First Presbyterian Church welcomes pastor

Friday, February 6, 2009

Rev. Dr. John F. Nipper arrived Jan. 4, to become interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Scott. He will serve until a new pastor is called and installed.

Typically, according to Dr. Nipper, that takes one to two years. He said, "The interim pastor comes to ease the transition between the departing and arriving installed pastors."

Nipper was born and raised in San Diego. He first studied Aeronautical Engineering at the California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. When he felt called to ministry, with the support of his church and the Presbytery of Santa Barbara, he entered San Francisco Theological Seminary. While serving a church in Vandalia, Ill., he completed a Master's degree in Behavioral Science at Southern Illinois University and A Doctor of Ministry degree at McCormick Theological Seminary. He has served churches in Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa as installed pastor, and five churches in John Calvin Presbytery, of which the Fort Scott church is a part, as interim pastor.

He said, "I'm delighted to be living and working in Fort Scott, and I'm looking forward to the annual festivals and entertainment events in the city."

While he is full-time pastor to the congregation, Nipper and his wife Leah have a home on five acres in rural Springfield, Mo., where they will be spending some days most weeks, days when they can attend to home-keeping responsibilities there, with Dr. Nipper also using that time for study and sermon preparation.

He will be in Fort Scott Sunday through Wednesday or Thursday and can be reached at (620) 223-3180 during office hours.

During their time in Fort Scott, the Nippers are living in a bungalow on Lake Fort Scott, where they are enjoying watching the wild life that frequents the lake area, especially the eagles.

Both John and Leah have suffered the death of their first spouses. They met while John was serving the Willard Presbyterian Church as interim. Leah and John each have a son and a daughter. Leah enjoys reading, shopping, being outdoors and hiking and has hiked a part of the Continental Divide Trail in New Mexico. John likes to carve wood, write poetry, fish, hunt and read.