Christ Church at Grove Farm Installs New Rector and Senior Pastor

installed the Rev. Jon Panner as their new senior pastor and rector on Sunday, June 24, during the 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services.

Participating in the installation were Rev. Dr. John Guest and Rt. Rev. John Rodgers.

The Rev. Jon Panner and his wife, Susie were introduced to church members on April 13 and 14. He preached at the April 15 services and members voted to approve him. The vote of the membership brings to a close a process that began in September 2010 with the announcement that the Rev. Dr. John Guest planned to retire December 2010. 

The search committee considered a large number of candidates and spent six months getting to know Jon and Susie Panner. In February 2012, the committee unanimously recommended Panner to Parish Council, which in turn approved him unanimously on March 15, 2012 and recommended him to the congregation.

Panner was raised in Beaver Falls and the First Presbyterian Church and hiw . Susie was raised in Toledo and the Washington Congregational Church. They met as students at Wittenberg University and have three sons, Jon 27, Ben 25 and Sam 19. The Rev. Jon Panner has a master's of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and a bachelor's in English from Wittenberg.

Most recently, Panner was senior pastor of Manahawkin Baptist Church founded in New Jersey in 1745. Previously, Panner served as lead pastor of adult ministries at First Evangelical Free Church in Austin, Texas. He also served as associate pastor in a new church outside of Houston and was assistant pastor and research assistant in a large church in California.

Christ Church at Grove Farm is a non-denominational evangelical church in the Anglican tradition whose mission and values are rooted in Scripture.

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Information provided by Christ Church at Grove Farm.