It’s been a long process, but the Evangelical Presbyterian Church has selected its new pastor.
Scott Lawry and his family will move from Alabama to Plant City to take the helm. Lawry’s first Sunday in the pulpit will be Jan. 5, 2014.
“In my mind, it’s a dream job,” Lawry said. “It’s a special church. Not only is it a divine appointment but it is a blessing from God.”
The dream job didn’t come without a twist of fate. When Lawry first heard of the opening in the spring, he was in Ukraine. His family was adopting two of their six children — Tanya and her older brother, Viktor.
Through a friend’s Facebook page, Lawry had seen pictures of children that were being hosted in the United States. When he saw Tanya’s picture, something struck him.
“I saw a picture of one girl, and God spoke to me and said that was our daughter,” Lawry said.
He saw her picture in December. By May, the family had gone to get her.
With two new family members added to make a family of eight, Lawry and his wife, Rachel, had their hands full. He couldn’t handle starting a new job.
But, after their lives stateside fell into rhythm, Lawry noticed the job was still available.
“Little did we know that, for one reason or another, it would still be open,” Lawry said.
Lawry had been coming to Plant City since he was a child. When the Cincinnati Reds came for spring training, his family would follow. As an adult, he traveled to Plant City for church meetings.
Lawry was raised in upstate New York. He graduated from Lee College in Tennessee, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Christian Education. He also holds a master’s degree in divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary. He wants to pursue his doctoral degree in the future.
Lawry was ordained in 2001, by the EPC. Since then, he worked as the youth director at his home church in St. Louis for four years. He also served as the assistant pastor of youth and young adults for an additional two years. He was the assistant pastor of body life in Pompano Beach for another two years. Scott has been senior pastor in Montgomery for the past six years.
Lawry said he is excited to help lead Evangelical Presbyterian. The congregation is welcoming and invested in its missions and ministries, he said. Furthermore, being a family with adopted children also fits in with the church, which has a support group for adopted families.
As the new pastor, Lawry wants to open the congregation to the community.
“People are really excited about sharing their church and their faith,” Lawry said. “I want to connect the heart of the church to share that faith with the community.”
In addition to Tanya, 15, and Viktor, 19, Lawry and Rachel have four more children — Anna, 9; Mary, 6; Scotty, 4; and Isaac, 2.
Former pastor Don Mason retired in April 2012. Scott Lingle served as interim pastor.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.