Plymouth Church greets new pastor

Plymouth Congregational Church, 1502 W. Eighth Ave., will welcome its new pastor, the Rev. Gary Gardell, after the 10 a.m. worship service Sunday. A reception will follow the installation.

Gardell has moved to Spokane with his wife, Kim, after spending several years as missionaries in Pohnpei, Micronesia. The two taught leadership classes at a Congregational school there, as well as English classes.

They also spent 10 years in Priest River, Idaho, before their trip to the Micronesia. He’s been a pastor for almost 30 years.

“We know Spokane a bit and we love Spokane,” Gary Gardell said.

Gardell was hired at Plymouth after traveling through Spokane and having a meal with a friend who mentioned the church was in need of a new pastor.

He said his wife is good with computers so she quickly made up a resume for him and he was interviewed for the job the next morning.

The couple’s move to Spokane was delayed by the snowstorms. They arrived Jan. 9, and Gary Gardell has been conducting services since Jan. 11.

They said their first order of business will be to get to know the members of Plymouth and the neighbors in the community. They look forward to finding out what the community needs. Kim Gardell said she is looking forward to helping a couple of members get a youth ministry off the ground.

Gary Gardell said he was very surprised about the history of the church, which at one point was a Jewish Temple and still bears some Jewish symbols here and there.

“We’ve been made very welcome here,” Kim Gardell said.

For more information, call the church office at 838-8667.

Minister visits from Romania

The Rev. József Kotecz, a Unitarian minister from Felsõrakos, Transylvania, Romania, will lead services Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. at the Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ, 411 S. Washington St.

Kotecz’s congregation has been in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Church in Spokane since 1990 and the two churches have shared their cultures, histories and faiths with the other.

Most recently, the Westminster United Church of Christ joined in the partnership.

For more information, call Julie Jose at 325-8889.

Gospel meetings

The East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone St., will host public Gospel meetings Sundays from 3 to 4 p.m. through March 29.

The nondenominational meetings will emphasize Christ. Families are welcome.

For more information, call 863-2016.