Rev. Bob Fogal is our current pastor at Peace in Zion UCC. Being a minister is his third “career.” Early in his adulthood he taught church music at a theological seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He worked totally in Spanish at the seminary. For his second career he led philanthropic fundraising for several church-related not-for-profit institutions in Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. When he retired from his second career, he launched a third as a United Church of Christ minister for smaller congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Rev. Fogal earned academic degrees from Heidelberg University (Ohio), Union Theological Seminary (New York City), and Indiana University (Indiana). He says this about himself.

“My pastoral vocation grows from my own faith life, which is nurtured by my desire to align how I live with the core of our Judeo-Christian lineage: 

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8

 Jesus said to [the lawyer], “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:37-39

“Taken seriously, these are challenging expectations. One of the challenges is to separate the biblical truth that these verses provide from how our culture influences what we believe and think. Another is to practice what these verses tell us even when doing so causes us to feel uneasy or uncomfortable, remembering that Jesus is pretty clear about just as you did it to one of the least of these . . . you did it to me.”

“Because we each have our own personalities and our own life stories, we often respond to these teachings in differing ways as we explore scripture and our Christian heritage. We grow spiritually when we examine together what the authors of scripture meant when they wrote it and what the scriptures mean today. Likewise, we examine what the traditions of the church meant when they originated and what they mean now.

“I use the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) as the starting point for planning worship and preaching, as well as for guiding what we call “adult education.” The lectionary systematically leads us through the biblical message, prompting us to reflect on how we live our faith day by day. For some, that means deepening their spiritual practices. Others feel called to become more involved in ministries of social outreach and social justice. Still others discover they want to expand their biblical knowledge and learn more about the heritage of the church.

“In this regard, my pastoral role is to stimulate learning and reflection as well as accompany individuals in their own faith journeys of contemplation and discovery. This can occur through worship or study groups or spiritual friendships. It also occurs as I help parents prepare for their children’s baptisms, counsel couples before and during marriage, and accompany individuals and families in their grieving of lost loved ones.

“My effectiveness as a pastor draws on diverse aspects of my own life history and spiritual journey. Three experiences are especially important.

·         One was growing up at Bethany Children’s Home in Womelsdorf, PA (in western Berks County) where my father worked for 36 years. At an early age, I was aware that people in churches gave money and other things to take care of Bethany children.

·         Another was several years of living in Argentina under the auspices of an international church agency. One of the greatest satisfactions of this period was learning to think in another language. I even dreamed in Spanish. Being comfortable among others who are different from us is valuable as we strive to follow Christ in today’s world.

·         A third has been my study and use of the personality model called psychological type, originally developed by Carl Jung a century ago and most commonly known today through the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Such personality models help us celebrate how we are both similar to and different from others. Recognizing and valuing differences are important aspects of living in community with others.

“These all have contributed to how I appreciate differences among people and engage others as much as possible in terms that are meaningful to them. This background also helps me remember the proverb attributed by some to the Cherokee Indians: Don’t judge a man [sic] until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.

“Through these and countless other experiences, Christian grace has become a core value of my faith. We love God when we are able to receive God’s grace, which is freely given. We know we have received God’s grace when we are able to love others as we love ourselves. And we love others as we share God’s grace with them, welcoming all into our life together as a faith community, no matter who they are and no matter where they are on life’s journey.”