TO THE CONGREGATION OF OAKLAND AVENUE

TO THE CONGREGATION OF
OAKLAND AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Pastor Nominating Committee of Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church, after much prayer and
consideration, believes God has led us to nominate the Rev. Jeffrey Bryan as our next Senior Pastor, Head of
Staff. During the Mission Discernment in January, 2014, OAPC expressed its preferences for a candidate
whose strengths are preaching and worship leadership, spiritual maturity, organizational agility, strategy
and vision, decision-making, compassion, and a good public communicator. We believe Rev. Bryan possesses
all of these leadership competencies.
The PNC was attracted to Rev. Bryan early in our process because of his reputation for excelling at preaching
the Word, his strong belief in reformed theology, and his vast experience in campus ministry.
Rev. Bryan was Director of Campus Ministries for First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan, serving
the University of Michigan for three and a half years prior to his current call. He has a strong interest in
revitalizing OAPC’s campus ministry at Winthrop University, and we believe his energy and perspectives will
help us identify new opportunities for this core mission.
Rev. Bryan’s Master of Divinity focused on preaching, as he won the coveted Jagow Prize for preaching at
Princeton Theological Seminary and was furthermore selected by his classmates to give the graduating
sermon. In addition, Rev. Bryan’s references repeatedly praised his preaching --one reference noted, “The
thing about preachers is that it’s hard to remain faithful to the text while making the sermon relevant to
‘now.’ You must always ask how the text can help us be more faithful to Jesus Christ. Rev. Bryan is very good
at doing that.”
During a time when our congregation is struggling, like many others, with issues that confront our
denomination, Rev. Bryan has described himself as a model of “leading by listening.” He has said that he
does not feel it is his purpose to tell a congregation what direction they should take, but rather to lead the
Session through a discernment of God’s will and to develop and execute a plan that is healthy for the church.
Rev. Bryan has described himself as a “people person,” and observations of the PNC bear this out. His
references praised his love of Christ and the church. They described him as a man who truly loves God,
which is evident by his faithfulness to his church, his congregation, and his family. Rev. Bryan’s adoration of
God and family was palpable during the PNC visits to his current church and the face-to-face interview in
Rock Hill. He stated during his interview, “I want to get to know the OAPC Session so well that I know the
color of the paint on their kitchen walls.”
The PNC believes that God has called the Rev. Jeffrey Bryan to Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church. We
rejoice with excitement in nominating him for our next Senior Pastor, Head of Staff, and for the future of
OAPC.
Salary and Housing:
Moving Allowance:
Paid Vacation:
Paid Continuing Ed:
Rev. Jeffrey Bryan’s home town is Rising Fawn (Dade County) Georgia which is located between Fox
Mountain, Alabama, and Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Both parents were educators in the Dade County
school system. Jeff played sports in high school: football (quarterback), basketball (center), and track (slow).
Jeff attended Georgia Tech for two years before transferring to Berry College (near Rome, GA), where he
graduated with a B.S. in Math in 2000. He received his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological
Seminary in 2004, and is currently a Doctor of Ministry candidate at The Lutheran Theological Seminary in
Philadelphia. He was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament on February 20, 2005.
Jeff met Kim West while in Seminary at Princeton. Upon graduation they were married and moved to Ann
Arbor, Michigan, where Jeff began work as the Campus Minister at First Presbyterian Ann Arbor, which
served the University of Michigan. He successfully served in this role for over three and a half years.
In 2008, Jeff and his family were called to First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, PA. Jeff has served FPC
Springfield for the last seven years as Head of Staff.
Jeff enjoys reading, running, and backyard gardening. He is an avid music fan and has an embarrassingly
large music collection.
Kim West Bryan is an accountant and wedding coordinator for Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. An officer’s
daughter, Kim grew up in Augsburg, Germany, and the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY. She has a
Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University, where she received classical training in ceramics. Jeff refers to
her as his “super hero.”
Jeff and Kim have two children. Their son, West, is a first-grader and is a Minecraft and Lego maniac. Their
daughter, Hollis, will be in kindergarten next year and loves dancing and crafts.
FORMAL EDUCATION:
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Doctor of Ministry (Candidate) – Lutheran Theological Seminary Philadelphia – May, 2015
o Focus: Worship and Sacraments
Master of Divinity – Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ – May, 2004
o Jagow Prize for Preaching
o Preacher, Senior Worship Service
CPE Level I – Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME – August, 2003
Bachelor of Science – Berry College, Mt. Berry, GA – December, 2000
WORK EXPERIENCE:
TERMS OF CALL:
•
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REV. JEFFREY BRYAN and FAMILY
•
$82,000
$12,000
4 weeks
2 weeks
•
•
We will welcome Jeff the week of April
27th,
2015.
•
THE PASTOR NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Frances (Weenie) Daniel
Polly Ford
Kathy Grier
Dana Harkness, Chair
Scott Huffmon
Cole Price
•
Bo Redmond
Hall Rogers
Kelly Williamson
Pastor / Teaching Elder, February 2008 – Present
o First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Springfield, PA
Director of Campus Ministries, August 2004 – January 2008
o First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI
Youth Director, August 2003 – June 2004
o Wyoming Presbyterian Church, Millburn, NJ
Chaplain Resident, June 2003 – August 2003
o Maine Medical Center / Preble St. Resource Center, Portland, ME
Pastoral Intern, August 2002 – June 2003
o Frenchtown Presbyterian Church, Frenchtown, NJ
REV. BRYAN’S STATEMENT OF FAITH
Rev. Bryan’s Statement of Faith shows a passion for God’s grace and a strong grounding in the Reformed
Theology:
“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth. Our God is the sovereign and loving
Lord of all creation. God is so intimately and immanently close that God knows my words before they are
even spoken. God is also so transcendent, majestic, and wholly different, that I simply cannot comprehend
the Lord completely. I believe it is a grave mistake to put limits on God’s power and grace.
Oakland Avenue
Presbyterian Church
Rock Hill, South Carolina
I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord. The God of Abraham and Sarah is perfectly revealed in the
Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the Word of God incarnate. Mysteriously, Jesus was and is fully God and fully
human. Through his words and actions, Christ proclaimed the reign of God. He taught us how to live just and
holy lives. His message is of love. Jesus died a criminal’s death, was buried in a borrowed grave, descended
into hell, and rose from the dead. What God requires of us, God provides for us in the saving work of Jesus.
Christ has conquered sin and death.
I believe in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter sent to us by Christ and God the Father. The
Spirit calls us away from our total depravity and toward God’s grace. The Holy Spirit gives us faith, renews
our wills, binds us together as the Church, calls us to worship and service, and equips us for mission. By the
power of the Holy Spirit, the Old and New Testaments bear unique and authoritative witness to the Triune
God. While conditioned by time, place, and human fashion, they are the Word of God written. The Bible is the
rule of my faith and life. The Word of God is proclaimed to God’s church when these Scriptures are read and
preached in dependence on the Holy Spirit. This one God has been revealed in three persons: God the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, God the I AM, Christ, and Advocate. They are to be distinguished from each other, and
yet they cannot be separated. God is one and God is three. This too is a mystery.
I believe in the holy catholic Church. The Church is Christ’s body on earth, the family of faith, a gathering of
sinners saved and sustained by God’s grace. God will never abandon the Church, and so, we shall persevere.
The true church may be found wherever the Word of God is rightly preached, the sacraments are rightly
administered, and believers support one another in following Christ. There are two sacraments: Baptism and
the Lord’s Supper. In Baptism, God marks us with the sign of the New Covenant, we are publicly received into
the Church, and we are set aside for the ministry of grace. In the Supper, we remember the death of Jesus, we
proclaim his resurrection, and we await his coming in glory. Whenever we worship God, we join our hearts
in communion with the saints of all ages.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins as achieved by the reconciling work of Jesus Christ. In the fullness of
time, those who sleep in death will be raised with spiritual bodies to judgment by Christ, and everlasting
life awaits God’s elect in the Resurrection.”
Rev. and Mrs. Jeffrey Earl Bryan
Jeff, Kim, West(7), Hollis(4)
February 22, 2015