Carl F. Schultz, Jr., Interim Senior Minister
September 2002 to January 2005

The Rev. Dr. Carl F. Schultz, Jr. joined Old South Church as Interim Senior Minister after he himself only recently retired from 34 years as Senior Minister of the First Church of Christ in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Carl is a graduate of Tufts University, Andover Newton, and Hartford Seminary. He served as minister in Plymouth, NH and Auburn, MA before moving to Glastonbury in 1968. Rev. Schultz has served as guest Chaplain in the United States Senate, initiated interfaith ministry with Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches in Glastonbury, overseen relationships and outreach initiatives with inner city churches in Hartford, and following a first sermon collection entitled "Faith Faces Forward," he recently had a new book of his sermons from his time at Old South published entitled
Faith Faces Forward II: Beyond the Ordinary.
Carl and his wife Della have three grown children and 10 grandchildren.
 

If you would like to read a full profile on Carl Schultz, please click here
Reporter, Winter 03 (PDF Format, 850K)

Carl finished his term at Old South Church on January 23, 2005
If you would like to read a final interview, please click below
Reporter, Winter 2005 (PDF Format 300K)

Carl Schultz and Jennifer Mills-Knutsen

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       Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, Assistant Minister
(Note: Jennifer has been called to be Pastor at St. Lukes UCC in Jefferson, Indiana.
Her term at Old South Church ended on October 2, 2005)

The Reverend Jennifer Mills-Knutsen came to Old South Church in March 2001 as Assistant Minister. She works closely with the Christian Service and Outreach efforts of the congregation, representing the church in numerous community organizations, helping church members become involved in community service and social advocacy, and keeping up with urban issues around Boston. Jennifer also works with Old South’s Religion and Arts Committee, Membership Committee, Young Adults Group, Women at the Well, and Christian Education programs, especially adult education. Before coming to Old South, Jennifer received her Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California and her B.A. from James Madison University. She has been deeply involved with issues around housing and homelessness for many years, through her work with H.O.U.S.E. (Housing Opportunities Uniting Students and Educators) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the Berkeley Ecumenical Chaplaincy to the Homeless and Jubilee Restoration in Berkeley. She also has an interest in women’s issues, and served as an intern for the Center for Women and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union. Jennifer has been married to her husband Josh since 1997, and they share their home with two cats, Ringo and Lilith.

If you would like to read about her Outreach Work at Old South Church,
please click here: Reporter, Summer 2005 (PDF File 400k)

If you would like to read about her reflections on her own ordination,
please click here: Reporter, Summer 2001 (PDF File 750k)

Gregory M. Peterson,    Organist and Minister of Music     617/425-5146 Greg Peterson to take    New Post at Luther College

Gregory Peterson is Organist and Director of Music at the historic Old South Church, Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts where he plays the church’s 124-rank E. M. Skinner organ (1921) for services and recitals. In addition, he conducts the Old South Choir, the Old South Ringers and performs with the Old South Brass, Organ and Timpani Ensemble including the ever-popular annual “First Night” concerts. He is featured on the CD “Old South Brass, Organ and Timpani: Heroic Sounds,” released in May of 2001 by Denouement Records. If you would like to hear his reflection on the making of this CD, please click here: Reporter, Summer 2001 (PDF File 750k)

A frequent soloist, Gregory Peterson has recently played recitals in important venues including the Riverside Church in New York City, St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, St. Nicholas Church in Prague, the Czech Republic, the World Headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Independence, Missouri and the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church) in Boston. As a conductor, he has led performances of Haydn’s Mass No. 3 in d minor (“Lord Nelson”), Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Rutter’s Requiem, Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Handel’s Chandos Anthem No. 6 (“As Longs the Hart”), Vivaldi’s Gloria, several Bach cantatas and recently commissioned works.

Gregory Peterson holds the DMA degree in Organ Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa, the MM degree from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and the BA degree from Luther College. He has done additional study at the Gothenburg International Organ Academy in Sweden. His major teachers include Delores Bruch, Charles Krigbaum and William Kuhlman. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. From 1997 - 2001, he was President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. Prior to his appointment at Old South, he served as Christ Chapel Organist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.

James W. Crawford, Senior Minister, Minister Emeritus

After 28 years of faithful and devoted service, the Rev. Dr. James W. Crawford retired as Senior Minister of Old South Church on August 31, 2002. Together with wife, Linda Lovett Crawford (pictured above), their presence will be sorely missed at Old South for many, many years to come. What Old South Church is today is largely due to their loving service to Christ's ministry for the past three decades.

The Rev. James W. Crawford spent his early years in ministry in East Harlem, New York City, amidst the struggle for civil rights--years which have had a lasting impact on his continued commitment to proclaiming Christ in the city. He served as chair of the UCC committee which assembled The New Century Hymnal, recently published in June, 1995. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Union Theological Seminary (New York), and Andover Newton Theological School, Dr. Crawford served as Senior Pastor at Old South from 1974 to 2002. Most of his sermons from 1995 to 2002 can be found on this website and they will continue to inspire us through these coming years as we read them over and over again.

In his retirement, he continues to be active on many fronts. Currently he is writing a chapter for a book entitled, "Making Good Pastors Better" entitled "Of Liturgy and Mission", working on new texts, metaphors and language for hymns, serving as Chair of the Program Committee of the Board of Visitors at Dartmouth College, serving on the Board of Directors of the American Congregational Association and its Library Committee, as well as serving numerous other "more eclectic" associations who are luckily receiving the benefits of his new "freedom." He will also be delivering the keynote address to the Dartmouth Class of 1958 at its 45th Reunion in June of 2003. On June 1, 2003, the congregation of the Old South church, unanimously voted him the honorary title of Minister Emeritus, a lifetime title recognizing Jim's 28 years of leadership and dedication at Old South.

For several articles devoted and dedicated to James W. Crawford upon his retirement, please click here:
Old South Reporter, Summer 2002 Issue. (PDF File 1.4 Meg.)

Lael has served at Old South Church since 1996, when she was first appointed as Pastoral Associate. She quickly proved herself to be an invaluable member of our staff, becoming Assistant Minister in 1998, and then elevated to Associate Minister (with special emphasis on Pastoral Care) in 2001. Her path to the ministry was not a typical journey, as she first started out in the corporate world. She decided in 1987 to leave that sector for social services, working for the City of Boston Commission on Affairs of the Elderly. After two years as an advocate for the elderly and becoming ever more aware of the isolation and unmet needs many of them experienced, Lael's journey led her to found and publish a newspaper for the city's elderly population. Next, after a stint working in hospital administration, she began to feel herself called to ordained ministry and started at Andover Newton Theological School, where she received her Masters in Divinity degree. After field education at Plymouth Congregational, she accepted the position of Pastoral Associate at Old South in 1996 -- and the rest, as they say, is history. During this crucial transitional period at Old South, she has shifted her responsibilities at Old South to now participate in all facets of our church life, including administrative, fiscal and leadership responsibilities in addition to her primary duties for pastoral care, counseling services and special education events, as well as helping to lead Sunday worship services and preaching monthly.

Guy Pealer, Ministerial Intern

Guy Pealer served as Ministerial Intern from the fall of 2002 to August 1, 2004.

If you would like to read a profile on Guy, please click here:
Reporter, Spring 2003 (PDF File 250K)
or as he departs on August 1, 2004,
Reflections of a Ministerial Intern, Summer 2004 Reporter (300K)
or for Text version (click here)