Pastor Norman White 

 

"God called me to leave Social Work, and go into the ministry. It's as plain and as complicated as that." If you were to speak with Norman White a few years ago, he would have told you that he was a happy father of two and married for 25 years. He was very satisfied with his position as a Clinical Director in a Residential Treatment Center for teenagers and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. However, in a one year span of time, Norman left his stable position and became a full-time student at seminary, commuting from White Plains, New York to Philadelphia twice each week.

 

"I understand what it is to raise children in a fast moving society while attempting to teach them Christian ethics," he says. "I have been on all the committees and led worship as a lay person. I know how committee assignments can be boring and a waste of time or very fulfilling. I have trained staffs as large as 35 in leadership skills. I have taken three agencies with financial problems and programs in ruins back into success."

 

Norman is sensitive to the pressures of living in a secular world where you are seen as "weird" if you say you are a Christian. He and his wife, Kaye, lived by choice in a racially balanced neighborhood where their elementary school was the only one in the city that did not need busing to meet government guidelines. He also was an administrator of a mental health program in Harlem for eight years.

Kirstin, their daughter, is a 33 year old Physical Therapist with a doctorate and a mother of twins. She is a Sunday school teacher and on her Illinois base congregation council. Will, a Hollywood photographer sees his ministry very differently. Where did Will get his vision? From a nation-wide church sponsored program that taught teenagers filming and editing while he was in high school. Both children know that many of their role models were their church school teachers and their parents' church friends.

One of Norman's unique gifts is being a storyteller. "I was raised in an area where we learned about the ethics of people through stories," he says. "We learned how people lived together, helped each other and played. We also learned about God's people through stories from our Bible school teachers. Storytelling is still important." Sometimes you will hear Rev. White tell you about a Long Island community he "visits" from time to time and comes back with stories about how those people live together. No one has been able to find it on the map, however.

"I know that God calls all of us to vocation, not just pastors. In God's eyes, we all have different gifts -- all serving the same Lord, to paraphrase the Apostle Paul. A church wants people who have diverse backgrounds and gifts as all are needed to serve God well. There is no one who has a greater value to the church than another."

Because of his prior background -- God's preparing him for this new ministry -- Norman White offers the church members a wide range of skills. He is a certified counselor. He has skills in financial planning, training and teaching. He knows what it is like to be a lay person living in a metropolitan area. Since 9/11, Rev. White has been the coordinator of a multi-faith group. They have been affectionately call " The Bias Busters". Religious leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Hebrew, and Christian faiths speak to children, teachers and community groups about living together in a diverse community. The panel answers the tough questiosn "People want to know, but are afraid to ask." This year teens from each faith have been involved in encounter groups to discover what they have in common and what they can learn about each others uniqueness.

  We are saddened that Pastor Norman White had tendered his resignation effective Epiphany Sunday, January 6, 2008.  He has accepted the call of the Trinity Lutheran Church in White Plains.  The Council formally accepted his resignation in accordance with ELCA requirements.  The Council thanked Pastor White for his commitment and 10 years of service to this congregation.  He has supported us when life's trials have made us weak and he has reminded us that the best way to help ourselves is to help others in Chirist's name.  As members of this congregation none of us is alone, we are a community strengthened by faith and eternally connected by God's love.  We join together to pray that Pastor White and his family will find peace, strength and love in their future ministries.

  In the months to come, the Council will be working on many ideas about our future.  We need your input.  We will consider all ideas and keep you informed of our progress.  Ask any council members if you wonder what is happening.

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Last update: 12/01/00