The Reverend Dr. Raymond R. Roberts, Senior Pastor
"The Presbyterian Church in Westfield has a distinguished past, a very strong pastoral staff, an amazing cadre of capable leaders, and the potential, by God's grace, to be a truly great church that will make a profound impact on the lives of individuals and our community... To borrow a nautical metaphor, I sense the wind lofting our sails..."
--The Reverend Dr. Raymond R. Roberts
Ray was raised in Farmington, Missouri. After graduating from Westminster College, in Fulton, Missouri he attended Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In 1999 he received a Ph.D. in History and Theology from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia under the supervision of Douglas F. Ottati.
In 1984 he was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church. He has served congregations in Amherst, Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; and Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. He began his ministry at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield in March, 2005.
He is the author of the book: Whose Kids Are They Anyway?: Religion and Morality in America's Public Schools. He co-authored with Max Stackhouse the chapter "The Mainline Protestant Tradition in the Twentieth Century" which was published in Toward an Evangelical Public Policy: Political Strategies for the Health of the Nation. In addition, he has written numerous articles and book reviews that have been appeared in publications such as Interpretation, The Journal of Political Theology, The Christian Century, and The Presbyterian Outlook.
Ray is an active member of the Society of Christian Ethics (an international society of Christian ethicists). He also serves on the Committee on Ministry of Elizabeth Presbytery. In addition to reading and writing, his hobbies include gardening and writing and playing music. Ray and Sallie were married in 1984. They have two children, Harrison and Katherine.
email Dr. Roberts: rroberts@westfieldpc.org
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Michael Samson, Associate Pastor
Rev. Michael Samson was born and raised in northern New Jersey. He grew up attending Grace Presbyterian Church in Montclair, NJ. Michael earned a B.B.A with a concentration in Marketing from Radford University in Virginia. Mike's seminary was completed at Princeton Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity degree and afterwards at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for his Master of Theology in Preaching degree.
email Rev. Samson: msamson@westfieldpc.org
Emily Wilmarth, Associate Pastor for Youth
Emily Wilmarth, Associate Pastor for Youth, joined our staff in August, 2010. Emily’s commitment to youth ministry is evident from her four years experience as Youth Director at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, a large suburban church with an active youth program. Emily began to feel called to youth ministry when she worked as a counselor at Montreat but wanted more experience before attending seminary. She received her MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2008. Before coming to Westfield, Emily most recently served as a Resident Pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA and a part of the Lilly Transition into Ministry program, serving Central for two years alongside two other Resident Pastors. This position has given her the opportunity to serve in most areas of church life, and affirmed her call to pastoral ministry.
Emily was raised in Houston, Texas, where her childhood pastor was Rev. Dr. William Forbes.
Emily received her undergraduate degree in Religion with a concentration in Feminist and Gender Studies at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania.
email Emily WIlmarth: ewilmarth@westfieldpc.org
Mary Bielen, Director of Christian Education
Mary Bielen was called as Director of Christian Education to the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, New Jersey in August of 2009. native of New Jersey, Mary joins us after spending the last twenty years in Bowling Green, Ohio. She has headed successful Christian Ed programs at the First Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green and at the Christ Presbyterian Church in Toledo. She is a Certified Associate Christian Educator and is an accredited Godly Play teacher.
email Mary Bielen: mbielen@westfieldpc.org
Kathleen Connolly, Interim Director of Music and choir director
email Kathleen Connolly: kconnolly@westfieldpc.org
Katie comes to us from All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Princeton where she directed a music program very similar to ours. In addition, she has served at several other churches over her career and has taught privately for many years.
Katie is a versatile musician whose work is rooted in lifelong study of the keyboard. She has sung in choirs in church and school from childhood and has always worked with singers. An active collaborator, she works with voices and instrumentalists in recitals, chamber music, opera, musical theater, church, and popular genres as conductor, coach, pianist and organist. Most recently Music Director and Organist at All Saints' (Episcopal) Church in Princeton from 2005–2010, she has served other churches of various denominations. She has been Staff Accompanist and Opera Coach at the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts (now University of the Arts) and an opera coach for Boston University's School of Music and for Opera Festival of NJ. She has also been a theory teacher at Princeton's American Boychoir School and, as accompanist for the Boychoir, played concerts in eighteen states.