Edited by Vilma Shu
These past two years with the pandemic, we have all been jolted out of our comfort zone, leading us to ask the big questions about what matters and what is worth doing. It is not surprising that many people are now rethinking their careers. Sometimes in life, we put our dreams on hold because we have a family to support, kids who demand our attention, and we hope that one day we will finally get to do that one thing we are passionate about. It’s never too late to follow your heart and chase your dreams. It doesn’t matter your age or your previous career path; if you want to make a change, set your mind to that goal, and things will fall into place.
After a long career in journalism, David Pencek, a former editor of Town&Gown, decided at the age of 45 to switch gears and attend seminary school, with the goal to become a pastor. Although in 2017, the decision to leave a stable, full-time job at Town&Gown was difficult, the support from his family and the opportunity to work part-time at Schlow Library granted him the flexibility to continue to provide for his family and pursue his studies in seminary school. Four years later, Pencek is currently the pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Snydertown (near Howard).
Born and raised in Tunkhannock, Pencek graduated from Penn State in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and completed his master of divinity degree in 2021 from the United Lutheran Seminary. Among other things, as a pastor, he leads worship, facilitates outreach in the community, and visits with homebound members of his congregation in Snydertown.
Town&Gown founder Mimi Coppersmith sat down with Pencek via Zoom to discuss what led him to switch careers and how his family has adjusted to life in his new role.
Mimi: Well, this is quite an interesting turnaround in your life. I’d like to start out by recalling my last interview with you in Rye Brook, New York, when I hired you. You were coming from a newspaper. What year was that?
David: Yeah, it was 2005. I was working in eastern Connecticut. And, my now wife, she wasn’t my wife at the time—she and I were looking at possibly moving down to this area. I think she had already gotten a job offer from the Altoona Mirror and I was just waiting to officially see if I was getting a job offer from you.
Mimi: And you did. You stayed with Town&Gown for how long?
David: A little less than 12 years. I left in the summer of 2017.
Mimi: And you left under good terms. You decided to change your career, and I respect that. I was frankly surprised when you left that job. Not just surprised, amazed that you were making a major change in your life. What was the motivation? Was there an event in your life? Did you have this on your mind for a long time? Or was there that aha moment that occurred? That you said, by golly, I’m going to try this?
David: When I was a kid, some people thought that I would become a pastor because I had a real interest in church and the Bible. But eventually I pursued journalism because of my love for sports and became a sports reporter and thought that this is where I was going to be for the rest of professional life. And then when I got to Town&Gown, I was completely happy there. But then, something kept stirring in me to look at becoming a pastor or do something more with my faith, and maybe pursue it. It’s just a weird journey. Faith has been part of my life throughout, but in varying degrees. I think moving to State College and this area, I became more involved in the church. I guess it was in 2016 when I started really looking into the possibility of going to seminary and how it could work and thinking if I could go to school and keep my job at Barash. I realized that it wasn’t going to work that way, both for me and for the staff at Barash. It would be unfair to everyone if I tried to do that. And then just finally, some pieces fell into place.
Mimi: What pieces fell into place?
David: On a whim, Cathi Alloway, the former director of Schlow Library, contacted me saying that they were looking for a new communications person. She wasn’t asking me about the job because she thought I was happy at Town&Gown, but she wanted to know if I knew people who might be interested. I saw this as a part-time job that would allow me to still make some money while I go to school and do something I enjoy. And so that piece fell into place. I met with her, and we talked. I told her what I was doing. And I have to give Cathi and everyone at Schlow much gratitude because when I came on board there, they were all wonderful. I needed a job to help support my family, but a job that allowed me flexibility because I would be gone a few days a week at school, and they were great. So, that was a big piece that fell in place that allowed me to still help support my family while going to school.
Mimi: So, how was the juggling act? How did you make that transition?
David: It was a pretty smooth transition. What I loved about Town&Gown is we did some challenging stories, but for the most part we’re looking at what’s good in this community. I loved the good stories about the people and organizations in the community, and that includes Schlow, so I was very happy working at a place that has such a positive impact on the community. Throughout my time attending seminary, I continued questioning if I made the right move all along the way. I kept thinking, something is going to come up that’s going to say, okay, I’m not on the right path. But like I said, things just kept going in this direction to where I am now.
Mimi: Well, I can remember meeting your mother. I can still hear her say to me: “Take good care of my son.” And now her son has elected to take care of a congregation. It’s a dramatic change in lifestyle and probably purpose. Tell me what that’s like to make this decision at about 50 years of age?
David: You feel an incredible responsibility, obviously. Especially with the last few years with COVID. Churches were closed for a while but have now reopened, and just how do you care for your community in that way? You pray and you just hope you’re making the right decisions when you walk with people on their journeys of life.
Mimi: Does that lift you?
David: It does, but it can be challenging, too. I had to do a funeral on Christmas Eve, so I am with someone who I know and care about and who is grieving the loss of a loved one on a day when so many are celebrating because it is Christmas Eve. So, meeting people where they are at on their journeys of life, all the while, you know the tough times they go through, but also the joys. I’ve had the honor of doing a couple of baptisms as well. It can be a bit of a roller coaster.
Mimi: Are you glad you did it?
David: Yes, I am. It’s been a wonderful journey. I actually did my internship at this congregation and then I became their full-time pastor. So, that’s been a smooth transition. It’s a wonderful congregation.
Mimi: We hear a lot about rural Pennsylvania, and you are now guiding a congregation in rural central Pennsylvania. Do they think that much differently from the way the borough and township people think?
David: I think there are differences. State College is almost its own thing. But I think there’s a lot of similarities, too.
Mimi: What are the differences, philosophically and politically?
David: I think the congregation, from interactions I’ve had, is a good mix of people who thinking differently on things, because I know people who voted for Joe Biden and people who voted for Donald Trump in the last election, and we get along, which is good, because we can come together, respecting each other, seeing each other as children of God, to worship and to do ministry work outside the church, helping people and organizations in our communities that need help. One difference that I think—a good example can be found within the school district right now. I have two kids in the State College School District, and the district is talking about the school calendar for next year. And the debate is whether to start the school year after the Grange Fair, or before. For my congregation, the Grange is huge. We are in a rural community, and there are farms surrounding the area. State College usually follows Penn State’s schedule. That could be one thing that is probably a big difference.
Mimi: That’s probably one that’s difficult to change. Did you have any trouble adjusting to life among the faithful and life in the competitive workplace?
David: Yes and no, because I’m fairly competitive myself. When I was working at Town&Gown, you want to have the best issues and best stories. When I was in newspapers, I wanted to have the big stories and interviews. But within the church and your faith life, it isn’t about competition. Whether someone is a member of St. Mark or not, if they need to talk to me about something, I’m available. For my competitive streak, I coach youth basketball on my kids’ teams!
Mimi: Obviously, you must be motivated to help other people understand their own lives. How do you think you got that asset in your brain?
David: That’s been in my family. Even in journalism, when you’re interviewing people, I am there to listen to them. When I was a sports writer, I listened to coaches and athletes after wins and losses. In Connecticut, I covered music and theater, and I am not a musician or actor, but to hear people talk about something that they’re passionate about, I care about it, too. Also, I still help with the Jana Marie Foundation, which deals with mental wellness and mental health, and that’s a big thing for me. I still want to be part of that, especially these days. It’s such an important part to care for people, as we all have been struggling or dealing with what has been going on in the last couple of years.
Mimi: Well, you’re at a younger age, and have found something that I’ve found at an older age, that there is such joy in helping others solve or approach their problems to figure out a solution. And I’m not a member of the clergy. But I’m a feminist that feels blessed that I’ve been able to be in many leadership positions. And I still want to help solve the problems that other women have because I feel I’m on the A team. I’ve had a lot of experience. And it seems to me that you’ve come to the clergy after having a lot of experience writing good stories about good people, solving problems, and getting to the presses on time. You had good training to be someone who could help other people. I came to this interview wondering how you made the various changes along the way because they carry with them some danger. You have to make a living for your family.
David: Yeah, that’s true.
Mimi: So, was there a particular incident that pushed you in this direction? Because you made a tough decision, to become a member of the clergy for a rural congregation with complex issues and yet you seem to arrive at the state of mind that keeps you on a positive track.
David: I can’t really say there was one thing that did it for me. Working at Town&Gown was a big part of it. For 12 years, when we would have meetings about stories, what’s going on in our community, and what can we do to make an impact or show people making a difference, and that was a big part of it, honestly. And I loved the collaborative process that happened there. And I’ve tried to keep that even as a pastor at a church. The congregation where I am at had been without a pastor for three years but they continued to do amazing ministry work; they do a lot of work helping organizations in the communities, such as local food banks, women’s shelters, men’s shelters, and they were doing that before me. So I’m stepping in now to help them continue that work and maybe expanding it a little bit. I hate saying, “We’re in this together,” because you’ve heard that a lot. But we are in this journey together, and we want to see where God’s spirit leads us, and we can help out and make positive impacts.
Mimi: At the same time, your wife has also left the journalism scene. When did that take place?
David: She’s continues to be a freelance writer and she is now at Juniata College. She left the Altoona Mirror and went to work for Penn State—first at the Center for the Performing Arts, and then the Gender Equity Center, where they help people who are dealing with assaults and abuse on campus. She was there until she got this job at Juniata College where she’s doing similar work, but she’s now the head person.
Mimi: So, tell me about your children in this whole transition.
David: They’ve been great. They’re young enough that they went with the flow. And the fact that we didn’t have to move, that was another big thing. When I was thinking about going to school, I didn’t want to have to move the family. And same thing with where I can become a full-time pastor—that I wouldn’t have to uproot my family. So, that was huge. I’ve tried to make it as smooth and the least stressful a transition for my family as possible. My kids still have their friends, and they still go to the same schools. So, they’ve handled everything really well.
Mimi: So how far away are you from your workplace?
David: It’s about 35 minutes. It’s not too far from the Clinton County border.
Mimi: So, what do you do for fun?
David: I still like to go to Penn State games. My kids are involved with sports, so having fun there. Just being with friends and my family.
Mimi: You sound like a simple guy in a complex world. So, you enjoy preaching?
David: Yeah, I do. That was tricky. What I’ve found, and what other people have said, is that my background with journalism and writing would help, and it has—just sharing a different kind of good news these days!
Mimi: What’s the hardest thing you have to deal with in any given day?
David: It’s getting messages or calls when someone has died or is at the hospital. It was tough the week going into Christmas. We had a couple people who had to go to the hospital for various things happening to them. I had a funeral, as I mentioned. That’s never going to be easy to do, but you honor people in those moments. And I’m just there to be present. I always worry that am I going to say something wrong, or am I going to know what to say. And what I find is just to be there for whatever they need. If they’re angry, let them be angry. You’re just there to show them that their emotions are respected, honored, and acknowledged, and that God loves them and loves the person they lost, if they lost someone.
Mimi: Well, what advice do you have for our readers on the process of making big decisions to change their life?
David: I’d say if there’s something that you feel an itch to do or there’s something you think you have a passion for, try to make it happen. And, in some ways, this is maybe as good a time as any. A lot of people are working from home. It might be as good a time as any to try something new. If there’s something like a little bug in your ear saying, “Oh, you should do this,” listen to it, and see where it takes you. You never know.
Mimi: Well, a lot of people know your name and who you are because you’ve written a lot of good stories in Town&Gown. I generally don’t like people who quit. That’s when I was younger. But now I realize that everybody has their own mind, and they must do what is the next chapter in their own book. I’ve enjoyed looking back and forward with you. And I commend you on a dramatic life change. And it sounds like you found the place you want to be.
David: Yeah, definitely.
Mimi: What are your closing thoughts?
David: I want to thank everyone who helped me during this journey, obviously starting with my family, but also the people at Town&Gown I worked with were just wonderful and I made some great friendships there. And then, Schlow Library, the Jana Marie Foundation, everyone who has supported me in my decision, and helped make it possible for me to become a pastor. Pastor Lynn, who is now retired, and the people at Grace Lutheran—I can’t thank them enough, as well as the pastors who sort of mentored or supervised me the last few years, especially Pastor Osman in Bellefonte and Pastor Shock in Pleasant Gap.
Mimi: Well, I think many of us have a dream. And many of us never reach our dream. But you’re a good example of a guy who had a dream from an early age and got to fulfill it before he was an old man. Thank you for taking time to share it with our readers. All I do now is “Lunch with Mimi.” You have to move on in life, and I find every day a bonus. Good to be with you. Good luck in helping others. It’s a marvelous process, and you seem to have your arms and mind around it. I wish you only the best.
David: Thank you. Same here. I wish you the best as well.
This interview appeared in the February 2022 issue of Town&Gown.
