On behalf of the Elder Board, let me introduce to you the newest addition to the pastoral staff of City Church San Francisco, Rev. Julie Van Til.
Julie hails from Lowell, MI, where she and her husband Andrew juggle a flurry of craft scraps, Lego parts, buried treasure, Band-Aids, tears, tickle-fights, crumbs and questions from their six and seven year old children, Everett and Eva. Andrew is a Master Cicerone (you'll need to Google that one!) and Julie is ordained in the Reformed Church in America.
Apart from semesters abroad and international service projects, Julie's home up until now has been the Midwest. She was born and raised in northwest Indiana, attended DePauw University in southern Indiana, and directed a growing youth ministry in the south Chicago suburbs for five years. When feeling prompted to seek a seminary education, she thought for certain God would open doors somewhere across the country, but instead the road led to Western Seminary in Holland, MI. She is thankful for a multi-cultural congregation in Holland that took her under their wing as an intern and fed her longing to experience a greater diversity in Christ's church.
After seminary, Julie spent two years developing and teaching the youth ministry bachelor's degree curriculum at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, MI. Her love for pastoral ministry drew her from the academy to the local church, moving her to serve as the pastor of The Community, an RCA Ministry in Ada, MI, for eight years. The last two years, she has taken a step back from full-time parish ministry, prioritizing family and bringing her energy and experience to the part-time roles of coordinator of the Retiree Care Ministry of the RCA and interim Dean of Students at Western Seminary.
As we assessed our pastoral needs at City Church we determined we needed someone with experience in leadership, teaching, preaching, and a love for on the ground pastoral ministry. Julie's gifts in these areas will be felt across the spectrums of ministry at City Church. Julie has brought new life to churches, organizations, and ministries wherever God has called her to serve. Her warmth, skill, and love for people are inspiring. Having spent time with our staff and Elder Board, we are convinced she will be an excellent addition to the growth of City Church as we continue to follow Christ to renew the City and is just another example of how God has provided for City Church throughout our history.
Julie will be relocating in mid August, and sometime in late August, we will be introducing her to the church. In the mean time please be praying for Julie and her family as they do the hard work of relocating to San Francisco. We all with much enthusiasm thank God for calling Julie Van Til to San Francisco!