When Rev. Mary Davis came to LPC in August 2011, our church had been in the Parish, had an Interim Pastor, left the Parish, had a Stated Supply Pastor and the Rev. Susanne Martin had served as Interim Pastor for the previous six months. Rev. Martin lives in Abingdon with her husband the Rev. Jon Martin, who is the Pastor at the Green Springs Presbyterian Church, and with their two children.
Rev. Mary had specialized in serving churches in transition and in assisting them as they seek renewed vision. She had served congregations in New Mexico, Wyoming, and Kentucky, in urban, suburban, military, state capital, small town and rural settings. Hailing originally from Flint MI, she attended seminary at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville KY and worked as a pastoral counselor for a number of years before seeking pastorates. She thrived on creativity and variety, as she also co-founded The Presbyterian Spiritual Life Center which led spiritual retreats and became certified as a personal life coach where she directed clients through value-based goal setting and an accountability process. Her personal statement was “Although I have served many sized churches, my heart is with the small church and in a situation where I may build strong roots and relationships.”
Rev. Mary traveled across the country from Albuquerque, NM to move into the manse. She quickly helped reorganize the church with active committees, training and she pastored to several home bound members that needed her. She became a valuable asset to the congregation, the choir and to the church Session. Rev. Mary always stressed the importance of the church body and how the church depended on many parts working together in harmony for it to function fully, for it is from many parts that we pull our strength.
When she came to LPC, she told us it would only be for a few years, as she was looking toward retirement, but we hoped she would stay longer. The years passed quickly, and she officially retired in July 2015. Rev. Mary moved to Louisville, KY and reconnected with old friends and enjoyed working with refugee families and visiting her sister in Indiana. She will return to LPC on October 6th for our 60th anniversary celebration to help lead our worship service as we celebrate Holy Communion.
