"I want my ministry to give people meaning, enlarge their worldview, and increase their faith."

Reverend Dr. Norman Bendroth

I thought I would tell you a little bit about myself so that we could get acquainted a little more quickly. I am a native Yankee and my roots go deep here. As far as I know, I am the first congregational minister in my family since Samuel Johnson Sewall was ordained in N. Edgecomb, Maine, in 1795. My folks are from Andover, MA, and I grew up in Wakefield and Exeter, NH. My wife, Peggy, is from Rochester, NY, and we met at seminary in Chicago. While there we were "urbanized" and have lived in cities ever since. We were in Baltimore while Peggy did her doctorate in American History at the Johns Hopkins University. We then moved to Washington, DC, where we both were Elders in a new church start while I worked on Capitol Hill for two non-profit Christian ministries and she wrote her dissertation.

In 1986 we adopted our first child, Nathan, who is half-Vietnamese (now 21 years old and away at college at Michigan Technological University). Shortly thereafter we moved to Cambridge, MA, to start our ministry at Pilgrim Congregational Church, UCC. Our third Christmas there we adopted Anna (now 18 years old and taking a gap year) who is half-Chinese. Our children, along with our dog, Salamanca, and two cats, Garbanzo and a new kitten, Li’l Toot, are a source of inestimable joy and delight. Unfortunately, after a valiant struggle of six years, Pilgrim Church closed like many other center city churches. Since then I have served as an Interim Minister at churches in Milton, Burlington, and Topsfield, MA, and Grand Rapids, MI, as well as a settled pastor in Dedham, MA. In 1997, I completed the Doctor of Ministry degree at Andover Newton Theological School. My concentration was on an integration of theology and pastoral psychology. While a student there I also served as the Coordinator for Pastoral Care (aka chaplain) and served on the adjunct faculty in the Practical Theology department.

In the summer of 1997 we moved to Grand Rapids, MI, where my wife, Peggy was Professor of History at Calvin College, specializing in twentieth-century and women’s U.S. history. For the first three years there I worked for a non-profit Christian ministry called the Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF). ICCF develops housing for low-income
families. While there I wrote grants, wrote the newsletter, developed contacts with local churches, and spearheaded special events. I also served as an Interim Minister there for 3 years. While in Grand Rapids, I also lead a practicum for seminary students at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, and hosted a radio show on 88.1 FM WYCE
“where you get folk, rock, blues, jazz and world beat, all in one place.” We moved back to Cambridge during the summer of 2004 when a new and unexpected job opportunity opened up for Peggy. She is the Executive Director at the American Congregational Association on Beacon Hill. “The Congregational House,” as it is known, houses the library and archives of all branches of the Congregational church. She also has taught at Andover Newton and Northeastern University. She has published quite a bit on the history of women in the American church, denominations and family policy, and has edited a volume in the "Living Theological Heritage" series of the UCC. I was most recently at the Congregational Church of Topsfield for 2 ½ years and had a wonderful interim ministry of helping folks renew their vision and identity, discover how to communicate in helpful and healing ways, and teaching a four year confirmation program called “Prep for Life,” and a three year deacon training program.

In my spare time I mountain bike, backpack, kayak, play guitar, and read. Interim Ministry fits well with my gifts and personality: it is a discreet set of tasks that can be accomplished within a window of time and bears great fruit as people rediscover their mission and calling and set their sights on a new horizon of God’s future for them. It will be a fun adventure and I look forward to getting to know all of you better!