SALLY S PENCER Contributing Writer
If one word could be used to describe the congregants of the Presbyterian church in Yorktown, it would be forbearing.
For almost 20 years, there has been no fulltime pastor to lead the church.
“Answered prayers and God’s good timing has given us Michael,” Terilynn Zengerle, church secretary and clerk of session, said.
As of October 1, the church has officially hired Pastor Michael Smith to serve full-time.
“We had pulpit supply pastors over the years, but no one for very long,” Zengerle said. “The longest was Pastor Johnson for about seven years.”
The church’s search committee began looking in 2022 for a full-time minister. The church was also moving away from the Presbyterian Church-USA to join the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, or ECO for short.
Pastor Smith is originally from Corpus Christi. A graduate of Carroll High School,10he earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is currently attending an online seminary through the Flourish Institute, which is part of the ECO.
His wife Amy is also in ministry and is studying at seminary with an emphasis on youth. They have a 2-year-old daughter, Lily, and a mini-Schnauzer named Tramp.
“The church and seminary are changing,” Smith said. “For many students, the brick-andmortar schools are not fulfilling their needs.” He said he can go to school online and still serve fulltime in clergy.
“We were looking for a pastor with experience,” Zengerle said. “We were not wanting someone still in seminary. But God had His purpose, and when doors closed one way, they opened over and over again leading to us hiring Michael.”
When the Yorktown church joined the ECO, some of the members attended the national meeting in Greenville, South Carolina.
“One of our members met Amy at that event,” Zengerle said.
Last year, Smith served a couple of times in pulpit supply. During a lunch meeting, Amy asked if the church was interested in her and Michael. The young couple was already keen on moving to a place like Yorktown.
“We really love the country and this small community,” Pastor Smith said. Zengerle added that it all just “came together. It was very apparent that God was in the midst of it all.”
They said it can take several years within the Presbytery to find pastors, but in this case, it was only about six months.
“We hung in there for so long,” Zengerle said. “God blessed us and was very quick about it.”
Pastor Smith added that it is still astounding and amazing to see how God has worked through this.
“Yorktown is the perfect place for us. Amy and I both love the country. I love to hunt and fish. And I want to tell others about Jesus. It’s discipleship in the deer blind.”
Zengerle said there is hope now.
“It was so heartbreaking when we had a death and there was no pastor to lead.”
She said that when Pastor Scott was there for about 10 years, they had some growth. She noted that even during the long time without a full-time pastor, their congregation did not completely go away.
“There is a quote about the church, but I don’t remember who said it,” Pastor Smith said. “It goes something like this: The church will go on, even if it goes down to 12. Jesus started with 12.”
They agreed that it was an exciting time for the Yorktown Presbyterian Church.
“We can’t wait to see where God is taking us,” Zengerle said.
