Clarkson Community Church has completed a year long search for a new pastor. Pastor Paul Davis, who served the church faithfully for 11 years, stepped down to pursue a career in teaching. Out of approximately 100 applicants, the congregation selected Pastor Tony Bartolucci. John Lynch, one of the church's Elders, says the following about the search: "We were looking for a pastor who has a passion for learning and studying the Bible and also is good at presenting it from the pulpit. But, we wanted to find someone like this who is not lacking in people skills. Tony has both of these qualities, which can be rare. We are happy to have found him and also that he was willing to accept our position." At Thanksgiving time, after several visits, Pastor Bartolucci, and his wife, Lois, and 18 month old daughter, Giana, arrived in Clarkson from Phoenix, Arizona. Pastor Bartolucci, 39, who was born in Buffalo, now resides at the parsonage next to the church, which is located on Ridge Road, just east of Route 19. In 1993, Pastor Bartolucci earned his bachelor of science degree in Pre-Seminary Studies from Southwestern Conservative Baptist Bible College in Phoenix and completed his MA in Biblical Communications at Phoenix Seminary. In 1999, he was accepted into the Ph.D. program in theology at Trinity Theological Seminary. Before arriving in Clarkson, Pastor Bartolucci served for seven years in pastoral ministry in the Phoenix area. He is a gifted preacher and teacher and has received distinction as such according to parishioners. His focus is on biblical exposition: a systematic verse-by-verse approach to preaching and teaching which seeks to take the cultural and historical interpretation of a biblical text and apply it to today. He is an avid student of the Bible and translates from the original languages of Scripture. Pastor Bartolucci emphasizes a back-to-the-basics philosophy of ministry which focuses on biblical instruction, caring relationships, and genuine worship. "We should be real people who enjoy a real God," he says. He believes that worship should be "doctrinal, vibrant, expressive, and passionate." His years of study and depth of preparation are apparent when he preaches. Sharon Fox, one member of the congregation, states, "Tony's sermons are profound and riveting. It is like listening to a mystery where layer after layer of information is peeled away to reveal the solution." Pastor Bartolucci has a ministry web-site at http://bartolucci.8m.com and can be reached by e-mail at tb@usa.com |
