Thomas
Daniel

To the Congregation of Highland Park Presbyterian Church,

I am humbled and honored to be considered as your next Senior Pastor. As my wife, Beth, and I met with the Pastor Nominating Committee, prayed about this opportunity, and sat with trusted friends and mentors who have guided us, it has become abundantly clear that God is calling us to join you all in Dallas and we are filled with gratitude and excitement for what the Lord has in store!

Your congregation has been close to my heart for many years and has certainly been in my prayers since Bryan Dunagan’s death. Bryan was a good friend of mine for almost 20 years, starting when we were both Associate Pastors in Atlanta. I understand the honor of following him as the Senior Pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church.

Through this discernment process, the Lord has revealed that HP Pres and I share deep convictions about what it means to follow Jesus and what it means to be the Church. I came to faith after college, through a missionary church in Japan, and I can testify to the ways that God can completely transform a life. I have planted a congregation and witnessed the amazing ways that God engages new generations when we think creatively about how to share the Gospel. I have been blessed to serve a vibrant and growing multigenerational congregation where we have experienced the Holy Spirit leading us to become a Love Letter from God to our neighbors. I am grateful for the ways that God has been faithful throughout the various chapters of my life, and I believe that each of these chapters have prepared me to join you all in ministry and mission.

For almost twelve years, our family has been blessed to serve at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Beth, a gifted pastor, serves on the staff of The Ministry Collaborative, which is a national leadership development organization for pastors across denominations. Our two daughters, Miriam Grace and Hannah Joy, are beautiful young women of faith who were each baptized as teenagers at Covenant. Both are now students at Baylor University (Sic ‘Em!) and I look forward to your meeting them in the near future.

For almost 100 years, God has blessed HP Pres in many ways. This is a congregation known for its dynamic commitment to the Gospel, to mission, to being an intergenerational church family, and to Christian leadership around the world. As we prepare to celebrate its centennial, and look to the future with hopeful expectation, Beth, Miriam, Hannah, and I are excited to be on the journey with each and every one of you!

Joyfully,

Rev. Dr. Thomas Daniel

Pictured, from left Kelsey Phillips (Co-Moderator), Bailey Schaufele, Jed Melson, Carol Chapman, Aaron Murff, Kurt Alexander, Ashley Shull, Austin Neuhoff, Alisa Sell, Charles Davis (Co-Moderator), Neil Rambin