n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 4
news about ministers
The Rev. Alan Cowley has been unanimously affirmed as the pastor of the
Michael Church in London, England. Alan has been serving the congregation
since last year under an episcopal appointment.
The Rev. Pearse Frazier has been called to be the pastor in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, beginning July 1. He has been serving as assistant pastor in
Kempton, Pennsylvania. The Rev. Lou Synnestvedt will become assistant to
the pastor in Kempton on July 1.
The Rev. Derrick Lumsden has been called to be the pastor of the Sower’s
Chapel in Freeport, Pennsylvania, beginning July 1. He has been pastor of the
New Church Westville in Durban, South Africa.
ground-breaking in washington
The Washington New Church and School in Mitchellville, Maryland, has been
dreaming, planning and fund raising for a major building and renovation
project since 1999. Ground was broken in March and the project is underway.
(See photos on page opposite page)
Among the five-year goals are:
• Increase church attendance by at least 15% with a “renewed”
worship experience for all ages
• Grow the society by welcoming and baptizing at least 15 new
members
• Grow the school enrollment from 50 to 75, from junior
kindergarten through grade 10
Following is an account of the ground-breaking written for the April issue
of the Washington New Church newsletter, The Echo, by Bonnie Cowley:
Other than the school children and many congregation members, our
invited guests consisted of architects Mark and Eric Beck, along with colleague
Dave Budd; Dave Sunday – project manager from Gardiner and Gardiner
Construction Co.; site engineer Jeff Felker from Landesign; plus Sasha
Desrouleaux from the office of Prince George County Councilman Derrick
Davis.
Looking out over the gathering of young and old, Pastor Michael Gladish
noted: “We are honored to be able to build on the foundations laid by two
generations of dedicated members whose vision gave us the freedom to
continue to grow in an organic and orderly way.” Many of the speakers alluded
to the many years spent in planning, dreaming and preparation for this day.
“At some point, in providence, our endeavors are manifested in physical
structure, where they become most tangible,” remarked Stewart Smith. “Fifteen
years ago we began with the first seeds of an architectural process that might
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