Gary’s roots go back five generations in Elkhart County, Indiana. His father was a plumbing contractor, and his mother taught elementary school. Pat’s grandparents emigrated from the Ukraine to Canada. Her parents moved from Saskatchewan to Goshen in 1962; her mother lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
Since 1975, Gary and Pat have lived in Goshen, except for two periods in Chicago (1980-86, 2001-05). They have four children:
Rochelle (Hamilton, Ontario), three children;
Joel (Goshen, Indiana), married to Marita (Chupp), four children;
Carrie (Guelph, Ontario), one child;
Jared (Valemount, British Columbia).
After his first pastorate at Silver Street Mennonite (Goshen), Gary completed a Masters of Divinity at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. During the 1980s he was involved in urban ministry, church planting (Chicago and Goshen), church planting oversight (Central District Conference), and seminary instruction (AMBS). Since 1990, he has focused on congregations in transition through parish ministry, consultation and leadership development. Seventeen transitional assignments in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and Pennsylvania have included rural, small town, suburban, small city and inner city contexts. He is co-founder of Transitional Ministry Training, an assessment, educational and support program for transitional pastors and conference personnel.
Pat earned a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from The Family Institute of Northwestern University, and has a full-time private practice in Goshen as a marriage and family therapist. Together, they enjoy keeping up with their eight grandchildren (ages 6-18), reading, gardening, biking and the culinary, theatrical, musical and thrift store treasures found in large cities.