The Rev. Joel
Allen Weible, a second-generation minister with a
previous career in the theater, has been elected as
pastor of Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church.
Weible, age
43, will begin his ministry at Pewee Valley
officially on Nov. 23. The congregation approved
his call by a 97-1 vote on Sunday, Oct. 19, at a
combined 11 o’clock service in which he preached the
sermon.
The
Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry had met earlier
in the month to formally approve his selection and
nomination by the PVPC’s Pastoral Nominating
Committee.
The PNC had
been chaired by longtime PVPC member Bob Pace.
Weible will succeed the Rev. Wayne Willis who has
served as interim pastor since December, 2006. His
last Sunday will be November 16.
Weible is a
native of Pennsylvania and grew up as the son of a
minister in the United Church of Christ. He attended
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre in 1987. He
continued his education by attending the University
of Texas at Austin where he earned a Masters of Fine
Arts degree in Theatre in 1992.
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New pastor
Joel
Weible
(center) chats at reception
with PVPC members
Judy and Ralph Hall.
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He is
currently a doctor of ministry candidate at
Princeton Theological Seminary and expects to
receive his degree in the spring of 2009 after
completing his dissertation.
Weible met
his wife, Katie Blackersby, in Bowling Green,
Kentucky, where the two of them started a theater
company. Two years later they both attended the
University of Texas where they earned their acting
degrees. Subsequently they moved to New York City to
pursue acting careers. In 1999, Stage One Theatre
in Louisville drew their attention and they moved
here to join the company of actors.
A previous
stirring regarding the ministry became ever stronger
in Weible after his move to Kentucky and the close
proximity of Louisville Presbyterian Theological
Seminary. He enrolled and received his Master’s of
Divinity in May 1999. He was called by Highland
Presbyterian Church and ordained and installed there
in November 1999, a position he has held until now.
Joel and
Katie have been married 18 years and have three
children: Samuel, 10, Annie, 7, and Gabriel, 5.
Katie is a member of the faculty at the Youth
Performing Arts School at DuPont Manual High in
Louisville. The three children attend Brandeis
Elementary. The family resides in the Crescent Hill
neighborhood near Southern Seminary.
Weible
describes his leadership style as relational and
empowering. He said he believes in the leadership of
the church being a joint effort of the minister and
the laity. He wishes to serve and nurture our
congregation in order to strengthen our faith as
individuals and as a community. He hopes to help us
learn that our past is our building block for the
present and the future – a future committed to God
and identified by Jesus who “walks with us still”
as our guide.
September News...
Head grant funds
playground improvements
At Child Development Center
A cushiony new playground surface was
installed earlier in the month and other improvements were
completed this week at Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church
for the children attending its Child Development Center.
On a September Saturday morning more than two dozen church
members and families of the pupils joined together to
spread 16,000 pounds or 400 bags of rubberized mulch
across the playground. On Thursday and Friday (of this
week) age-appropriate play equipment was installed along
with a new vinyl fence on the infant/toddler side of the
playground.
The improvements were made possible by a grant from the
Louise Duncan Head Trust of Oldham County, said Jennifer
Tuggle, director of the school. "This generous grant has
allowed the Child Development Center and the church to
provide age-appropriate play areas with safe surfacing for
all of our children," she said. "We are thrilled with our
new play areas and the safety and fun they provide."
In addition to the improvements, current playground
equipment was rearranged in the newly enlarged space to
accommodate the growing number of children attending the
school. The church school has 120 youngsters enrolled,
ranging in age from six weeks to five years old.
The move to improve the playground was led by Clayton
Stoess, chairperson of the church committee that
coordinates the church with the school, which is one of
the 141-year-old church’s primary mission programs.
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As children of God we are called to tell the world of God’s love, to care for those in need and to seek justice and equality for all. At Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church
we reach out to others by providing our time and money beyond the walls of our church and outside our congregation. We are involved in mission and outreach within
our local community, regionally in Kentucky and in the rest of the world.
Regionally we schedule annual mission trips to Hazard, KY for affordable new home construction under carpenter supervision and existing home repair
for low-income families. We are also involved in maintenance and repair work at the Lotts Creek Community School, Hazard, KY with a weeklong mission trip each year.
We are planning trips to both of these communities in 2007.