Our Pastor
I was born in San Antonio, Texas. My parents joined First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio when I was four years old, and I grew up in that church. However, it wasn't until I went to a Christian Summer camp at the age of ten that the gospel really resonated with me for the first time. When given the opportunity to respond to the good news of what God had done for me in and as Jesus Christ, I did so by committing my life to him. Since then, I've been slowly growing as his disciple.
After high school, I traveled to Spokane, WA and began studies at Whitworth University. There, I pursued a double major in religion and philosophy, made some wonderful friends, volunteered in various ministries, and (most importantly) met my wife, Libby. When you meet her, you'll quickly see that she really is the best thing I've got going for me. It was also at Whitworth that I began to discern a call to go to seminary, but still did not know that God would call me to full-time ministry. I use that phrase, "full-time ministry," with some reluctance, because one of my convictions is that the call to discipleship is simultaneously a call to ministry—a call to join God in mission. In that most important sense, all Christians are called to full time ministry.
Libby and I were married in March of 2002, and four months later, we packed all of our belongings into a small U-Haul trailer and drove across the country to Princeton, NJ. I spent three years at the seminary there and received an M.Div. You've gotta love the title of that degree: Master of Divinity. I'm thankful that it's the other way around: that God masters us, claiming our entire lives, while promising that his yoke is easy and his burden light.
When I graduated from seminary in 2005, I never imagined that my first call to ordained ministry would be to a small, charismatic church in Richmond, VA. I envisioned a call to an associate position at a larger church, and I secretly hoped that it would be either in Texas with my family or in Washington with my wife's. So, this call is a good surprise. It fills me with deep joy, much excitement, and (to be honest) some fear and trembling.
Early on in its history, Christ Presbyterian designated itself "a fellowship of love." The difficulty with such self-labels is that, sometimes, they just don't fit. However, sometimes they do, and since our arrival in February of 2007, Libby and I have found that this church really is a a community of love. Whether you're a long time member or simply considering a first time visit, I hope you also find this to be true about us.
Enjoying Grace,
Kevin Germer
