Good Afternoon First Presbyterian,
This weekend I have the honor to be presented to you by the Session of First Presbyterian Church for election as your next called and installed Associate Pastor.
As part of this process, on Saturday, February 26 from 3pm-4pm Pastor Neff will host a Town Hall meeting in our sanctuary where he asks me questions that all of you have submitted over the last few weeks.
You can participate in the Town Hall in-person or online via www.pittsfordpres.org/live. We hope you will join us on Saturday for the Town Hall meeting, and again on Sunday where I will preach at both the 8:30am and 10:00am worship services. Immediately following the 10am worship service, there will be a Congregational Meeting (in person or on Zoom) where one of the items of business will be a vote of the congregation on my candidacy.
As a preview of what you may hear at the Town Hall meeting on Saturday, below is a brief biography of my time in ministry:
I have had the pleasure of serving as your Temporary Supply Associate Pastor since September of 2020. Before beginning my service here, I served at East Bethany Presbyterian Church where I was their 1/3 time pastor from late 2017 until summer of 2020, in addition to working full time as the Office Manager in the Historic Village at Genesee Country Village and Museum.
My greatest passions in ministry are pastoral care and faith formation for all ages. Both of these passions take many forms; hospital and nursing home visitation, special services emphasizing growth through prayer and the sacraments, equipping church members with the skills and tools to provide pastoral care to one another, and providing fellowship, learning, and growth opportunities for youth.
I earned my Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. I also hold a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education and Human Development from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, and New York State teaching certifications for birth-second grade and grades 1-6.
Prior to attending seminary, I taught Kindergarten for four years in Alexander, New York. During my time in New Jersey, I completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Princeton-Plainsboro Medical Center. I have also served churches in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Staten Island, New York in long term pastoral supply positions.
I have a variety of experience working with Presbyterian youth and college students. I have attended Presbyterian Youth Triennium three times (once as a youth and twice as an advisor), and have served both the First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca and the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, New York as Youth Ministry Director. As one of my field education placements I served as an intern with the 1,001 New Worshipping Community “Breaking Bread” – a ministry of Princeton Presbyterians (college student ministry) at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton. While living in New Orleans from 2005-2006, I also served as a youth ministry volunteer at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church.
I am currently the chairperson of the Committee on Representation (formerly the Nominating Committee) for the Presbytery of Genesee Valley, and I have had a long relationship with the Presbytery, serving as the Vice Moderator in 2004 (as a Ruling Elder) and as Youth Advisory Delegate to General Assembly in 2001.
As a cradle Presbyterian, I was nurtured in my faith, confirmed, and ordained as a Ruling Elder at Corfu United Presbyterian Church until departing for undergraduate studies at Ithaca College in 2001. I credit the congregations and pastors of Corfu UPC, First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, and First Presbyterian Church in Batavia (who sponsored and supported me during the ordination process) for walking with me on the long path to my call and ordination as a Teaching Elder in the PC(USA).
My husband Steven is a clergy tax accountant in private practice who is originally from Amherst, New York. We have been married since 2014 and live together with our three adopted dogs: Teddi, McTavish, and Sammy. In our free time we enjoy traveling locally, and especially enjoy spending time in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. My parents, Tom and Cindy Schubmehl live in East Pembroke, New York and are active members at First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, where my father serves as their Clerk of Session. My brother Brian and sister-in-law Katie live in Marblehead, Massachusetts with our nieces and nephew. Eleanor is 6, and twins Anna and William are 3; we delight in their visits, and face-timing with them over dinner.
I hope to see all of you virtually or in person at some point this weekend.
In Christ’s Abundant Love,
Rev. Erin