Dr. David A. Renwick, Senior Pastor

Dr. David A. Renwick and his wife, Currie, come to us from Spartanburg, SC, where he was pastor of First Presbyterian Spartanburg from 2006 to 2011.

Dr. Renwick's higher education began in Scotland at St. Andrews University, where he studied Applied Mathematics and graduated in 1974 with honors. He continued his education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, where he earned a Master of Divinity in 1977, and Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in 1988.

Dr. Renwick has been an ordained Presbyterian Minister for over 35 years serving congregations in Newfoundland, Canada; San Antonio, TX and Lexington, KY. He has been a Pastor and Head of Staff since 1987.

Dr. Renwick's passions for ministry include preaching, leadership, worship and pastoral care. His vision for the church includes:

• Biblical preaching within Christ-centered worship as the heart of the church's life.

• A longing for the beliefs, relationships and practices of the congregation as a whole to reflect the life of Christ, so that Christ is visibly seen in the world through "his body," the church.

• The building of relationships with, among and between pastors, staff and lay-persons through which Christ's vision for ministry is embraced, implemented and sustained.

Quotes from Dr. Renwick:

CHANGE ... "A friend in a successful business once asked me to summarize what I do as a minister in secular terms. I replied that I would like to think of myself as someone who helps people and organizations move through change effectively, happily and faithfully. Change is inevitable; so much of our happiness or unhappiness in life depends on whether or how we handle it. The central scriptural image of Jesus and King David as shepherds ('pastors'), is precisely the image of one who leads from 'pastures' that no longer nourish to 'new pastures' that nourish, strengthen and satisfy."

JOY ... "We all know that 'love' is at the center of the Christian faith. What I would love to convey to any church is that 'joy' is a close second. Paul mentions joy as the second fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22. I have watched some of the poorest people in the world be joyful -- smiling beautifully, laughing, and simply having fun -- in the midst of squalor and hopelessness. Such joy breaks the ice when we are taking ourselves too seriously, and makes it clear that it is not our problems (truly painful as they may be) which have the final word over our lives, but God does, and God will win in the end."

GOD THE CREATOR ... "I've forgotten most of my math from university days, but I have never understood why people perceive that there is a conflict between faith and science. The fact that every part of the universe is undergirded by the language of math and that this language can be expressed in ones and zeros seems to me to be amazing. In fact, it is so amazing to me that I cannot help but believe that beyond the math lies a mind that put together the pieces of the puzzle that we (like children) spend hours unraveling."

PREACHING ... "I love to preach, but it hasn't always been that way. Before God's call I was scared to death of speaking in public, and I sometimes still am! This is not all bad, however. For one thing, it means that I can empathize with the fears that others share with me -- and yet I also know what it means to face those fears with God's help and find strength to move on. In addition, this knowledge of weakness keeps me dependent on God. We preachers haven't been called to persuade through eloquence, but through being channels of God's grace and word. When a congregation and preacher pray and trust God together, I am convinced that God will speak through preaching, and that we will all leave worship with the right word that we each needed. This is the weekly miracle that I depend on, and that I believe our Lord Jesus Christ longs for us to experience together."