New Christian education coordinator joining Marcellus First Presbyterian
Jordan Loewen begins his position as the new Christian Education Coordinator for Marcellus First Presbyterian Church Sept. 8, Kick-Off Sunday. Loewen said his first order of business is to get to know the people who make up the congregation and build relationships with them.
“I want to know the role the church plays in their lives and how I can best serve the congregation,” he said.
Loewen and his wife, Amber, and their newborn son, River, visited the church for several services this past summer.
The couple lives in Syracuse’s Strathmore area, close to Syracuse University, where Loewen is a doctoral student, lecturer and teaching assistant.
He is working towards his Ph.D. in philosophy and religion, concentrating on critical theory, virtual reality and religious experience. He hopes to graduate in May. Amber works from home as supervisor of the auditing department for a New Jersey insurance company.
MFPC reminds him of his home church while studying at Princeton Theological Seminary. His introduction to the Presbyterian Church was as an adult education intern in Lawrenceville, N.J. During his time at Princeton, he also a served as a chaplain intern at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.
Born in Welland, Ontario, Canada, Loewen grew up in the Mennonite Church.
“There I learned the importance of faithful service to Christ and the mission of the church,” he said.
As an undergraduate at Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in English and film studies, Loewen served as associate staff and group leader for the Coalition for Christian Outreach and a pastoral intern at Jacob’s Porch Lutheran Campus Ministry.
Another Princeton Theological Seminary graduate, the Rev. Anne Marie Meyerhofer, MFPC interim minister, encouraged Loewen to apply for the Christian education coordinator position.
Loewen has been meeting with Rev. Anne Marie, Allison Ray, who most recently held the Christian education position, and other church members to determine the future of Christian ed at MFPC.
“I hope to maintain Allison’s finely tuned curriculum, while contributing my particular gifts and strengths,” Loewen said.
He added that he hopes church members will continue to lead the Sunday school classes while he will work primarily with teens.
He believes his undergraduate degree in film and love of movies will help him connect with the church’s youth. His favorite movies are “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “Citizen Kane” and anything by Akire Kurosawa or Steven Spielberg.
Loewen’s favorite authors include C.S. Lewis, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
“I love hard sci-fi and anything that deals with philosophy or new media,” he said.
The die-hard Buckeye fan likes sports, playing board and video games, cooking and canoeing.
An intrepid traveler, Loewen has backpacked through Europe, lived a year in Scotland, and along with his mom, visited six African countries.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know members and their getting to know me,” Loewen said. “I want to explore how we can do Christ’s work together and enact His vision in Marcellus.”
