The Rev. Scott White, pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Ada, Okla., will visit University of the Ozarks during the week of Feb. 20-24 as part of the University’s Pastoral Study Leave Program.
Rev. White will lead the University’s weekly chapel service at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Munger-Wilson Chapel.
A teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church, White is a member of the Indian Nations Presbytery of Oklahoma and has served as pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Ada since 2015.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to retreat and study at University of the Ozarks,” White said. “I am so grateful to Chaplain [Jeremy] Wilhelmi, President [Richard] Dunsworth, and the James R. Struthers Pastoral Study Leave Fellowship for this opportunity. I look forward to visiting with teachers and students, catching up on my reading, preaching in your chapel, and browsing in the library. If you have a gym and I get a pass, you’ll see me there trying to work off a couple pounds. You’ll also see me in your cafeteria, so maybe that will be a losing battle. Stop by and tell me what you’re up to and what God is doing in your life. I am very interested and I am bringing my listening ears.”
A native of Iowa, White attended Emory University and University of Michigan and embarked on a career in informational technology before “sensing a call to full-time, vocational ministry.” He earned a masters of divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2003 and served as pastor for First Presbyterian Church of Escanaba, Mich., from 2004 to 2015.
In addition to congregational ministry, White’s church service has included duties and roles in presbyteries, community service organizations, and ministerial associations.
“I love the church in all its forms, missions, and expressions,” White said. “Of particular interest to me are the topics of healthy congregations, healthy pastors, and parts of the church being in transition.”
He and his wife, Miriam, have been married 24 years are the proud parents of three children, ages 20, 17 and 13. His hobbies include playing the guitar, cooking, and hiking in Chickasaw National Recreation Area, south of Ada.
The Pastoral Study Leave Program was established in 2005 by the late Rev. Dr. James R. Struthers of Stillwater, Okla., a long-time member of the University’s Board of Trustees. Struthers established the program to bring Presbyterian pastors to the U of O campus for personal and professional development. White is the 21st visiting pastor to take part in the program.
Topics: Presbyterian