Assistant Minister ~ Mark Allan
Mark began serving as the Assistant Minister at First Congregational in September 2001, however he has been a member of the church since birth. Mark was baptized here, as were his father and his children. His children are the fifth generation of his family to worship in our church.
Ministry was a midlife career change for Mark, who practiced law in Ridgefield for 20 years. Having received a business degree from Bentley College in Waltham, MA, he went on to receive his law degree from Quinnipiac School of Law in 1981. While serving First Congregational as a deacon in the mid-1990's Mark began to hear God calling him to ministry. He began studies, on a part time basis, at Yale Divinity School in 1998. For the first three years he continued his practice of law. In 2001 he became a licensed minister and was called by the church to be assistant pastor. In 2005, having graduated from Yale Divinity, he was ordained in the church he was baptized in.
In speaking about First Congregational and its ministry Mark says "This is a wonderful church that, for almost 300 years, has been a place where faith has been lived. We have always been a church where worship and outreach have been at the center of who we are". He says "the gospel is a message to us of how much we are loved by God and how we are offered new and abundant life in Christ. This is a message we need to hear, live and share. It is a message that is at the heart of First Congregational."
And having found that place where God has called him to use his gifts, Mark feels called to help others do the same thing. "I believe that God calls each of us to ministry. Most will not be called into ordained ministry but we all have gifts that are given by God and we all have a place we are called to use them. I have found great joy in discovering this in my own life and I pray my ministry might help others find the same thing. There is a wonderful quote by Fred Buechner that 'The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.' First Congregational Church is a place to find that intersection."
Mark and his wife Barbara have been married for over 25 years and have twins, a son and daughter, Sean and Blair, who are in college.
Excerpts from Mark Allan's Statement of Faith:
June 2001
I understand my call at this time, to be one to parish ministry. I have a very strong sense that a parish is where my ministry is to take place and my experience within the church has confirmed this.
My understanding of ministry, of course, includes preaching and teaching the gospel, administering the sacraments and exercising pastoral care and leadership. But beyond this, I think those called to ordained ministry are to discover and nurture the gifts God has given them, to be used to empower his or her ministry. Just as importantly we are also to nurture the gifts of the people we serve, as we all have a ministry.
I have also come to believe that mission is the heart of any ministry .The church, and especially mainline Protestantism needs to renew its vision of itself, and I believe that this view must include a looking outwards from itself. We extend the ministry of Christ by serving others and working together, not just within our' own community, but beyond. The humility that comes with an understanding of God's grace for us naturally leads us to that place. We best lead by serving others in a humble way, sharing the gospel message in a compelling way and enhancing the faith and gifts of others.
I know this is a challenging time to enter ministry .The world is changing and not always for the better. But there have been other challenging times for Christianity in the last 2000 years, and we are called to deliver this gospel message to the world we have found ourselves in. I believe that God is calling the church out into a secularized world and he will show us a path.
This gospel message of redemption and renewal that is ours through Christ's resurrection is at the heart of all the church does. The abundance of life in Christ is the message I feel called to express.
I also believe that the United Church of Christ is the proper setting for my ministry. Having lived my life within the denomination, I feel I have an understanding of its roots and its strengths. I especially feel that the balance of its historic roots, in four different denominations, and its commitment to a freedom of belief, give those within this church a special perspective on faith. In addition, the unique relationship between the independence of each congregation and the covenant we all join together in, is for me, such a fitting way of looking at God's church in the world. Each congregation is free to discover its own ministry and place in the church. And yet we are bound together in a covenant relationship, being truly the body of Christ in the world.
Mark Allan......
