Introducing the Rev. Peter Kemp Perry 

It is a joyful and profoundly exciting honor to be invited to offer my pastoral leadership in a place like Saint John United Methodist Church. In my nearly three years of association with the Alaska Conference I have come to know Saint John as a place where the gospel of Jesus Christ is practiced with passion by those who call Saint John their spiritual home. Dave’s great leadership for so many years, and John’s dedicated interim ministry, make it easy for me to step into the role that Bishop Hagiya has entrusted to me.

But let’s be real and admit that while a bishop’s appointment may make me your pastor in name, it is the experience of walking together in faith that will make me your pastor in spirit. I am so looking forward to the walk of faith that we will soon share. I look forward to sharing the gospel with you in worship on Sundays, and I look forward to praying with you in times of need. I look forward to baptizing your children, and celebrating the lives of your saints. I look forward to engaging the world with you as we work to establish the reign of God in our midst. I look forward to rejoicing with you as the Spirit of God works in our lives in ways we cannot imagine until it happens. Pastoral ministry is the privilege of sharing a journey that unfolds in new ways every day, but which always leads us ever closer to the God who made us all, loves us all, nurtures us all, and redeems us all.

I'm providing this brief bio so that you might get to know me in advance of my arrival in July. I am a United Methodist by birth and by choice. I have been a United Methodist pastor for 25 years, serving churches as small as Moose Pass United Methodist Church and as big as First United Methodist Church of Phoenix.  I cannot imagine my life outside of this calling to preach and teach and lead God’s church as a pastor, and I am grateful to God for the call I first heard in junior high and continue to hear to this day.

I recognize in myself a need for God, a need I share with all humankind, indeed with all of creation. I experience the love of God seeking me out and inviting me home. I describe this love of God as grace, freely given and undeserved, and it is the defining characteristic of God in my mind. God loved me into a relationship with God that is centered in the story of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection empowers my daily life.

Labels are often misleading, but I would say that I am theologically at once both evangelical in style and progressive in belief. In good Wesleyan fashion I don’t believe God is done with us just yet, and so I try to keep an open mind about all things theological, and I get nervous when any religion starts to close doors and close minds. I believe that the scriptures are really one big story of hope, and so I try to embody that hope in my ministry. Our Christian story is a good news story. Even on Good Friday, I’m remembering that Easter is just around the corner.

I have a wonderful wife, Karen, an accountant by trade, who helps keep me organized. We enjoy walking and spending time together in nature, traveling and being with friends and family. Together we have two great adult children. David is our eldest. He is a motion graphics and animation designer for Troika Design Group in Hollywood, CA. Our daughter Elizabeth is a junior at Boston University and is currently spending a semester abroad in Copenhagen where she is earning credits toward her undergraduate history degree. She hopes to continue in her studies and eventually teach history at the graduate level. It goes without saying that we are proud of our children!

We moved to Alaska from Arizona and have fallen in love with this state and have come to think of it as home. It will be a joy to center our lives and our future here with Saint John United Methodist Church.

For those of you who want to know the names and dates in my resume, you can find them below.

Personal Data

Born January 11, 1959 in Cincinnati, Ohio

Married Karen Barter, May 8, 1982

Ordained a Deacon in the United Methodist Church, June 17, 1984

Ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church, May 24, 1987

Educational Background

Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton, CA, June 1977

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, Sep 1977 - May 1978

California State University, Fullerton, CA, May 1982, B.A. (History)

Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA, May 1985, M.Div.

Pastoral Employment Record

Youth Director, First Congregational Church, Berkeley, CA, 1982 to 1985

Associate Minister, Velda Rose United Methodist Church, Mesa, AZ, 1985 to 1988

Minister, Sedona United Methodist Church, Sedona, AZ, 1988 to 1994

Senior Minister, Prescott United Methodist Church, Prescott, AZ, 1994 to 2001

Senior Minister, First United Methodist Church, Phoenix, AZ, 2001 to 2007

Pastor, Seward Memorial and Moose Pass United Methodist Churches, Seward, AK, 2007 to present