Plymouth Congregational Church welcomes new pastor
Reverend Wendy Holland
Local church welcomes Reverend Wendy Holland
– Plymouth Congregational Church, located in downtown Paso Robles, recently welcomed a new lead pastor. The Reverend Wendy Holland was hired in August after a nationwide search for a new pastor. The move to Plymouth Congregational Church (PCC) is a homecoming for Holland who is returning to her childhood home on the Central Coast from San Diego, where she’s worked for 15 years in ministry.
Holland holds her Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology. Ordination wasn’t always in her sights, but Holland was involved in church leadership from early adulthood. Her path, however, was less conventional.
“I’ve resonated with Jesus’s message of love and sacrifice as far back as I can remember,” she said, “But when I realized that Christianity was frequently represented by people and agendas that opposed Jesus’s priorities – things like grace and inclusion and caring for the poor – it just ate away at me.”
She says this motivated her toward more intense study, with the objective of better understanding those priorities. and the more she learned, the more she wanted to share that hope with others.
“I’ve been hugely blessed to learn from and serve and fellowship with a really diverse group of leaders and believers,” she said, “I’m so encouraged by the fact that we don’t have to agree on every little thing – or even all the big things – to value and care for each other.”
Holland notes that the real work of following Jesus “is in loving our neighbor in ways that stretch faith and keep the focus on God and each other, instead of on self.” She sees that combination of unity and diversity in her new home church, noting that Plymouth is a safe
space, and that the invitation to get involved comes with genuine welcome and inclusion.
“When we commit to the Gospel, God is always doing something new in our lives, and rarely is it what we expect,” she says, “But as a friend recently said, we’re not looking to change anyone. That’s God’s job. We just want you to be part of what’s happening here.”
Holland grew up in nearby Arroyo Grande and says she is excited about returning to San Luis Obispo County. She is accompanied by her 16-year-old daughter, Isabelle. Her 21-year-old son, Donovan, is in his senior year at San Diego State University. She takes over for interim pastor Alex Dreese, who led the congregation during the interim period and led the Pastoral Search team. The previous lead pastor at Plymouth was Reverend Steven Mabry, who retired in March 2020 after serving the congregation for 15 years.
Pastor Wendy invites all to attend the annual Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 5 p.m. on Dec. 24, which is always a special and memorable service at Plymouth Church. Plymouth Congregational Church meets in person for worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. (indoor masking as long as the state mandate is in place), followed by fellowship (both indoor and outdoor options are available). Weekly church services are recorded and available online and on their YouTube and Facebook pages. More information can be found at www.plymouthchurchpaso.com.
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