Meet Our Bridge Pastor

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Greetings, people of Good Samaritan! It is good to be joining you, starting with this Sunday! I am looking forward to meeting you and spending this transitional time with you as you move toward welcoming a new permanent pastor for Good Sam in the coming months.

I have been an ordained pastor in the Metro DC Synod since 2015, and have served congregations in Northern VA, most recently at St. Andrew in Centreville, VA, and as a supply pastor. I have been on leave from a permanent call the past couple of years, as I have been working toward a PhD degree in Religion and Culture at The Catholic University of America. This year, I am studying for exams in the spring and teaching at CUA.  Some of my academic areas of interest are in the sociology of religion, religious pluralism, and inter-religious dialogue. I anticipate finishing my PhD in the next couple of years (after exams, all that is left is the dissertation), while I teach and hopefully serve in parish ministry in some form, God willing. 

I was born in western Pennsylvania (any Steelers fans out there?), but grew up in various places while my dad served as a Foreign Service Officer. We lived in the Middle East, South America and Europe as I was growing up, with stints in the DC area in between overseas assignments. After college, I moved back to the DC area, got married (to my husband Scott), and had my two sons David and Justin (who are now high school and college-aged). I should also mention that I have a third child, cocker spaniel Domino.  Some other facts about me: I enjoy cooking (and eating), travelling, I speak French, play the clarinet, read a lot of academic writing but also enjoy novels. I am a crossword addict and am very competitive while playing board games. I have passed the audition/test for Jeopardy twice but they have never called me to be on the show – that is still one of my life goals…  

I felt called to ministry as a young mother and started seminary in Gettysburg when my children were in preschool and kindergarten (good timing, eh?). Despite the challenges of juggling a return to school with raising a family, it has been a joy to serve God’s people throughout our synod. I could not have gotten to this point without the support and prayers of my family and of the church communities I have been privileged to be a part of. I am committed to making the church a place of sanctuary, refuge, joy and welcome for all people, knowing as I do the difference that God’s grace and mercy has made in my life and the life of many others. 

As we spend the next weeks together, know that I hold you in prayer during this difficult time of school, work and community life as we hope and pray for an improvement in the COVID-19 situation.  As if that isn’t enough, our country faces an important election that will determine the direction our country will take for at least the next four years. Starting this Sunday, our synod will be offering a devotion each morning for the ten days leading up to the election.  Let’s be attentive together, praying for God to lead us through this time into the reality that God wills for all.

Until Sunday, God be with you. 

In Christ,

Pastor Amy Carter Feira