Grandmother had visions of the future
Some theories support the existence of future events, in spacetime, which are then communicated to some as premonition dreams. Rev. Jeffrey Geary, the new interim pastor for the Cornwall Presbyterian Church, didn’t set out to be a man of the cloth, but instead had early aspirations of becoming a teacher. When his grandmother had a dream he would one day become a pastor, her words started to work their magic.
“When I finished confirmation class in eighth grade I realized that I had been held up by loving arms all around me and generations before me,” Geary said. “I wanted to give back. After that my grandmother had a dream that I would become a pastor. She told me that dream and it went to work on me. I thought I was going to teach. I’m a reader, a lifelong learner. I’m always growing, always curious. I thought I would teach English literature or something like that, but with the combination of the desire to give back with my life and my grandmother’s dream, it became something that I considered. All through high school my involvement with my church opened up that possibility.”
Living in a small village south of Chicago, Geary got his first start in the church his great-grandfather helped to build. There he was able to speak and worship and even had the opportunity to preach once while in high school.
Geary attended Millikin University where he majored in religion and sociology and minored in philosophy and psychology. He then graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and served as associate pastor at Setauket Presbyterian Church for 16 years. As he made the transition to White Plains Presbyterian Church, where he worked 12 years as senior pastor,
Geary began working on his doctorate in Medieval History at SUNY Stony Brook. He was close to submitting his dissertation, but found his commitments to his job, family, and growing son took precedence, so he walked away.
“I studied the Middle Ages originally because so much of our spiritual practices grew out of medieval spirituality,” Geary said. “As Protestants we tend to jump from the end of the ancient or classic world right to the Protestant reformation. There’s 1,000 years of riches there that I wanted to immerse myself more deeply in.”
He found other ways to incorporate his love of history into his life. Family vacations became immersed with some aspect of American history. That upbringing influenced Geary’s son, who, while still a junior in high school, has aspirations of studying history and creative writing. That knowledge of history also comes up in the pastor’s sermons.
“At one point I was studying the 14th century manuscript of the life of Jesus and my very favorite medieval illustration appears in the book. It has Jesus tucking the disciples in at night. They’re sleeping over somewhere in their journey. That comes up in sermons.”
When Rev. Patricia Calahan gave her last sermon this past summer and took a pastoral position on the other side of the river, the Cornwall Presbyterian Church began its search for her successor. The process is long and difficult and before a church can begin to find a long-term pastor, it needs to hire an interim who will help prepare the church for the search.
“The [former] pastor of this congregation is a friend and a colleague and I saw an opportunity to do something new, to be a part of this congregation during their time of change and transition,”
Geary said on accepting the position. “I welcome the opportunity to help them think about what’s next.”
Although not directly involved in the search process, Geary will help organize a committee which will be tasked with hiring a new pastor. He will also help the committee understand what they need to do. In the meantime, Geary will dedicate himself to engaging with the community as a whole while providing regular, creative worship.
Geary expects to serve the church for around 18 months. At which point his son will have graduated college and he and his wife can decide what’s next for them. In the meantime, he will provide a pastoral presence in all of life’s key moments and transitions. He will provide regular worship leadership and remain involved in all the church committees. Geary is also making it a point to be out in the community as much as possible. He’ll be in Cornwall Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and plans to visit people at home or in a coffee shop. He intends to meet with the Historical Society and has already spent a lot of time in the library learning about Cornwall’s rich history.
“I welcome phone calls and invitations for coffee or beer,” Geary said. “I would very much welcome opportunities to meet anyone in the community. I want to learn about Cornwall, not just the church. I think the church has a life inside the walls and should have a life outside the walls.”
During weekly sermons, congregants can expect Geary to follow the lectionary and preach the calendar scripture readings. He will also tell stories and evoke storytelling. The congregation can also expect a lot of questions about every aspect of church life.
