New First Presbyterian Pastor Cites Moment At U.N.

A Seattle Pacific graduate who majored in advertising recently joined the staff at First Presbyterian Church as senior pastor.

It was during his college years that Woody Garvin felt called to become a pastor.

During 1967, his sophomore year at Seattle Pacific, Garvin won a trip to a large advertising agency in New York as an intern. He came away from the trip forever changed.

“I literally had a moment,” he says.

The moment came one day when he unexpectedly found himself outside the United Nations Building gazing at the array of flags from different nations. He suddenly felt he was being called to do something different than advertising.

“I really felt compelled by God to make a difference,” he said.

He finished college, then went on to attend Fuller Theological Seminary and received his master and doctor of divinity degrees from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Garvin has spent the past 10 years at the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church in a suburb of San Diego. While there, he helped establish a homeless shelter and worked extensively with Habitat for Humanity.

The minister says he intends to continue his work with Habitat for Humanity and is already planning a trip to Kentucky in June with several parishioners to help build several houses.

Despite arriving in Spokane during one of the church’s busiest seasons, Garvin and his wife, Stephne, are enjoying themselves.

“It seems to me that there’s a lot to do, and we’ll just dive right in,” says Garvin, adding that he’s looking forward to working in the downtown area.

“What a privilege to march into the future with these people,” he says. “We love it here.”

Part of Spokane’s draw was that Garvin knew that there were four distinct seasons, a plus after spending many years in California.

“I just didn’t know that it would be all in the first week,” laughs Garvin. The day he and his family arrived in town, it was snowing.

“We were like kids at Christmas.”

Kansas, Spokane choirs to perform

First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar, will host a concert by the Bethel Concert Choir from Bethel College in Kansas. The 48-person choir will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Directed by Marles Preheim, the choir will perform contemporary songs and music selected from the Renaissance era.

The concert is free, but donations will be accepted. The public is invited.

First Presbyterian will also host a concert presented by the Whitworth College Choir. The annual concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The 60-person choir will present music from a variety of composers, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Aaron Copland and Francisco Guerrero.

The concert is free, and the public is welcome.

Faith series beginning at Manito

Manito United Methodist Church, 3220 S. Grand Blvd., is beginning a new “God and Me” and “God and Family” series.

The “God and Me” class is open to all children in grades 1-3. The class is designed to augment the children’s understanding of their faith.

The class will meet each Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. beginning April 13 and will run for six weeks.

The “God and Family” class is a more advanced extension of the “God and Me” class. It is open to children in fourth and fifth grades. The eight-week class will be held each Sunday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. It also will begin on April 13.

The classes are recognized by the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. Children who complete the class will be awarded a pin or medal to wear on their uniforms.

The fee is $8 per child per class. Advance registration is required. Call 448-1396.

The registration deadline is Monday.