David  and  Kristin  have  two  lovely  young  daughters,  Josephine                            (18  months)  and  Anna  (5).  

Expressed  in  his  cover  letter  was  something  David  hoped  to  find  in  a  new  call  to  ministry  -­‐-­‐  “…a  place  of  community  for  me  and  my  family.”    

We  are  thrilled  to  welcome  them  into  the  warm  embrace  of  the  

Pennington  Presbyterian        Church  family.  

   

Pennington  Presbyterian  13  South  Main  Street  Pennington,  NJ  08534  

609-­‐737-­‐1221  www.pennpres.org  

 

Reverend    David  Hallgren  

 

MEET  OUR  CANDIDATE!  

...Why  David?    

“Being  with  David  was  like  opening  up  a  new  world  to  me.  He  made  me  

think  about  my  faith.”  ~Thoughtful~  

An  excellent  match  for  all  we  hoped  to  find.    

~Deep  faith~  He  has  a  gift  for  building  connections  

with  people.  ~Honest~  

At  ease  with  ‘faith  talk.’  Fun  to  hang  out  with  (but  not  very  

good  at  pinball).  ~A  Visionary~  

Experienced,  and  eager  to  share  it!  ~Authentic~  

Would  nourish  lay  leaders  well.  “We  need  him!”  

Consistently  good  references:  “David  Hallgren  is  one  of  your  

candidates?  Then  your  search  just  went  to  a  whole  new  level!”  

David was born of the Yakima Nation in eastern Washington. At the age of 2 he was adopted by a Swedish-American

Mennonite couple. He grew up with two sisters, and as a teen nearing 6 feet tall,

soon towered above all his adoptive family. He began an early career as a

building contractor, dreamed of going to law school, but was hooked on ministry

with kids during a summer of volunteering at Camp Firwood. A good

thing, on many levels! That camp is where he met Kristin, his future wife.

They have been married for 14 years.

The  APNC  comments…  

   

Experience  and  Education    

PROFESSIONAL  EXPERIENCE    

University  Presbyterian  Church,  Seattle,  WA  • Pastor/Director  of  Children  &  Family  

Ministries,  July  2007  –  present;  Associate  Director,  November  2001  –  August  2004  

 Presbyterian  Church  of  Upper  Montclair,  NJ  • Seminary  Intern;  Co-­‐Director  of  Youth  

Ministry,  August  2005  –  June  2007  

Fir  Creek  Day  Camp—Summer  Camp  for    elementary  age  children  and  Winter  Retreat  Center  –  The  Firs  Chalet,  Bellingham,  WA  

• Director,  1996  –  2000    

EDUCATION  • Master  of  Divinity,  Princeton  Theological  

Seminary,  2007    

• Bachelor  of  Arts,  History,  University  of  Washington,  Seattle,  WA,  2001  

 

A  Message  from  David    

“It  is  clear  to  see  that  God  is  working  in  and  around  the  community  of  faith  at  Pennington  and  I  am  looking  forward  to  joining  in.    We  are  also  very  encouraged  to  have  found  a  great  place  for  our  daughters,  Anna  and  Josephine,  to  grow  up.    We  deeply  value  knowing  others  

The  Associate  Pastor    Nominating  Committee    

is  pleased  to  introduce  our  candidate!    

We  spent  over  a  year,  working  and  praying  to  discern  a  match    for  our  church’s  hopes  and  desires  for  a  new  pastor  of  educational    ministry.    We  encountered  the  gifts  of  many  talented  applicants.  Yet    from  the  first  telephone  interview  with  Rev.  David  Hallgren,  we  knew    we’d  found  someone  special.    We  finished  the  conversation  with  big  smiles    on  our  faces,  looking  at  one  another  around  the  table.  There  was  a  definite  attraction    from  the  very  start,  which  only  grew  as  we  learned  more  and  spent  time  with  him  in  interviews    and    conversation.    With  the  Holy  Spirit’s  guidance,  we  are  in  full  agreement  -­‐-­‐  in  David  we’ve  found  an  amazing  match  for  the  list  of  skills  and  experience  we  dreamed  of  when  we  wrote  the  Church  Information  Form  early  in  the  process.    Our  Description  of  Desired  Characteristics  in  a  Candidate  turns  out  to  be  an  excellent  description  of  David  Hallgren.    

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  OUR  CANDIDATE  FOR  ASSOCIATE  PASTOR  • Demonstrates  a  passionate  and  committed  life  of  faith.  • Skilled  in  helping  others  articulate  and  share  their  faith  journeys  as  Christians.  • Will  motivate  and  challenge  each  of  us  to  follow  Jesus  and  practice  the  double  love  command.  • Passionate  about  Christian  education,  

and  can  nourish  that  passion  in  others.  • Skilled  in  teaching,  encouraging,  

motivating,  and  empowering  others                  to  give  their  time  and  talents  to        Christian  education.  

• Comfortable  working  with  multiple  generations  within  our  congregation.  

• Proven  ability  to  work  collaboratively  with  pastoral  staff,  committee  members,  and  lay  leaders  within  the  church.  

• Models  and  fosters  creativity  and  flexibility.  

     

Ask  David  or  Kristin    to  tell  you    

The  Whale  Story.  

and  being  known,  and  I  look  forward  to  getting  to  know  you  all  in  the  coming  months."