Reverend Jonathan Morgan leaving First Church for Oregon ministry

The white First Church of Christ bus that has become a familiar sight around town will need a new driver after July 15.

The Reverend Jonathan Morgan, who has been senior minister at First Church for the past decade, is moving to Eugene, Oregon.

His will lead his last First Church service on Sunday, June 23, at 9:30am.  A farewell celebration will immediately follow in the parish hall.

Reverend Jonathan and his wife, Lisa, will become empty-nesters after their youngest child, Laura, graduates Monday from Simsbury High School.  His two older sons, Nathan and James, live in the Boston area.

“So we decided that we’d have a little bit of an adventure,” he said.

In Eugene, which is two hours south of Portland, Reverend Jonathan will become pastor of First Congregational Church.  Lisa was an ICU nurse at Hartford Hospital and has already found a job in their new town.

The soft-spoken minister is wistful about leaving a congregation that is “very active and vital. The parishioners at First Church are faithful, caring and dedicated people who really put their hearts and souls into the ministry.”

During his tenure in Simsbury, Reverend Jonathan said he has matured as a pastor.

 “I’ve watched and learned from the many people who I’ve served with … that really has been a growing experience,” he said.

About five years ago, Reverend Jonathan met with First Selectman Mary Glassman and asked what First Church could do to strengthen its tie to the community.

She suggested the renovation of two abandoned homes near the Apple Barn on Old Farms Road.  They are town-owned and had been rented in the past. Glassman wondered if First Church would consider refurbishing the homes so they could become affordable housing.

“The cellar in one building was filled with water,” Reverend Jonathan recalled. “We dedicated thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of volunteer time.  Now there are two families living in those homes.  It was a co-operative effort with the town.”

Other outreach ministries during his time in Simsbury have included regular Food Share collections and the filling of hundreds of “care bags” for Connecticut children entering foster care.  Both youth and adult parishioners have gone on several mission trips and traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi, to help repair homes after Hurricane Katrina. 

In 2011, members of First Church founded the Faith Mulira Health Care Center, located in one of Uganda’s poorest villages. More recently, parishioners helped build a community center on the Lakota Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

One of Reverend Jonathan’s proudest accomplishments has been the designation last October of First Church as an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ.

 “This means that we welcome gays and lesbians into our community of faith and we affirm their sexual orientation as one that is God-given,” he said. “We went through an 18-month process of education and discernment.”

Melinda Westbrook, President, First Church Congregation, said that Pastor Jonathan “has emphasized this love-without-boundaries theme in his sermons and in his ministry as a whole.  It has been a very powerful and sustaining message for us.”

He also has worked cooperatively with other churches and synagogues in Simsbury and throughout the Farmington Valley.

Pastor Woody Eddins of Simsbury United Methodist Church described Reverend Jonathan has a supportive interfaith colleague.

“When I first came to Simsbury in 2008, Jonathan was the first person to call me up and invite me out for coffee,” Pastor Woody said.  “He’s a very intelligent person with a great sense of humor.  He knows what’s going on here in town.  I think that’s important … the church speaking beyond its walls into the greater community.”

This past Memorial Day, Reverend Jonathan was yet again spotted around town driving the white bus with “First Church of Christ” emblazoned on the sides.  He transported Veterans marching in the parade to and from the starting area.

When the bus was donated six years ago by a “very generous family,” Reverend Jonathan wasted no time in getting certified to drive it.

“You don’t get that kind of training in seminary,” he joked.  “The fact that you can get 30 people into one vehicle ... it becomes a very social event and it’s kind of fun.”