After a year of searching for and interviewing candidates, St. Martin United Church of Christ in High Ridge has a new pastor – David Poe.
Poe, 55, gave a trial sermon at the church on Sept. 10, and he officially became the pastor on Dec. 1.
St. Martin UCC’s previous pastor was Terry Minchow-Proffitt, who served there for five years before leaving in January 2023, said Grace Self, an administrative assistant and office manager at the church.
Patrice Rosner had been serving as the church’s interim pastor since Aug. 20.
Poe said he has spent the past month getting to know his new church community.
“The people were very welcoming,” Poe said. “(Beginning the position in December) was busy but also a wonderful opportunity to meet the membership. Our attendance is usually up around Christmas. Having folks that maybe aren’t quite as active coming back for the celebrations of the holiday, hopefully, they’ll become a bit more active as we move forward.”
Poe was the interim pastor at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Weldon Spring before he applied for the position at the High Ridge church. He lives in Washington, Mo., with his wife, Teresa Piester, and their youngest daughter, who is one of the couple’s four adult children. Poe and his wife also have two grandchildren.
Self said a search committee reviewed Poe’s application and set up an interview in August.
“We think Pastor Poe is very personable and easy to talk to,” she said. “He gives wonderful sermons and we’re blessed to have him.”
Self, who has been a member of St. Martin for more than 70 years, said having a more permanent pastor at the church is better for growth than having an interim pastor, adding that potential members are usually more willing to join a church when they know a pastor will stick around for years to come.
“Generally, the interim person isn’t here to inspire growth; they’re here to fill in the gaps before the next person gets here,” she said. “It would be comparable to, say, hiring someone for a position full-time versus hiring somebody from a temp agency. When you have a temp, that person does the job, but it’s not forever.”
St. Martin United Church of Christ in High Ridge.
Poe said one of his priorities as pastor is to see the church grow, and he plans to hold more youth events and club meetings in the coming months.
“At this point, I’m basically getting to know the families, the membership and the community,” Poe said. “I still need to learn as much as I can about the people here and the place. Three essential things that Jesus calls us to do as followers are to gather for worship, to grow in the faith and then to give in terms of our service.”
Poe said he felt the call to ministry while he was in high school in Bellevue, Ky. After graduating from high school in 1987, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English, religion and philosophy from Eureka College in Illinois in 1991.
He obtained a master of divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis in 1995 and then served at a church in Kewanee, Illinois for 10 years.
Poe was a pastor at St. Peter’s UCC in New Haven for 16 years before becoming an interim pastor at St. John’s UCC.
He said getting the pastor position at St. Martin UCC was important not only for the potential growth of the church, but also for his own family, who live in the area.
“One of the reasons I stayed here and one reason why it really works to accept a position here at St. Martin’s is to be around all the family, especially the grandkids,” he said.
Poe the painter
Poe said he likes to spend his free time painting landscapes in his home studio or outside when the weather is suitable.
“Augusta Missouri Fields of Gold,” a painting by David Poe.
He also said he participates each year in the Augusta Plein Air Art Festival in April, where artists gather to paint outdoors at Missouri wineries, parks and historic sites.
“I really enjoy (painting) because part of my profession is, of course, being around a lot of people. You’ve got to be able to do public speaking and all of that, and painting is a kind of release,” he said. “I’m an introvert by nature, so painting is an activity I can kind of do by myself. I find it very therapeutic.”
Looking toward the future
Self said the transition from Rosner to Poe was a smooth one.
“Sometimes the first service can have stutters and starts and jerks and glitches, but there was nothing like that,” she said. “He took off and away we went.”
Poe said in the coming months, members will review the church’s mission statement to ensure it meets the current needs of the community.
He also said those looking to get involved at the church may attend Latin Bible study meetings to be held once a week at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays during Lent. He said the first meeting will be on Feb. 21 and will include soup and sandwiches followed by the study of the Gospel of Luke. The meetings will be held throughout March 20.
“I’ve been trying to use my time in my early months of ministry here to focus on two things every church should be doing: being able to praise God through discipleship – which involves continued learning and Bible study – and then also becoming very generous givers with our time, talent and treasure.”