by Jill Fandrich
Westminster Church has good news to share; we have a new pastor! We welcome the Rev Adam Demetros to Westminster!
Westminster has been without a called pastor since June 2023, when Rev Patrick Heery returned to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio with his family. Unlike some denominations which assign pastoral leadership to their churches, Presbyterian congregations are mostly autonomous in their search for new pastors. They don’t act entirely alone, however; they follow a process which involves the local Presbytery and denominational connections.
The work of seeking a new pastor is the responsibility of a Pastor Nominating Committee, made up of members elected by the congregation. The “PNC” is intentionally reflective of the congregation’s membership. Ours was nine people—me, Audrey McNally, Brian Teucke, Sarah Trapani, Eli Hernandez, Thomas Fessenden, George Fay, Amy Sargent, and Lilyana Thornton. The decision to call a pastor is ultimately the responsibility of the congregation, but it trusts the PNC to search for and recommend a candidate for its consideration.
Like most things Presbyterian, the process takes time. We were told to expect an interim period between 2-4 years. We were actually on the shorter end, closer to 18 months. During the interim, we had short term pastoral leadership from three wonderful temporary pastors- Rev Stacy Smith in the fall of 2023, Rev Pamela Masten in the winter of 2024, and Rev Joe Tagliaferre in the second half of 2024. We also were blessed with amazing church members and staff who faithfully did the work of the church.
Last August, we invited the Rev. Adam Demetros to apply to our church, after seeing his “resume” on the denomination’s matching site. He accepted our invitation to apply, and we had a great Zoom interview with him. We then invited Pastor Adam and his wife Amanda to visit Auburn, which they did in late September, spending two days with us exploring the area and seeing the church and community. After this visit, we extended a call to him to be our next pastor, and he enthusiastically accepted.
In December we introduced Pastor Adam to the congregation. After meeting him and hearing him preach, the congregation voted to call him as our pastor.
Pastor Adam and his wife Amanda have purchased a home in Owasco, and are settling into their new home, church, and community. Here is more about him:
The Reverend Adam Demetros earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. While there, Pastor Adam worked with the Children and Young Families Ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, NJ. He also served as a hospice chaplain where he discovered that fulfilling the ministry of Christ means laughing and crying with those who are in need of grace and love. Pastor Adam has often said, “One of my greatest joys in ministry has been sitting next to hospital beds listening to people tell their life story”.
Prior to entering seminary, Pastor Adam attended East Stroudsburg University where he earned a Master of Management and Leadership in Public Administration with a focus on religious nonprofit organizations. Instead of writing a thesis paper, he opted to help establish a successful Presbyterian campus outreach program called “Church 4 U” for East Stroudsburg Presbyterian Church to help bridge the gap between campus and community.
During his time in ministry, Pastor Adam has served small rural churches and large urban churches in New York and Pennsylvania, where he learned that our collective history helps us find our common identity in Christ. He most recently served a church in Wilkes-Barre where he was active in the community feeding the hungry, building relationships, and caring for anxious clergy during the pandemic. Pastor Adam has also been actively involved in presbytery and national church leadership, serving on various committees, commissions, and as a commissioner to the 226th General Assembly.
As a native of the southern tier, Pastor Adam enjoys being in nature and loves the winter season. Most of his formative years were spent either on the Finger Lakes or in the woodlands of the Northeast. When not reading or writing, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife, Amanda, who is a passionate and dedicated educator, and their energetic dog, Argos. You will most likely run into them at cultural events, food festivals, and musical performances in the area.
Pastor Adam loves serving in congregational ministry and has found that the words of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer ring true; “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community”.
We welcome Pastor Adam to Westminster and Auburn, and look forward to this next phase of Westminster’s journey.
Westminster Church has good news to share; we have a new pastor! We welcome the Rev Adam Demetros to Westminster!
Westminster has been without a called pastor since June 2023, when Rev Patrick Heery returned to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio with his family. Unlike some denominations which assign pastoral leadership to their churches, Presbyterian congregations are mostly autonomous in their search for new pastors. They don’t act entirely alone, however; they follow a process which involves the local Presbytery and denominational connections.
The work of seeking a new pastor is the responsibility of a Pastor Nominating Committee, made up of members elected by the congregation. The “PNC” is intentionally reflective of the congregation’s membership. Ours was nine people—me, Audrey McNally, Brian Teucke, Sarah Trapani, Eli Hernandez, Thomas Fessenden, George Fay, Amy Sargent, and Lilyana Thornton. The decision to call a pastor is ultimately the responsibility of the congregation, but it trusts the PNC to search for and recommend a candidate for its consideration.
Like most things Presbyterian, the process takes time. We were told to expect an interim period between 2-4 years. We were actually on the shorter end, closer to 18 months. During the interim, we had short term pastoral leadership from three wonderful temporary pastors- Rev Stacy Smith in the fall of 2023, Rev Pamela Masten in the winter of 2024, and Rev Joe Tagliaferre in the second half of 2024. We also were blessed with amazing church members and staff who faithfully did the work of the church.
Last August, we invited the Rev. Adam Demetros to apply to our church, after seeing his “resume” on the denomination’s matching site. He accepted our invitation to apply, and we had a great Zoom interview with him. We then invited Pastor Adam and his wife Amanda to visit Auburn, which they did in late September, spending two days with us exploring the area and seeing the church and community. After this visit, we extended a call to him to be our next pastor, and he enthusiastically accepted.
In December we introduced Pastor Adam to the congregation. After meeting him and hearing him preach, the congregation voted to call him as our pastor.
Pastor Adam and his wife Amanda have purchased a home in Owasco, and are settling into their new home, church, and community. Here is more about him:
The Reverend Adam Demetros earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. While there, Pastor Adam worked with the Children and Young Families Ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, NJ. He also served as a hospice chaplain where he discovered that fulfilling the ministry of Christ means laughing and crying with those who are in need of grace and love. Pastor Adam has often said, “One of my greatest joys in ministry has been sitting next to hospital beds listening to people tell their life story”.
Prior to entering seminary, Pastor Adam attended East Stroudsburg University where he earned a Master of Management and Leadership in Public Administration with a focus on religious nonprofit organizations. Instead of writing a thesis paper, he opted to help establish a successful Presbyterian campus outreach program called “Church 4 U” for East Stroudsburg Presbyterian Church to help bridge the gap between campus and community.
During his time in ministry, Pastor Adam has served small rural churches and large urban churches in New York and Pennsylvania, where he learned that our collective history helps us find our common identity in Christ. He most recently served a church in Wilkes-Barre where he was active in the community feeding the hungry, building relationships, and caring for anxious clergy during the pandemic. Pastor Adam has also been actively involved in presbytery and national church leadership, serving on various committees, commissions, and as a commissioner to the 226th General Assembly.
As a native of the southern tier, Pastor Adam enjoys being in nature and loves the winter season. Most of his formative years were spent either on the Finger Lakes or in the woodlands of the Northeast. When not reading or writing, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife, Amanda, who is a passionate and dedicated educator, and their energetic dog, Argos. You will most likely run into them at cultural events, food festivals, and musical performances in the area.
Pastor Adam loves serving in congregational ministry and has found that the words of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer ring true; “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community”.
We welcome Pastor Adam to Westminster and Auburn, and look forward to this next phase of Westminster’s journey.
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