SHARON

The Rev. Richard Herman, senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church for 14 years, has accepted a call as associate pastor from The First Presbyterian church of Moorestown, N.J., effective Sept. 1.

He will preach his last message at Covenant at the 10 a.m. service Sunday. He and his wife, Lissa, who have one daughter, Elizabeth, 22, will be honored with a luncheon following the service.

"As the associate pastor, I will primarily focus on pastoral care, teaching and mentoring church leaders as well as seminary interns from Princeton University. This career shift will present different challenges and lessen the stress of a senior pastorate situation."

Pastor Herman describes Moorestown as "a bedroom suburb of Philadelphia, Pa., with a small-town feel."

"I will miss many people and places in the Shenango Valley, including the F.H. Buhl Club and Buhl Park. Most of all, I will miss the relationships with the people in the valley.

"The Shenango Valley has changed significantly during my tenure at Covenant Presbyterian Church. ... Overall, the area is becoming more optimistic and not quite so despairing as it has been."

More churches are coming together for projects and there is a willingness to tackle the difficult issues such as race, he added.

"I have changed too," he said. "My perspective on life has changed while working with families during critical times in their lives. I have realized my own mortality. I thought I could change the world; however, I recognized that I could change one person at a time.

"The ministry of Covenant Church will continue to do what it has always done for the community."

Church leaders and associate pastor the Rev. Sean C. Martin will do many of the senior pastoral duties until an interim minister is found. Then the church will begin a lengthy process searching for a permanent senior pastor.

"I hope that Covenant Presbyterian Church continues to serve the community as it always has and looks for even more ways to serve Christ in the surrounding areas," he said.

The State College native served with the following groups: Sharon Hermitage Clergy Association; Hermitage Kiwanis Club; Young Life; and as a trustee to the Mary L. Budd Fund.

Previously, Pastor Herman was pastor at Latta Memorial Presbyterian Church, Christiana, Pa. He earned a doctorate degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif., in 1994 and a master's degree in divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Mass., in 1978. He received a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa.