PASTOR

Rev. Martha Slocombe

Pastor Martha’s faith is rooted in the belief that each of us is a beloved child of God, and that there is nothing that any of us can do to change that. God calls us to be in community because it is in relationship with others that we best come to experience our relationship with God. Nurturing vibrant congregations is the joyful and energizing call on Pastor Martha’s life, and she feels blessed to be in ministry with First Presbyterian Church.

Pastor Martha has two children, Hazel and John, who spend a lot of their time at The Rose Studios as a part of their Brigade musical theater program. Both love to read, produce their own short videos, and groan at their mom’s bad puns. In her spare time, Martha enjoys running, backpacking, yoga, reading, listening to podcasts, crocheting, solving puzzles, and movie nights with her kids.

Background
In addition to her most recent post as the Protestant Chaplain at Creighton University, Pastor Martha has years of experience serving the church as Solo Pastor, Parish Associate, and Christian Educator. She has served on denominational committees, including the Missouri River Valley Presbytery Commission on Ministry (COM), Whitewater Valley Presbytery Triennium Registrar, Synod of Lakes and Prairies Finance Committee, and Iowa Representative to the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE). Several churches use curriculum written by Pastor Martha, such as All Church Sunday School and Covenant Groups. She is also frequently called upon to teach yoga classes, lead retreats, and provide trainings.

Before becoming a pastor, Pastor Martha taught middle school math and language arts in Iowa and upstate New York.