Jennifer P. Warren

Parish Associate

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Jenny Warren has served as Parish Associate at First & Central since August 2005. Ordained in 1986, she has served in a variety of pastoral settings: An Associate Pastor at Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church; pastor at The Presbyterian Church of Havre de Grace, MD; Parish Associate at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rehoboth Beach, DE; Interim Pastor at The Presbyterian Church of Dover, West Presbyterian and Calvary Presbyterian Churches. Of the 55 churches in New Castle Presbytery, she's preached in 26 of them! Her service to New Castle Presbytery has included its Committee on Ministry, Committee on Preparation for Ministry, Nominating Committee, Ministry Unit, Presbytery Council, Administrative Commissions, Permanent Judicial Commission and several Prebytery staff search committees.

Here at First & Central, Jenny's primary responsibilities are for our Christian Education ministry with children and youth. She participates regularly in worship, leads the Enrichment program for young children, and team-teaches the Confirmation Class. She provides leadership for the new Women's Spirituality Group which meets monthly. She is also available to assist with pastoral care needs, and provide pulpit supply.

Jenny was raised in West Chester, PA and nurtured in the Westminster Presbyterian Church there. After graduating from the University of Virginia (BA Psychology/Religious Studies), she served as a Volunteer in Mission (UPCUSA) on a campus ministry staff at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. This led to an internship with the Volunteer in Mission program at the denomination's offices in New York City. During her years at Princeton Theological Seminary (1982-86), Jenny spent one summer teaching Bible School to Native American children in 7 Southeast Alaska villages, and another at the Washington Hospital Center/Children's Hospital doing Clinical Pastoral Education. An intern year at State College Presbyterian Church confirmed that it was parish ministry to which she felt called.

Jenny lives in North Wilmington with her husband, Mark Olson, and their 11 year old son, Peter. The older Olson children, grown and gone, now live in Seattle (Andrew), Philadelphia (Margit), New Jersey (Mia) and Wilmington (Kirsten, Richard and granddaughter, Lucy).

At the celebration of the 20th anniversary of her ordination this past September, Jenny said, "7 churches in 20 years-- some might see that as a rather shaky record. And, truthfully, it's not what I expected when this journey started. But, I've been given a great gift - a breadth of experience in an incredible variety of faith communities. And I wouldn't trade in this curious pieced-together journey for anything. It's my "patchwork of pastoral ministry". And, while I may be the last to know what the next peices, the next patches, will look like, I don't doubt any more that there will be more to come."