve as the Moderator of the
Presbytery of Western North Carolina where he also served on
the Presbytery Council and the Committee on Ministry.
Matt has
lived in North Carolina for a total of 22 years and
now considers himself to be a true North Carolinian, a slave
to the drawl-inducing taste of seriously sweetened iced tea.
He has been a runner for over 30 years. Each year he
gets a little slower but still is an endorphine addict.
He loves reading, movies, being with his family, and has a
weakness for mint M & M’s (a rare delicacy that appears in
select places at Christmas time), a love surpassed only by
his disdain for all things coconut.
Matt is
married to his best friend, the former Donna Elliott, a
native of Jamestown, NC. Donna is a graduate of
Appalachian State University and received her master’s
degree in special education from Winthrop University.
Donna serves as a preschool specialties teacher with Union
County Public Schools, teaching children with developmental
disabilities and working with them in a variety of settings
(from daycares to double-wides). Donna is a voracious
reader, enjoys walking and cooking, and demonstrates
tremendous forbearance with her husband. Donna and
Matt have two sons, Noah and Seth. Noah is a student
at Ardrey Kell High School who has a passion for cross
country, track, people, and currently serves on the Youth
Council for the Presbytery of Charlotte. Seth, the
comedian who may soon be appearing in a club near you, has
an infectious smile and enjoys music and sarcasm. He
is a student at Community House Middle School. He
plays bass in a jazz band and is a member of the Charlotte
Junior Youth Orchestra. Donna and Matt enjoy their
time with the children and traveling.
Regarding
his sense of call to the ministry and his family’s sense of
call to South Mecklenburg, Matt writes, “Before I ever
moderated a Session meeting; before I married; before I ever
officiated at a funeral; before I realized that I cannot run
as fast as I used to; before I was ordained; before I
completed my schooling and went out to face the ‘real
world,’ it was my belief that God’s grace is sufficient.
After the variety of experiences I have had as a follower of
Jesus Christ and as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament, I
can still say that I believe this is true. Entering
the ministry has been a tremendous blessing for me. It
has allowed me to develop and utilize those gifts which God
has given to me and it has offered me the opportunity to
encounter the abundant joy which can only be found in the
body of Christ.
As a
grateful heir of the Reformed tradition, I feel humbled by
the opportunity I am being given through the grace of Jesus
Christ to proclaim God’s Word in the Church. Ministry
is a privilege and we continue to be genuinely excited about
the ministry of South Mecklenburg Presbyterian where a
fellowship of dynamic and gracious disciples have
demonstrated immense patience with their admittedly
slow-witted and vertically-challenged pastor who was once
referred to as “the little preacher.”. It is my prayer
that through our shared ministry we will glorify and enjoy
the God who is, who was, and who is to come.”
|
About Katie
Katie was born and raised in the small town of Wilmington,
Ohio. Growing up in a nurturing environment surrounded by
friends and family, including the extended family of the
Presbyterian Church of Wilmington, Katie enjoyed being part
of a wonderful church and a great community. During her
senior year of high school, Katie chose to spend the year as
a foreign exchange student in a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden,
where she learned to speak Swedish and enjoyed the
multicultural environment. There, she attended a Pentecostal
church with her host family, which opened her eyes to new
ways of worshiping God and challenged her to think through
her own theology.
Following a challenging year in Sweden, Katie entered The
College of Wooster, a small liberal arts school near
Cleveland, Ohio. While at Wooster, Katie was involved in
many activities, including the Scot Marching Band and
Symphonic Band; and the Wooster Christian Fellowship, of
which she was president. Katie spent her college summers as
a YMCA camp counselor. It was through these experiences that
Katie began to feel God calling her to youth ministry, as a
combination of her two loves—God and kids. In the meantime,
she interned at the European Parliament in Brussels,
Belgium, and completed her degree, majoring in political
science and minoring in English.
From the
time Katie entered Princeton Theological Seminary in the
fall of 2001, she thrived in the dual degree program,
focusing in Christian Education and youth ministry in
addition to coursework in theology, biblical studies, and
church history. After working at Princeton’s Institute for
Youth Ministry, Katie graduated from Princeton Theological
Seminary with an M.Div. and M.A. in youth ministry in May,
2005.
Katie is
married to Todd Harrington, a native Charlottean. Todd works
for Bank of America and together, Todd and Katie love
walking and attempting to train their two dogs, Trina and
Millie. Katie also loves all things mint and chocolate and
particularly loves to spend time curled up in front of a
fireplace with a good book. Canoeing and walking in the
woods with her father from an early age, Katie loves to
spend time enjoying God’s creation, whether hiking in the
woods, or canoeing or kayaking on the water.
Invigorated and inspired by God’s actions in this world, and
in her life, Katie was ordained on June 19, 2005 at the
Presbyterian Church of Wilmington and began serving SMPC in
July 2005. Regarding her call to ministry, Katie writes: “I
am passionate about guiding people, especially youth in
their faith journey, and seeing their faith blossom and
grow. A strong faith in God and what God has done through
Jesus Christ empowers my ministry and inspires me to
communicate this to others. Serving God’s people through
worship leadership and involvement in the community brings
me joy. As I act on my calling to serve not only those
within the church’s walls, but also in the community, I
strive to see every person as one who is made in God’s image
and is indeed a child of God.”
|
About Lynne
Born in
Atlanta, GA in 1975, Lynne was predominantly raised outside
of Charleston, SC. She was born in the Presbyterian
Church as her father is an ordained PC (USA) minister.
Her mother was a teacher, and Lynne was the younger of two
children. Lynne was a focused student who was very
involved in her church. She was a student of the arts,
including dancing, singing and drama and enjoyed several
solo parts as well as the lead in the school play.
Lynne
graduated from high school in 1993 and entered the
University of Georgia that fall. Her time at UGA
included joining the sorority Gamma Sigma Sigma, whose
primary focus is service in the community. It was
through this organization she developed a love of serving
others, and her leadership and organizational skills
blossomed. Lynne studied in the school of Journalism
with a concentration in advertising. She spent her
first two summers of college working at Montreat Conference
Center where she first began to connect her love of God with
the love of the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Lynne graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in
Journalism and moved to Atlanta to begin her advertising
career at WestWayne. There Lynne had the opportunity to work
with some notable clients including SunTrust Bank, Russell
Athletics, and Bassett Furniture.
Later that
same year, Lynne married her college sweetheart who was
finishing a graduate program at UGA, and at that same time
began to discern that something was missing from her life.
She longed for opportunities for service to the community
through her church, but long work hours prevented her from
getting involved in a meaningful way. As she and her
husband looked to start a family, Lynne decided to utilize
her marketing skills in the non-profit sector and accepted a
position in the National Home Office of the American Cancer
Society. The next year in 2002, she and her husband
welcomed their daughter, Gabrielle, into their family.
As Lynne
settled into motherhood she continued to have a longing to
serve God’s people. She became deeply involved in
adult education and the Stephen Ministry program in her home
church, Roswell Presbyterian. It was in these moments
of service when Lynne began to tangibly recognize and
appreciate God’s call to the ministry. It was
particularly in the Stephen Ministry program that Lynne
developed her passion for Pastoral care. She spoke
with a number of church members and her senior pastor, Dr.
Lane Alderman, about her call to ministry, and began to
research seminaries.
In July
2004, Lynne began her first class at Columbia Theological
Seminary. She felt her passion for learning and
reading come alive in a way not previously experienced.
She completed a summer internship at First Presbyterian
Church of North Palm Beach, FL where she had opportunities
for preaching, teaching, worship leadership and pastoral
care. The following summer, Lynne completed her first
unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Central
Presbyterian Outreach Center working with the homeless of
Atlanta.
In May
2007, Lynne graduated from Columbia with a Masters of
Divinity degree. In that same year she and her husband
of 10 years sadly parted ways. Since then, Lynne has
been working on a year long CPE residency at Crossroads
Hospice where she cares for patients in their final days of
life, and their families. She was also selected to
participate in a nationwide Lilly Endowment program called
“The Company of New Pastors.” This program places new
pastors in regional mentoring groups who meet twice a year
to reflect theologically on their work in ministry.
Lynne
enjoys spending time with her daughter, reading, hiking and
singing. After going on mission trips to the Dominican
Republic and Mexico, she has also developed a new passion
for traveling and doing mission work.
|
