Pastor Dave Delaney’s faith focus can be found in Matthew 25, Micah 6, and Philippians 4. God has blessed Dave with high energy, which has served him well in more than 30 years of youth leadership, including more than 10 years as Cape Atlantic’s youth coordinator. “Church occurs beyond the walls” and Dave has actively worked on urban streets and in suburban neighborhoods. He is leaving an extension appointment with a global ministry to return to NJ where he last served the vital congregation of Central UMC in Linwood. His wife, Donna, is gifted in children’s ministry.
Pastor Dave may have crossed paths with his wife, Donna, many times before they actually met because Pastor Dave's aunt was Donna's Sunday School teacher and Donna's family frequently visited Pastor Dave's aunt's farm to buy corn and other produce.
Pastor Dave and Donna have two daughters, Megan and Colleen. Megan lives with them in Smithville, NJ and since 2007 has volunteered at a nursing home and worked at McDonalds. Colleen Delaney-Lewis is married to Ryan Lewis and they live in Toms River with their five cats and one dog. Colleen is working on her PhD from Rutgers and Ryan is a civilian Navy employee.
Last year, Pastor Dave sensed God's call to serve in a global ministry based in Buffalo, New York. This ministry provides healthcare to refugees, runs the largest homeless shelter in the United States for individuals seeking asylum from their home nations where they have experienced a range of atrocities, and in 2015 they opened a clinic in Sierra Leone.
Pastor Dave's personal theology has a focus on Jesus’ message in Matthew 25, so being part of a program that cares for strangers in our land, the "least in society" and those who are suffering, truly matched his call. "I have been blessed to be in a place where we can clearly show Jesus’ love for all people every single day during a time when so many are verbally attacking individuals who are different from themselves."
Pastor Dave's first service with St. Paul's will be Sunday, July 3.
