Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco

A Time of Transition

In early 2004, the congregation of Old First Presbyterian Church entered a time of transition. Following the tenure of the installed pastor, the Rev Samuel Alexander, the Rev James Emerson served as the supply pastor for five months, ably assisted by seminary intern Leslie Veen. 

 

The Rev Jeffrey Cheifetz was invited by the Session to serve Old First as Interim Pastor beginning July 1, 2004. Since then, Old First has engaged in an extensive examination of its identity, purpose, and structure.

 

The Mission/Vision Document was approved by the San Francisco Presbytery in January 2006, allowing the congregation to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). 

 

In its nationwide search, the PNC will seek out exceptional candidates for the position. There is no such thing as a ‘permanent’ pastor, but our intention is to find a person who will lead Old First for a good length of time in a collaborative and fruitful ministry.

 

While this process is under way, the congregation and its leaders will continue to develop Old First’s ministry in line with the challenges and initiatives contained in the mission/vision document,

 

Everyone is invited to join us in this exciting transition time of growth and opportunity. Who knows what God will do in and through a community of faith dedicated to following the guidance of the Spirit?

 

More about the Mission Vision document:

A team of four parishioners wrote a mission/vision document describing what Old First intends to do and to become as it goes forward in its ministry over the next few years. This statement is based upon several things: the historical mission and strengths of the congregation; the realities of our current size and resources; the need to nurture growing numbers of children, youth, and adults in the Christian faith; the resources necessary for a thriving Christian ministry in the larger community, including homeless and senior populations; and the emergence of certain priorities for Old First’s ministry. Many extensive and detailed conversations were held with the church leadership and congregation at large. The statement includes a timeline describing concrete steps that will be taken toward the fulfillment of the vision. The statement is available for reading as a .pdf file on this website, and you are encouraged to read it in its entirety.

 

More about the Interim Pastor:

Jeff is an East Bay native, graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Previous to coming to Old First, Jeff served as the interim pastor of Christ United Presbyterian Church, an historic Japanese-American congregation in San Francisco. He has also served as the pastor of the John Day Valley Parish, a three-church rural parish in eastern Oregon, and as the associate pastor of Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

 

More about the Interim Pastor’s family:

Jeff's wife, Diana, served as the Interim Associate Pastor for Congregational Care of Calvary Presbyterian Church in 2003 and 2004. She writes about spirituality, is on the staff of the Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction (DASD) program at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and has a private practice as a spiritual director. Their daughter Laura is the newly ordained Coordinator of the AADVENT (Asian American Discipleship for Vocational Empowerment, Nurture and Transformation) Project at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. Their son David is an architect in Seattle.