Question 13:
If someone wanted to give you a treat; what would you most appreciate?
Katie’s Answer:
I love treats! My favorite are chocolate, red wine, and LaCroix sparkling water.
Question 12:
What is a church memory from your childhood that has stuck with you all these years?
Katie’s Answer:
I clearly remember sitting in the pew with my family and playing with my mom’s rings during the sermon (sorry, Dr. Meux), and I remember feeling utterly welcomed and cared for by my Sunday School teachers (shoutout to Mrs. Bethel, Mrs. Mabe, Mr. Takeuchi, Mr. Henderson, and Mr. Gillander).
Question 11:
If there were no limitations in time/money, what would you like to do or see?
Katie’s Answer:
I would love to travel more! I have a dream of walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage with my family in France and Spain one day.
Question 10:
Do you like to go on mission trips?
Katie’s Answer:
I LOVE mission trips! I worked in youth ministry for over 20 years, and missions trips are some of my favorite memories.
Question 9:
How do you feel about the ‘connected’ church, involvement with Presbytery and Synod and G.A. policies and stands?
Katie’s Answer:
The connectional nature of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is a gift – through our relationships with one another beyond the local church level, we are able to do far more in the world than we would alone. God created us for community, and our denominational structure reflects that – we are better together.
Question 8:
What made you want to adopt a child?
Katie’s Answer:
I was interested in adoption even as a child – the idea of family being broader than blood appealed to me. Kevin and I started our adoption process, and then later found out we were biologically unable to conceive a child. It took a long time, but we certainly lucked out with Elijah and his birth family – and now our family is bigger and broader than we could have imagined!
Question 7:
Do you have a pet, if so what pet is it?
Katie’s Answer:
We have two dogs – Lola, who is a border collie mix, and Mr. Wiggins, who is a cockapoo. Unfortunately, their flights got cancelled and they are staying in California with some friends temporarily until we can go get them later this year.
Question 6:
What are your favorite things?
Katie’s Answer:
I love Elijah’s laughter, a good story, macaroni & cheese, mountains, theater, chocolate, spending time with friends, fall colors, wearing sandals, sparkling water, Christmas, and Disney World.
Question 6:
Why did you feel called to ministry?
Katie’s Answer:
Great question, hard to answer. God was calling me before I really knew it or understood it. I found myself responding to the call in ways that confused me – agreeing to take a church job in college, or leaving theater to go to seminary. What I do know is this – God calls all of us to ministry, and what that looks like in each person’s life varies.
Question 5:
What is your favorite Bible passage?
Katie’s Answer:
1 Thessalonians 2:8 is my favorite verse because it is my “theme verse” for ministry, but beyond that, I enjoy the stories in Genesis and Exodus, and the Gospel of Luke the most.
Question 4:
What is your favorite book and what is the last non-church book you read?
Katie’s Answer:
It’s a tie – my favorite books are Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger and the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I’m usually reading multiple books at once: the last non-church books I read were The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.
Question 3:
What is your favorite thing about being a pastor?
Katie’s Answer:
Getting to spend time with people is a huge gift – hearing their stories and getting to know them, and helping them build relationships with each other, seeing friendships blossom and grow.
Question 2:
What does your family like to do together?
Katie’s Answer:
Question 1:
Why are you excited to come to PHPC and be our senior pastor?
Katie’s Answer:
I loved hearing about the things that you do to care for each other and care for your neighbors! You take your faith seriously – it leads to action in your individual lives and your communal congregational life, and that’s something I want to be a part of. I’m excited about where God is leading us together!
