Bill Sperry elected as East Woods' next pastor
East Woods Presbyterian Church is excited to announce the election of Rev. William "Bill" Sperry as its next pastor. Rev. Sperry was elected by a vote of 102-0 at a congregational meeting on Sunday, July 24, after Rev. Sperry spent the weekend meeting with church members and leadership.
Rev. Sperry comes to East Woods after serving as the associate pastor of college ministry and contemporary worship at First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills, Calif., near Los Angeles since 2006. He also served as the church's director of contemporary worship since 2001.
A Bay Area native, Rev. Sperry graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in communications in 1996. After moving to Los Angeles to work in marketing, Rev. Sperry began ministering to high school youth. He earned his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2006.
The election of Rev. Sperry ends an exhaustive 18-month search for a replacement for Rev. Scott Phillips by East Woods' Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). The PNC began its search with more than 240 candidates. After narrowing that pool down to 44 candidates, then 10, the PNC met with three finalists before voting unanimously to submit Bill Sperry's name to be the final candidate to be East Woods' next pastor.
Rev. Sperry is married to Molly, a pediatric intensive care nurse, and they have a son, Ben, born May 25.
Rev. Sperry will begin his ministry with East Woods in September, and his first Sunday in the pulpit will be Sept. 18.
East Woods would like to extend its appreciation to the members of the PNC for their tireless work over the past 18 months (pictured below, from left, with Bill): Rich Adamson, Richard Martinez, Patti Jones, Christine Whitney, Janet Luck, Susan Carlson and Dale Peterson.
