By Bob McDowell
The match between the Rev. Dr. Ray Hylton and First Presbyterian Church has been a good one.
Since taking the helm of the downtown landmark in 2001, you might say �Pastor Ray� and his congregation have been on the same scriptural page.
So satisfying has been their relationship that Hylton imagined staying put throughout his years in active ministry.
But it seems God has other plans for the 49-year-old, Jamaican-born Presbyterian preacher.
After much prayer and discussion with various people, including the church session, Hylton has accepted an invitation to become senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, Ill.
Hylton�s resignation takes effect Sunday after worship, at which time he�ll be the guest of honor at a farewell reception.
His new assignment in Evanston, a northern Chicago suburb, begins Dec. 1, with his first sermon Dec. 6. Membership there is about 1,000, roughly twice the size of his New Castle congregation.
On Monday, the pastor was clearing out his desk and sifting through personal items.
Feelings about the people he was leaving were harder to stash.
�The most agonizing thing is to know that you are leaving people you love and care for, and that they feel the same way about you,� Hylton said. �The path we take is not up to us to decide.
�We never get the chance to determine our future. We think we know how it�s going to play out, but God has a way of surprising us.�
GOD�S PLAN
For Hylton, God�s plan began to take shape in June 2007, when he was informed the Evanston church was searching for a replacement for its retiring pastor of 26 years.
Hylton said, �No way,� but as the opportunity kept knocking, he began to consider this was something he was not supposed to overlook.
He and wife, Judith, prayed about the decision. In March, he submitted his resume, and �everything started rolling and gathering wheels.�
The Hyltons put their Neshannock Township home on the market last Saturday, even though they�re not quite finished using it.
Judith Hylton finishes her last semester at Geneva College in December, when she�ll receive a master�s degree in marital/family counseling, followed by an internship.
Youngest son, Joel, will finish his freshman year at Neshannock High School.
Daughter Judene is an admissions counselor at Grove City College, and Ray Jr. is a senior at Valparaiso University.
MISSION
Ever since Hylton arrived in New Castle, First Presbyterian�s mission has been �Transforming lives through Jesus Christ to glorify God.�
The focus is people, Hylton said, and being a downtown church means serving the downtown.
An example is the twice-monthly Glory Grille, a free luncheon program. In its fifth year, it has become a Saturday tradition to lots of folks, including residents from the senior high-rises.
Hylton notes that the congregation is more diverse and multi-cultural than when he came, with an increase in membership of about 100 people.
Many of the families who started attending had stopped going to church or had never belonged.
�They found a sense of God�s love because of the friendliness of the people here,� he said. �That�s important. I can�t take all the credit for that.�
The church�s staff, members and volunteers create a sense of unity that is appealing to people, he explained.
Hylton compliments them in his final entry in this week�s church newsletter.
�Without the van drivers, the nursery workers, the Sunday school teachers, people who fold bulletins and newsletters, sound booth operators, various boards, ministry teams, ushers, greeters, and all the other volunteers,� he wrote, �my work would be impossible.�
FULL OF FAITH
One of Hylton�s goals at First Presbyterian has been to offer a greater understanding of the Christian faith for both young and old.
Mentioning the vibrant children�s ministry prompted him to say he always thought he�d be around to help mark all the milestones of the present crop of young people.
�I can only hope my time here will be a positive, lasting impression for them.�
As for the �old,� Betty Kitchen speaks for herself.
�He has given so much in our spiritual leadership,� she said, �that it doesn�t quite seem possible that he�s leaving.�
A longtime member of the church, Kitchen admits her initial reaction was �What are we going to do without him?�
She has replaced that feeling with a different rationale.
�We�re reluctant to see him go, but why wouldn�t we want others to learn from him, so their spiritual lives will grow as ours have?
�We�re not the only ones entitled to Ray Hylton.�
PARTING THOUGHTS
Hylton said First Presbyterian boasts �lots of strong, mature leaderships,� which made his decision to leave possible.
�I would never do anything to hinder the progress at this church,� he said, adding that the elders already are making plans to create a healthy transition.
For the next few weeks, the Rev. Gary Smith, a church member and professor at Grove City College, will be preaching.
According to the Rev. Dr. David Dawson, executive presbyter of the Shenango Presbytery, the church session has created a committee to seek an interim pastor. The session hopes to have that position filled by January and expects the interim pastor to serve for the next 1 1/2 years.
As for parting thoughts on Hylton, Dawson said, �He has been an unusual presence.�
Citing major leadership roles within Presbytery, he describes Hylton as a gifted person, a fine teacher and preacher with a presence.
�When you have the kind of gifts he has, things work very well,� Dawson said. �His business, what he does, his focus, is how to introduce Jesus to people and help them become his disciples.�
Dawson went on to call First Presbyterian Church as a kind of �cathedral church� in New Castle, similar to the way Catholics regard St. Mary Church.
Such a church deserves a special pastor, Dawson noted, adding that Hylton has been a gifted presence.
�He�s been important to all of us,� Dawson said, �and a blessing to New Castle.�
