Pastor Search Update
The PNC is excited to have reached this point in our search when we present our candidate, Rev. Kevin Ireland, to the congregation. The past five months have been busy.
Feb 16 – Training session with Rev. Marsh and Rev. Berry, Executive Presbyter
Feb 25 – First of weekly team meetings – Began working on our church profile
March 2 – Gained access to the PCUSA search portal
April 1 – Committee approved final version of church profile
April 23 – Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry approved church profile and job listing went live
April 29 – Mock interview with Rev. Vincent for PNC to answer questions candidates might have
May 13, 27, 29 – Conducted first round zoom interviews
June 10, 11, 12 – Conducted second round zoom interviews
June 30 and July 1 – invited two finalists for in-person interviews
July 2 – Unanimously agreed to extend a call to Rev. Ireland
July 9 – Committee on Ministry’s approval of the offered terms of call
The PNC deeply appreciated your prayers and patience as we have sought to discern who the next pastoral leader at Grace should be. Thank you for the privilege to serve as your PNC, it has been a blessing.
Kevin East co-chair, Carolyn Shaw co-chair, Mitzi Darmstetter, Bruce Gealy, Adam Lancelot, Janet Rhoads, Ginny Vincent
This entry was posted in Church Information on July 24, 2025 by marburch@mygpc.org. Edit
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A Word from Our Interim Pastor – The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
Who do you say Jesus is? The Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, center on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Gospels are all about Jesus. He is the fulfillment of the covenant made with Abraham that God had chosen a people to be a blessing to all nations. In and through Jesus Christ, we become connected to and participants in that covenant.
Who do you say Jesus is? The orthodox, historic and apostolic Christian faith teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man. The apostle John, also known as the evangelist, expounds eloquently on the divine character of the eternal Logos (Word) who was manifested on earth in Jesus Christ. John sets his face uncompromisingly against Docetism, the heretical teaching that Jesus was not really man. John does not say that the Logos assumed manhood. He affirms that the Logos “became flesh” (John 1:14).
So essential, indeed, is Jesus’ true manhood to the gospel that in John’s first epistle the confession of this is a criterion of membership in the family of God (1 John 4:2; 5:1), while its denial is a mark of the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:3; 2 John 7). The gospel of our salvation depends upon the genuineness of our Lord’s humanity and deity. Only as Jesus presents himself to us as perfect man and perfect deity, can we be encouraged to grow up, not only individually but corporately, “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
Who do you say Jesus is? Be careful. Your answer really matters.
On this transition journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,
Steve
The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
Interim Pastor
This entry was posted in Steve’s Word on July 20, 2025 by marburch@mygpc.org. Edit
Kevin Ireland
An Introduction to Rev. Kevin Ireland
In the first half of my life, I’ve worn many hats: troubadour, waiter, recording artist, innkeeper, and entrepreneur. I grew up in the Kansas City area and grew in faith at Southridge Presbyterian Church in Roeland Park, Kansas, where my dad served as the choir director. As a teenager, I loved planning and participating in presbytery and national youth retreats. Those experiences sparked both my faith and my love for the church.
I attended the University of Chicago and stayed in the city, playing and recording in an indie-rock band. I met my wife Rachel, also a Kansas native, and we moved back to Kansas in 2004 to start a family and restore a vintage motel in Strong City. Along the way, I became passionate about sustainable rural development, building websites for rural churches and nonprofits, serving as president of the county Chamber of Commerce, and leading workshops on agritourism and rural entrepreneurship. In 2011, I helped launch Green Dot Bioplastics, serving as Communications Manager for the Kansas-based bioscience start-up.
My mom, Rev. Patricia Ireland, served as pastor of Cottonwood Falls Presbyterian Church, just down the road from Strong City. It was there, raising our family in the congregation, that God’s Spirit rekindled a love for leading worship and sharing the gospel. After providing pulpit supply one Advent season, I was asked to serve as Authorized Pulpit Supply for Americus United Presbyterian Church in Americus, Kansas. During those three years, I discerned a clear call to congregational ministry.
In 2019, I moved with Rachel and our kids, Rowan and Kiran, to Austin, Texas, to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I graduated in 2022, receiving the W.P. Newell Fellowship for superior accomplishment and readiness for ministry, along with the Chidester Preaching Award. I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of Northern Kansas in April 2023 and have been serving as the Pastoral Resident at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church in Austin. Beyond the church walls, I still love making music with others and sharing good food and good conversation around the table.
I am overjoyed to be moving back to Kansas and to be closer to family. I am filled with gratitude and excitement to be called to serve alongside a congregation like Grace Presbyterian, a community committed to sharing God’s good news of love and acceptance for all people. I look forward to joining you in the work of God’s kingdom, promoting justice, reconciliation, and compassion in the community of Wichita and throughout the world. I’m eager to be part of God’s unfolding story in the life of Grace Presbyterian Church.
This entry was posted in Church Information on July 10, 2025 by marburch@mygpc.org. Edit
Grace Presbyterian Church
Pastor Search Update
The PNC is pleased to announce that Rev. Kevin Ireland has accepted a call as the candidate to serve as our next pastor/head of staff at Grace Presbyterian Church.
By the book of order, our final step is for members of the congregation to meet Kevin, hear him preach, and then vote as a congregation on the recommendation of the PNC to extend an invitation for him to serve as our next called pastor/head of staff. You are invited to stop by an Open House on Saturday, July 26, from 3:00 – 5:00 at Grace to meet Rev. Ireland and his wife, Rachel. He will be leading worship with us on Sunday, July 27, at a single service at 11:00 in the sanctuary. The service will be followed by a congregational meeting to formally vote on calling him to Grace.
This entry was posted in Church Information on July 10, 2025 by marburch@mygpc.org. Edit
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A Word from Our Interim Pastor
The ending of my Interim Pastor time with you has prepared our congregation with a vision for the future and to receive the Pastor Nominating Candidate to be Grace’s next Pastor/Head of Staff, the Rev. Kevin Ireland. Welcome Kevin. And welcome to your family as well. Kevin has almost completed the steps to officially becoming Grace’s next Pastor/Head of Staff. The final step is on Sunday, July 27. Kevin preaches at our single service at 11:00am, which is then followed by the Special Congregational Meeting where the Congregation has the final word on this call when it votes.
It is amazing to me how life transitions cause serious introspection and reflection. Whatever the change may be, loss is a part of that transition.
I’ll never forget November 13, 2002. I was flying back from post-doctoral studies in Scotland. When I landed at LAX, I was met by American Airlines Staff and informed of my mother’s death. I was planning to fly to Fresno, and have one last visit with my Mom, before returning to Erie, Pennsylvania. I called my Dad, and the AA Staff took me to a flight back to Buffalo, New York. Although I had been preparing for weeks, I wasn’t ready. How could I be ready for my mother to die?
My last Sunday with you is Sunday, August 24. I’m grieving the loss of no longer being able to love and shepherd the Grace family. Yes, I’m already looking at other Interim Pastor positions as well as serving in the Not-for-Profit world. Although my departure is bittersweet, I am so excited for the Rev. Kevin Ireland joining the Grace family and preaching his first sermon as your Pastor/Head of Staff on Sunday, September 7. I have heard that Kevin is extremely gifted and excited about taking this call.
Praise God for change. As Grace’s Interim Pastor, I completed my work and prepared the way for your success, and Kevin’s, for the new journey. Yes, a new beginning to continue becoming the church God has called Grace to be, a call that began in 1909.
I remember my mom saying often, “nowhere must succumb to somewhere.” My mother’s wisdom lives on in me. As of this writing, I have nowhere to go effective September 1; my last day on Grace’s payroll is Sunday, August 31. The Rev. Larry Cracraft will be preaching that Sunday at both services.
May we all reflect on life in such a way to see the somewhere that nowhere denies.
On this transition journey with you, I remain faithfully yours, Steve
The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh
Interim Pastor
This entry was posted in Steve’s Word on July 10, 2025 by marburch@mygpc.org. Edit
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