Left to Right: Assistant Pastor Kevin Chiarot, Assistant Pastor Mark Diedrich, and Senior Pastor John Vance. |
Westminster is a church of long-term pastorates. The Reverend J. R. Thompson was installed as the founding minister of Westminster in 1854 and served the people faithfully for 62 years.
The Reverend John L. Vance, the senior pastor, was ordained and installed at Westminster in July 1973. Pastor Vance, who hails from West Virginia, is also a lecturer in philosophy and religion at SUNY New Paltz (N.Y.). He holds an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary, Th.M. from Princeton Seminary, and M.A. and Ph.D. from Drew University.
The Reverend Mark Diedrich, assistant pastor, was installed in 2005. Born and raised in New York State, he directed a Christian retreat center, and pastored a church in central Illinois prior to coming here. He has a Pastoral Diploma from Moody Bible Institute; and M. Div. and Th. M. degrees from Princeton Seminary. Pastor Diedrich and his wife Karen have four children - Jeremiah, Hannah, Rachel, and Leah.
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