I saw this church's profile and saw their passion for work in the community and thought to myself, 'This is exactly what I have been looking for,'" said the Rev. Deb Parker-Hill, who is the new pastor at St. Paul's United Church of Christ (UCC) in Birdsboro. "I was not necessarily looking for a church. I also work in the Reading Hospital lab, and I was doing some supply preaching, but I was missing leading a church."

Parker-Hill explained that the Birdsboro church was in need of a pastor and posted its profile through the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference UCC. "Instead of a resume, the church does a profile. They do some self-examination to figure out who they are, so they know what they are looking for, and the pastor does the same thing," she explained. "I asked to have my profile sent to this church."

After several interviews, a trial sermon and a unanimous congregational vote, Parker-Hill began work at the church last August and was officially installed as pastor on Nov. 17, 2024.

"There were several interim (pastors). The last pastor left in 2020 and was called to another church," she noted. "I am half time and working half time at the hospital."

She said that because the church has been without a regular pastor, congregation members have taken over some of the responsibilities of the church. "They at least once a month either lead worship or get someone to come in to lead worship," she noted. "For example, we just had the UCC PA Southeast Conference disaster response coordinator who came here to talk about (the organization's) work. They have also taken responsibility for making sure that our home-bound members are visited on a regular basis."

Parker-Hill says she hopes to build on the church's already successful Mission Trip Birdsboro & Beyond, an annual effort where volunteers from local churches help people in need with home improvement projects. "I saw Mission Trip Birdsboro on Facebook and followed it," she noted. "I thought, 'This is what the church should be doing.'"

One of her first efforts as new pastor is working to establish a Mutual Aid Network. "(Congregation members were trying to figure out) what more can they do to meet the needs of the community. They determined that the best way to meet those needs was to form this committee. They put it on hold (until after the installation service), so one of the very first things I did was to get this started," Parker-Hill shared. "I did some research on Mutual Aid Networks, and we actually met on Zoom with an organizer of a network in Anchorage, Alaska. She gave us some nuts and bolts of the program."

"Besides worship, which is the other main thing that I am concentrating on, I am also trying to get to know people in the community, as well as people in the congregation," she added.

Parker-Hill is bi-vocational, meaning that she works part time at the church and is a part-time worker in the community. "I am excited about bi-vocational ministry, which is doing two jobs," she said. "I think that is part of the church's future. It was intentional on my part because that keeps me grounded in the world that everyone else is living in - the secular world. I can hear what people are concerned about."

The Sunday service, which features traditional music and a message, is held at 9:30 a.m. "I want people to know that God loves them and inspire them to reach out into the world with God's love," she stated. "I base my sermon on the Scripture assigned for the week and make it relevant to today and to things that are going on people's lives, the community and the world. God loves us all and how can we go out into the world and be that love?"

St. Paul's UCC is located at 300 W. First St., Birdsboro. For more information, visit http://www.stpaulsbirdsboro.org or http://www.facebook.com/stpaulsuccbirdsboro. Those with questions may call the church at 610-582-8461 or email office@stpaulsbirdsboro.org.