Rev. Bill Pinches began serving as our Pastor in May 2008, coming from a church in western Maryland. He grew up in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas, where he served in leadership positions in his church as well as a member of a traveling handbell choir.
Rev. Pinches is a graduate of Bates College with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Religious Studies, and attended Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned the degrees of Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology. Bill’s continuing education has included specialized training in leadership development, church growth, stewardship, outreach and evangelism, conflict mediation, family systems and premarital counseling. Bill served on the Leadership Team for the Presbytery of Lake Michigan for five years, on the Greenwood Ministries Association board for three years, and now serves on the presbytery's Commission on Preparation for Ministry, shepherding seminary students through the ordination process and requirements.
Under his leadership and guidance we are in the process of building a stronger and healthier congregation. We have expanded our Bible study and small group opportunities, built a stronger prayer ministry, completed a $1.6 million renovation to our historic 1901 church building to add an elevator and air conditioning, and used Natural Church Development to build strengths in areas where we had previously been weak. During the pandemic shutdown in 2020-2021, Bill worked tirelessly to keep the congregation together. We have been blessed since our re-opening to have welcomed quite a number of new visitors, many of whom have become members.
Bill was not an athlete in his childhood and youth, but in recent years has discovered a tremendous amount of joy while running, swimming, and cycling. In the last several years he has run five marathons and has competed in more than a dozen triathlons, including three half-iron distance events, culminating in a full-distance tri (140.6 miles of self-propelled motion) in August 2016. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife Katharine and their five sons. Katharine is a clinical therapist, Andrew is a fourth-degree black belt and will be working at a homeless ministry in Portland (Oregon) in 2023-2024 through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Colin is studying elementary education at CMU, and Timmy is writing a novel. Currently, Andrew, Timmy, Sam, and Ben are at home with mom and dad. Books, strategy games, and comic books are popular in the house!
Rev. Pinches is a graduate of Bates College with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Religious Studies, and attended Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned the degrees of Masters of Divinity and Masters of Theology. Bill’s continuing education has included specialized training in leadership development, church growth, stewardship, outreach and evangelism, conflict mediation, family systems and premarital counseling. Bill served on the Leadership Team for the Presbytery of Lake Michigan for five years, on the Greenwood Ministries Association board for three years, and now serves on the presbytery's Commission on Preparation for Ministry, shepherding seminary students through the ordination process and requirements.
Under his leadership and guidance we are in the process of building a stronger and healthier congregation. We have expanded our Bible study and small group opportunities, built a stronger prayer ministry, completed a $1.6 million renovation to our historic 1901 church building to add an elevator and air conditioning, and used Natural Church Development to build strengths in areas where we had previously been weak. During the pandemic shutdown in 2020-2021, Bill worked tirelessly to keep the congregation together. We have been blessed since our re-opening to have welcomed quite a number of new visitors, many of whom have become members.
Bill was not an athlete in his childhood and youth, but in recent years has discovered a tremendous amount of joy while running, swimming, and cycling. In the last several years he has run five marathons and has competed in more than a dozen triathlons, including three half-iron distance events, culminating in a full-distance tri (140.6 miles of self-propelled motion) in August 2016. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife Katharine and their five sons. Katharine is a clinical therapist, Andrew is a fourth-degree black belt and will be working at a homeless ministry in Portland (Oregon) in 2023-2024 through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Colin is studying elementary education at CMU, and Timmy is writing a novel. Currently, Andrew, Timmy, Sam, and Ben are at home with mom and dad. Books, strategy games, and comic books are popular in the house!