Spring Glen Church, UCC, calls new Sr. Pastor Jack Davidson; Rally Day on Sunday, Sept. 11, 10 am worship, followed by picnic

Spring Glen Church calls a new Sr. Pastor, The Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson. Pastor Jack’s first Sunday preaching will be Sunday, September 11th. “Rally Day” worship at 10:00, celebrating the beginning of a new program year, will be followed by a family-friendly picnic lunch on the church lawn. All are invited to join Spring Glen Church in celebrating the start of a new year, and in welcoming Pastor Jack!

A graduate of Colby College and Harvard Divinity School, Jack comes to Spring Glen Church following five years as Associate Minister at the First Church of Christ, Congregational in Redding, CT. His blog ChurchvSports.org has garnered national attention covering topics on church vitality and youth ministry. His music project MotherHenMusic.org has gained a small audience online. Jack recently began serving as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Racial Justice Ministries of the Connecticut Conference.

Rev. Davidson’s history includes serving as the Ministerial Intern at the historic Old South Church in downtown Boston, where he co-led a weekly evening Jazz service and ran a ministry for young adults in their 20s and 30s, time as a chaplain at Maine Medical Center, work as a Youth Ministries Coordinator in college, and an extensive amount of time working in Outdoor Ministry at camps in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Minnesota.

His wife Laura Perkins Davidson, who shares his passions for music and the outdoors, is a social worker at Amistad High School in New Haven; the Davidsons have one daughter.

Jsck loves preaching, campfires on the church lawn, and dreaming up wild experiments in ministry. You may often find him with an instrument or a cup of tea in hand, talking enthusiastically about the future of the church.

Jack writes:

“I believe that church matters. I believe church done right is deeply intertwined in both our personal lives and the world around us. Church should be a comfort in our challenge, and a challenge in our comfort, giving us sanctuary to dig into the hard questions of this world and the next.

“Most importantly, church should be a community of celebration. Church should be fun and inspiring, not an obligation but a joy, more than a building but a people, not a noun but a verb. Our church community should be an ever-evolving rock that you are proud to make your spiritual home, a family that walks and grows with you on your lifelong journey of faith.

“We hope you will join us!”

Spring Glen Church, United Church of Christ, http://www.springglenchurch.org, is an open and affirming congregation welcoming persons of any age, race, sexual orientation, nationality, economic circumstance, or physical or mental ability. The church is located at 1825 Whitney Avenue in Hamden.

Worship services begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Children (pre-K through 6th grade) begin the morning in the sanctuary with their families and after the Children's Message they go with their teachers to Sunday School. Infant/toddler care provided every week. There are fellowship and educational programs for youth 7th-12th grade, and for adults, including choir, handbell choir, Bible study, film and book discussions, theater arts, local service and mission, and mission trips. All are welcome.