Dr. David D. Young, Senior Pastor
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Dr. Young,
our senior pastor, officially joined us on March 1, 2005. Known for his
innovative preaching style and multigenerational appeal, Dr. Young also has
a vitality and commitment to community outreach and international mission
that makes him a wonderful fit for First Church. He comes to us from First
Congregational Church in Battle Creek, Mich., where he served as senior
pastor for 15 years.
Born and raised in Indiana, Dr. Young completed his doctoral work in the
culture of organizations at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He
earned his Master of Divinity at San Francisco Theological Seminary and his
BA in Religion at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore.
Dr. Young has a long history of community involvement in Battle Creek and
will be a vibrant asset to the greater First Church community as well. He
served on and often presided over the boards of many civic, human services
and ecumenical organizations, including Battle Creek’s symphony orchestra,
the Willard Library, Family Y, Habitat for Humanity and Olivet College.
Under Dr. Young’s leadership, his church successfully completed a $6 million
renovation and expansion project and the library built a new branch.
Dr. Young looks forward to “listening, learning and living” in his new First
Church environment and “building on the congregation’s strengths.”
Rev. Ronald E.
Halvorsen, Minister of Pastoral Care
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Rev. Ronald E. Halvorsen
joined the staff of First Church as Minister of Pastoral Care effective February
1, 2006. “In his new position, Rev. Halvorsen will supervise and coordinate all
the pastoral care ministries of the Church and share in the leadership of
worship,” said the Rev. Dr. David D. Young, Senior Pastor.
Rev. Halvorsen is a graduate of
Yale Divinity School and was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 1997. He
has served on the staffs of the First Presbyterian Church and The Congregational
Church, both in New Canaan. He also has had extensive chaplaincy training at
Yale-New Haven Hospital, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, The Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Norwalk Hospital and has served as the
Chaplain and Bereavement Counselor of Mid-Fairfield Hospice. In 2002, he became
a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Prior to his call to ministry, Ron
received his BSCE degree from Tufts University and an MBA from the Tuck School
of Business at Dartmouth College. He and his wife Gail make their home in New
Canaan where they have lived for the past 20 years.
Rev. Daniel England, Interim Associate Pastor
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Daniel England
joined the staff of First Congregational in September, 2007. He holds several Master’s degrees in theology including an
M.A. from Cambridge University in England and a M.Th. from Princeton Seminary. When not engaged in the work of First
Church, Dan is a professional writer and consultant to corporations. He and his wife Claire live in Fairfield, CT.
Dr. John Stansell, Music Director
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John Stansell
came to First Church as interim organist in 1987 and took the position
permanently the following year. In 1995, after he was recommended by his
predecessor, Richard Vogt, he assumed the position of Director of Music. A
native of Nashville, Tennessee, where he began his organ studies with Peter
Fyfe, he came to New York to study under Vernon deTar at The Juilliard
School. He holds Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees
from that institution, where he also studied with Leonard Raver.
He was organist/choir director of the United Methodist Church of Port
Washington, L. I., from 1967 to 1986. Dr. John is known as a concert
organist in Europe, particularly in Germany where he tours annually. He has
two CD recordings to his credit, Mendelssohn & Co., and Mendelssohn - Six
Sonatas for Organ, which were recorded in Frankfurt.
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