Archive: Around Town

Rev. Dr. David A. Kaden will be installed as Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church of Ithaca on Sunday, November 15 at 3:00 p.m. at its 309 Highland Road, Ithaca, location.

Rev. Dr. Douglas J. Green, Pastor Emeritus of the First Congregational Church, will deliver the sermon.  The Susquehanna Association of the New York United Church of Christ (UCC) will be represented by Rev. Barbara Wright and the New York Conference UCC by Rev. Dr. Marsha Williams.  They will also participate in the liturgy of installation.

Kaden was Associate Minister of the First Congregational Church from 2005-2009 before pursuing additional advanced studies.  In his candidacy sermon in August, he shared that he has preached in many churches since 2009, but speaking from the pulpit at 309 Highland Road feels like "coming home".

"My primary passion in ministry is blending preaching and teaching with social justice," said Kaden. "I look forward to the promise of our mutual ministry," he told the gathering of members and friends of the church located on the edge of the Cornell campus. Joining him in Ithaca will be his wife Jacquie and their two school-aged children, David and Ellie.

Originally from Hoboken, NJ, he completed a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion from the University of Toronto last year.  Kaden also holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics from Messiah College, a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology from Harvard University.  He was ordained in the United Church of Christ (UCC) when he was the church's Associate Minister.  In addition, Kaden has served churches in Massachusetts, worked as an interim college chaplain at the University of Toronto, and preached regularly at the College Street United Church in Toronto.

This past year, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. At the University of Toronto, he was a course instructor as well as a research fellow at its Jackman Humanities Institute.  Rev. Dr. Kaden has written numerous articles and book reviews, and has authored the forthcoming book, "Matthew, Paul, and the Anthropology of Law" (Mohr Siebeck, 2015), which is based on his doctoral dissertation.

v11i44