Rev. Peter C. de Vries, Ph.D. has served Old Union since November 1993.
To learn more about Rev. Dr. de Vries, go to FaceBook, Linked-In, or his blog.
FROM THE PASTOR
For three decades, my family and I have enjoyed the privilege of living in the manse as part of my “terms of call” (salary package). The manse was one of the things that drew me to seek to become your pastor in the first place, and over the years your manse committee has done an exceptional job of maintaining and upgrading the house. Living in such a wonderful home is one of the many blessings that I have received as your pastor, and I am grateful.
However, the time has come for me to request a change in the housing portion of my terms of call. Becky and I are buying a home and plan to move, probably in May of next year. We are doing so in part because we want to downsize, in part because we’d like to start building equity in a home, and in part because we will need a home for when I eventually retire.
Our new home will be a couple miles north of Zelienople, a twenty minute drive (eleven miles) from the church. For the first time in my career, I will need to commute to work!
The manse committee and the session are already at work to transition the use of the manse from being housing for your pastor to becoming a rental property. The session has appointed Sally Pavlina, Marcus Sanata, and Mike Semler to serve as the task force for this transition. Feel free to talk with them about your suggestions or questions.
The session is planning to use a realtor/property management company to find a tenant and oversee the use and maintenance of the manse, instead of the church handling it. We will benefit from having a professional dealing with these responsibilities.
Even though the manse has been updated and maintained well, some work will be necessary to make it ready for renters (for example, the interior will need to be painted). The session is applying for a $2,000 grant to help with this expense.
The rental income that the church receives will be used to pay me a housing allowance. The hope is for me to be fairly compensated without adding a financial expense to the church. You will hear more information about this proposal, which must be approved by the congregation, as plans develop.
Because this change will not happen until sometime in 2024, the terms of my call that the congregation will vote in at the November congregational meeting will be for me to be living in manse. There will need to be a specially called congregational meeting to revise my terms of call to offer a housing allowance instead.
I thank God for my relationship with Old Union Church and I look forward to the years ahead as we to continue to worship and serve our Lord.
In Christ,
Peter
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com