Meet the Pastors

Senior Minister: Rev. Christine Ng
Minister for Youth and Young Adults: Rev. Katelin Warren
Minister of Music: Ms. Kathy Lowrie
Pastoral Intern: Mr. Steve Wilson
Pastor Emeritus: Dr. Charles S. Hastings, Jr.

Rev. Christine Ng, Senior Minister

The Rev. Christine Ng joined us here at Central on August 18th. Her first Sunday in the pulpit followed on August 24th. We are so pleased that she accepted our call.

Rev. Ng grew up in Florida and was raised in the UCC. She comes with a family. Her husband of 20 years is a third generation Chinese-American whose father was a Presbyterian minister. They are the proud parents of Jenny, who will be starting her sophomore year in high school next year.Like many clergy these days, Rev. Ng came to the ministry as a second career. For twenty years she has practiced law in Miami, and has taught various law school classes. During this time she was actively involved in her church, especially in the area of religious education for children and adults. Additionally, in the community she was involved in the founding of a charter elementary school, as well as two Tai Chi schools, thus continuing our tradition of martial arts in the pulpit. Since her graduation from seminary, she has worked as an interim minister and is currently leading a church during a pastor’s medical leave.There are two qualities that particularly stick out in our minds about Rev. Ng. First, she is a woman of deep faith and abiding spirituality who lives what she believes. Second, she is an incredibly gifted preacher, and we have been deeply moved by her preaching.We hope that you will join us in welcoming Rev. Ng and her family to Dallas as she begins an exciting ministry here at Central.

Rev. Katelin D. Warren, Minister for Youth and Young Adults

After receiving her BA in Religion and Philosophy in 2003 from Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina, Katelin moved to Fort Worth to attend seminary. Shortly after which, Central asked Rev. Warren to join us as our Minister for Youth and Young Adults. In December 2006 she graduated from Brite Divinity School with a Masters of Divinity. She was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at First Christian Church, Wilmington, North Carolina at the end of February 2007.

In her time at Central, Katelin has introduced several new elements of Christian service to our congregation. Our first mission trip, during the summer of 2005, was to the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas. From that moment on, Central knew that we were hooked. Katelin has continued to plan mission trips for us each summer following. During the Summer of 2006, 17 of us went to Magoffin County, Kentucky to work with a group called Appalachia Service Project. It was a life changing event for much of the group. We returned to Central with an even stronger sense of dedication to our Mission work. Two summers ago we spent the first week of July in Gulfport, Mississippi, with God’s Katrina Kitchen, serving meals and helping to repairs the homes in a community that has been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. And last July we traveled to Lake Charles, LA to continue hurricane recovery with Disciples Home Missions.

Katelin is particularly excited about this coming year as she doubles (!) her youth and mission programs. She has added a second mission trip for next summer, a Junior High Sunday School class, and Third Saturdays, a monthly local missions project.

Katelin continues to dedicate her time to the youth of our church, to guiding Central into local and national ministry and service, and wherever else she might be helpful. She also shares some of the pastoral care and preaching responsibilities with Dr. Nabors . Katelin lives in Fort Worth with her wonderful husband, Andy, their daughter, Bella, and their four mischievous cats- Allie, Shadow, Ewok, and Brutus.

Ms. Kathy Lowrie, Minister of Music

Mr. Steve Wilson, Pastoral Intern

Steve is serving as Pastoral Intern at Central in connection with his studies toward a Master of Divinity degree at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth. As Pastoral Intern, his responsibilities are flexible but include special projects, occasional preaching and pastoral visitation. He has been a member of Central since 1997 and has served on the Mission Board and as Moderator of the Church Council. Steve currently serves on the Board of Deacons.

Steve practices law in Dallas and has maintained a full-time law practice since 1983. He served as an adjunct faculty member at Dedman School of Law at SMU from 1993 – 2005. In 2005, he began his studies toward an M. Div. degree at Brite on a part-time basis. He expects to graduate in December 2011, at which point he is looking forward to spending more time with his lovely and (very) patient wife, Nancy, as they see what the Lord has in store for them next.

Dr. Charles S. Hastings, Jr.

Following ordination, Dr. Hastings began his ministry at Central Congregational Church in Madison, Ohio. His next position was as Associate Minister at Countryside Congregational Church in Briardale, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. Dr. Hastings was officially installed at Central Congregational Church, Dallas, on February 27, 1977. During his thirty years at Central he was active in a number of Dallas church and community organizations. He was Vice President for Christian Unity and Interfaith Relations of the Greater Dallas Community of Churches and a participant for many years in that organization’s Jewish-Christian dialogue. Dr. Hastings also served on the Religious Advisory Task Force of the Dallas Independent School District and the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Greater Dallas and Northeast Texas. Not the least of Dr. Hasting’s accomplishments are those he attained in Tae Kwondo.

Dr. Hastings has also been active at the association, conference, and national settings of the United Church of Christ. He served a six-year term on the Executive Council and was a member of the Conference Board of Directors.

A major focus for Dr. Hastings was always the care of the congregation. His specialization in pastoral counseling prepared him well for this aspect of his ministry. A special program called “CareNet” was organized by Dr. Hastings and serveral members of the congregation in 1995 to provide a network of care for all members of the church. This program continues the spirit embodied in work of the stewards and stewardesses in the early period of Central Congregational Church.

Religious education was also an ongoing concern of Dr. Hastings and he himself led a number of adult Christian education programs and taught confirmation classes. On several occasions Dr. Hastings taught the Kerygma course which provides an intensive study of the Bible.

Dr. Hastings served Central for a longer period of time than any previous minister and we are proud to have him as Pastor Emeritus.