Words from the Reverend Eugene Kern, Senior Pastor

I like to laugh often and work hard.  I believe in planning ahead and learning from yesterday.  It's important to keep a clear vision and not lose track of the details.  Let us relish celebrations and honor times of sorrow.  God is calling all of us to great things - there's always work to do in the kingdom!  The future is where Jesus is, waiting expectantly for us and all of us are welcome!

Pastor Kern is a graduate of Erskine College in Due West, SC and the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC, also his hometown.  He earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University, Madison, NJ.  Ordained in 1979 he has served St. Marks, Isle of Palms, SC; Prince of Peace, Largo, FL; St. Mark, Dunedin, FL; Assistant to the Bishop, Florida-Bahamas Synod; and, St. John, Winter Park, FL.  He and his wife Jackie have two children; a son, The Rev. Travis E. Kern and his wife, Heidi of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and a daughter, Kimberly, a graphic designer in Orlando, FL.  

The Reverend Gigie Sijera-Grant began her call as Associate Pastor of First Lutheran in October of 2002. She is originally from the Philippines and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Far Eastern University in Manila. A graduate of the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, she participated in the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) Program and interned at First Lutheran. Pastor Grant was ordained in November 2002 at Christ Lutheran Church, Baltimore, MD. She enjoys traveling, meeting people from diverse cultures, dancing, writing, and reading. Her husband Bruce is a cultural anthropologist and they have two sons, Brian and Jason.