Parkside United Church of Christ

I was born and raised in rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey, some miles northeast of Philadelphia in a supportive family. I received my calling in 1989 after growing up in the Church. I graduated from Thomas Edison State College with a Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities and a Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary.

I have served as a pastor of churches for the past twenty-five years in the Penn Central Conference, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference, and the Southern Conference. I have served as Pastor of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Phoenixville for the past six years. 

I am married to Kathy, who serves as the Executive Assistant to the General Secretary of the American Baptist Churches, and we have two children: Gabriel Abraham, age 23, and Hannah Elizabeth, age 20. 

I love history, sacred and classical music, rock and pop music, and also some jazz; biblical, liturgical, and theological research and writing (my academic journal article “The Death of Herod the Great and the Latin Josephus: Re-examining the Twenty-second Year of Tiberius” was published in 2015 in the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism); collecting historic documents and books, Batman comics, and we love “glamping” (camping) as a family. 

Worship is at the heart of the Parkside UCC congregation. Our worship aims at enabling worshipers to experience the presence of God through engaging music, prayers, sermons, sacraments, and other non-verbal expressions. We believe that worship is essentially God’s event, and it is God who invites us to be immersed into the many ways in which God comes to us.  

Worship takes place each Sunday at 10:45 A.M. and at other times on special occasions in the Church Year. Please check this website for the listing of occasional services.  

Holy Communion generally is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on the major festivals of the Church Year. Holy Communion is open to all who look to the Lord Jesus Christ to be nourished through Word and Sacrament. 

We believe that, as Jesus invited, “Let the little children come to me,” the presence of children in worship is integral to our worshiping community and that children learn about God by experiencing the various worship acts. A special time for children is incorporated into each Sunday worship service. Worship at Parkside is a multi-generational experience.

Educational opportunities for children and adults occur in various settings at Parkside UCC. Seasonal series of adult seminars on various faith issues are scheduled at convenient times around worship services and on other occasions. Please check this website for the listings of educational opportunities. 

Children’s Christian formation takes place within worship on Sundays and in special services throughout the church year.  

Confirmation formation for youth takes place through a one-to-one mentoring process leading to the Rite of Confirmation. The Pastor and lay mentors work with each youth depending on his or her life experiences and spiritual journey.