July 21, 2009 Dear Parishioner: More than three years ago, the members of this church entrusted the Search Committee with the responsibility of prayerfully selecting a pastoral candidate for your approval. We gathered input from many of you as we started our search and assembled our profile. Over the past three years we have reviewed more than 150 candidate profiles, interviewed more than twenty-five candidates, had second interviews with approximately five candidates and heard them preach. After all of the foregoing, we unanimously selected - through prayer and mutual consent, the Rev. Deirdre Greenwood White as our candidate for the ministry of our church. She gave one of the most inspiring sermons that we have heard in our three years as a Search Committee. Rev. White was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 2003. She has served three churches in transition, most recently The Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where she has been Interim Associate Pastor for Congregational Care and Mission since September 2007. A "second career" pastor, Rev. White arrived at Princeton Theological Seminary ten years ago to begin the Master of Divinity degree, having previously spent fourteen years in corporate finance in New York City. It was a "leap of faith," but one she has never regretted. Since her graduation in 2002, Rev. White has served as a pastor, chaplain and retreat leader. After her first pastorate, she returned to Princeton to pursue Ph. D. Studies in Pastoral Theology. Rev. White grew up in Dutchess County, NY, where her father, a native Bostonian, worked with IBM. Her mother, who came from Northern Ontario, was a teacher and assistant principal in the local elementary school. Deirdre was baptized in the United Church of Canada and was raised in the Presbyterian Church, and was active in choirs and other music programs. She attended Smith College, graduated with a degree in history, and moved to Boston, seeking work as a writer. Gradually becoming more practical, Deirdre completed an MBA at the Simmons Graduate School of Management and was recruited to New York City to begin her first career. After a decade, the birth of her son Christopher, and several more years in finance, Rev. White felt God nudging her toward seminary and theological studies. She resisted for awhile, insisting to herself that she was certainly not worthy of this call and was also daunted by the prospect. However, God's call was stronger than her worries, and Rev. White, Christopher and their two dogs arrived in Princeton in 1999 to begin a great adventure and trusted God they had chosen the right path. At seminary, Deirdre met Richard White, also a former banker, and they were married in August of 2002 and remained in Princeton. Dick is chaplain and Director of Religious Ministries for the University Medical Center in Princeton. Dick has two children, Carrie and Rebecca, and four grandchildren. Carrie and Rebecca and their families live in Colorado. Christopher will begin his second year at the College of Wooster in late August. He is thinking of majoring in communications and plays on the college ultimate frisbee team The Whites and Christopher are excited to be moving to Annisquam and living in the parsonage. Rev. White has been a regular visitor to outer Cape Cod since the age of six, and later enjoyed afternoons on Crane's Beach (after the greenheads left). The Whites enjoy sailing, fishing and kayaking in Orleans waters and Cape Cod Bay, and are looking forward to exploring the waters of Cape Ann when they are settled. Dick is an amateur radio operator, an avid fisherman and enjoys tying his own flies. Deirdre is learning her way around the garden, loves reading, and is always thinking about creative ways to interpret faith in the worship and mission of the church. Rev. White's life and ministry are grounded in the Reformed tradition and ecumenical in outlook. She believes in a Triune God, the God who delivered Israel out of Egypt, who spoke through the prophets, and was revealed through the life and work of Jesus Christ, and remains active in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Her faith asks for both contemplation and action, for neither is sufficient without the other. She believes that faith requires us to gladly attend to the poor, the homeless, those on the margins and to be the voice of the voiceless; it calls us to attend to one another, so that we may all be strengthened to be disciples of Christ in today's world. The members of our committee look forward to talking with you about our joyful interactions with Rev. White. We invite you to attend the Saturday night potluck supper to meet Rev. White and Dick in a more informal setting as well as the Sunday morning worship service and congregational meeting. We hope to have a large gathering to welcome her and her husband. We believe that God has led us to this exciting moment in our ministry . . . and so does Rev. White. We look forward to growing together as a faith community. Thank you for the privilege you have given us. Sincerely,
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