By Gerson Rocha
July 2009

Composed of church elders, staff liaison the Rev. Randy Weber, and the Rev. Boyd Lowry, ad hoc member, the Ministerial Candidates Committee has supported a total of seven current and former seminarians from Princeton, San Francisco and Virginia. These seminarians are also members of our congregation.

Presently, two graduates have completed their cycle of studies at Princeton Seminary, obtaining the degree of Master in Divinity, and accomplishing all the necessary steps in the Presbytery of New York to receive a call. A third graduate has previously completed her studies, earning a Ph.D. in Theology.  Thus, currently, FAPC has three members eligible to receive a call for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments and to be ordained by the Presbyterian Church–USA.

In doing so, these graduates have preached in congregations throughout New York and New Jersey, in addition to supporting FAPC in myriad ways: leading the youth group in Sunday school, being involved with the Center of Christian Studies, speaking at the Women’s Association weekly meeting, helping to organize the Women’s retreat, participating in the Bicentennial Panel commemoration, and undertaking independent activities such as an international mission trip to Palestine.

Moreover, the Ministerial Candidates Committee accompanied four seminarians in their first step to becoming a ministerial candidate as inquirers. These seminarians had leading roles in worship during summer and Christmas services at FAPC. In addition to their academic responsibilities at seminary, two completed their educational field experience, serving in small congregations in New Jersey, where they fulfilled various clergy-related responsibilities; a third intends to expand her theological studies into a PhD program, and a fourth led a mission trip to Asia in May. Seminarians are also in the process of gaining further experience in other educational fields such as health care and behavioral assistance programs.

Recently, the Committee actively supported two inquirers in their desire to become Candidates in the Ministry of the Word, a status processed by the Presbytery of New York's Commission of Preparation to the Ministry (CPM). As such, the Committee has worked closely with the CPM of our Presbytery.

Finally, in the past year, under the theme of “Church and Society,” the Committee has discussed ways to enlarge the seminarians’ exposure to educational, health care, military and penitentiary settings, as missionaries, educators, and chaplains, and to further support our graduates to receive their first calls to the Ministry of the Word.

As the Gospel of Luke reminds us, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”. It has been a blessing to have in our midst such members of the church as graduates Cheni Konje, Marianne Farrin, and Ariane Arpels-Josiah, and seminarians Caroline Anderson, Thomas Harley, Marcia Lewis and Laura Weber.