After several years of interim and supply pastors, the Second Congregational Church in Wilton has a settled part-time minister.
The Rev. Gary Klingsporn of Manchester accepted the position last month. When COVID hit in 2019, the Rev. Regina Kinney had just retired, and the church was seeking a new pastor. That search was put on hold.
Klingsporn came out of a recent retirement to join Second Congregational Church. He had been serving the First Congregational Church on Nantucket for 12 years. A native of the southern Ozarks of Missouri, he did his doctoral work at Baylor University in Texas.
In 1988, Klingsporn began serving at the Congregational Church in Edina, Minn., where he stayed for 20 years. He said he was attracted to Wilton by the church’s profile, one of the best he had ever read.
“I find Second Congregational Church to be a loving and welcoming church,” he said. “They are open to new ideas, challenges, ways to help people and serve the community. They hope to grow. in their membership, be more visible in the community, and open their doors to serve people and organizations.”
Klingsporn pointed to Wilton Collaborative Space and the Open Cupboard Food Pantry as proof.
“I am amazed at their warm, friendly, welcoming spirit and look forward to being their pastor,” he said.
Klingsporn and his wife Debra have two daughters, Laura and Kari. Laura and her husband Sergio Gomez live in Houston with their two sons, while Kari works as an interior designer in Lawrence, Mass.
Debra is an avid knitter and teaches knitting at The Elegant Ewe in Concord. They also have a rescue dog, Lucy.
The Second Congregational Church, 25 Gregg St., will hold services at 9:30 a.m. during the summer. Everyone is welcome.
Jessie Salisbury is a member of Second Congregational Church’s publicity committee.