PASTORAL LETTER

To all God’s Beloved in the Zion United Church of Christ, Steubenville, OH, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from our Triune God, the Holy One of Israel.

Let me introduce myself. I have been filling the Zion pulpit since October 19^th, and with three Sundays behind me, including one communion Sunday, I am beginning to become more familiar and comfortable with the physical attributes of the Zion sanctuary, the intricacies of UCC liturgy, and the technological challenge of the worship service being streamed over Facebook and YouTube. Other than being away a few Sundays in January and February, the church council has invited me to fill the pulpit through the Sunday after Easter.

I retired from fulltime ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at the end of June 2023. Having returned to the Ohio Valley from New York City a little over twelve years ago, I served Presbyterian Churches in Cadiz and Richmond, Ohio, and Bethlehem, West Virginia before retiring. Prior to coming back to the Upper Ohio Valley, I served PC(USA) churches in North Carolina, West Virginia, and New York. After retiring I have been filling pulpits as a guest preacher in Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Disciples of Christ congregations throughout the valley.

Thanks to the UCC and the PC(USA) being in “Full Communion,” whereby each denomination recognizes the ordination and sacraments in the other, UCC ministers can serve in and celebrate the sacraments in PC(USA) congregations and vice versa. Since I am serving Zion as a guest preacher rather than what Presbyterians refer to as a “Called and Installed” pastor, I still retain membership in the PCUSA and have no official standing in the UCC.

While I was born in Wheeling and raised in Wellsburg, WV, and graduated from Brooke High School, as a teenager I would ride the bus (back when they existed) from Wellsburg to Steubenville to shop at The Hub and go to the movie theater, and would later drive to the Fort Steuben Mall. I might be a Mountaineer, but I know that Dean Marten was from Steubenville.

I attended Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV and earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, and a Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA. I also earned a Certificate in Spiritual Formation from Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA, and am currently working through The Haden Institute of Hendersonville, NC to be certified as a Spiritual Director.

Now that you know a little about me, I look forward to getting to know you. I hope that many of you who have not worshiped in the Zion sanctuary since Covid and/or controversy and conflict will soon return, introduce yourself, feel spiritually fed, and challenged to continue your spiritual journey with sisters and brothers in Christ who are not afraid to welcome all, not afraid to ask tough questions, and not content to accept easy answers.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

John Edward Harris