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The Rev. F. Scott Petersen was born on March 2, 1963 in Staten Island, NY. When the Petersen family moved to Seguine Avenue in 1968 they began attending the Reformed Church of Prince Bay. Here, under the tutelage of his mentor and friend, the Rev. Dr. Winfield Burggraaff, Scott began his life-long love and learning of the Reformed faith. Scott’s call to preach the Gospel manifested itself while he was young. Dr. Burggraaff often enlisted Scott’s help in vacuuming the sanctuary, but whenever Dr. Burggraaff stepped away, Scott would sneak into the pulpit and preach to the pews!
After graduating from Tottenville High School in 1981, Scott attended Hope College in Holland, MI, where he majored in religion and ancient civilizations. While at Hope, Scott met his wife, Deborah. They have two daughters, Emily and Sarah. Many years later, Deborah learned that her great-grandfather, Henry Dekker, had been influential in Dr. Burggraaff’s life as his Sunday school teacher in Grand Rapids, MI.
In 1991 Scott received a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary, also in Holland.
Rev. Petersen became the first son of the Reformed Church of Prince Bay to enter the ordained ministry. He served as pastor of the Lawyersville and Sharon Reformed Churches (New York) from 1991 to 1994, the Griggstown Reformed Church (Princeton, NJ) from 1994 to 2000, and the Fairfield Reformed Church (New Jersey) from 2000 until his death in 2007 at age 44 from complications of treatment for leukemia.
The Rev. F. Scott Petersen Fund was established by the church in 2008 in order to provide scholarships for church members who are attending seminary.
Also in 2008 three members of the congregation responded, like Scott, to the call to preach the Gospel and are now studying for the ordained ministry at New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Glory be to God! A fourth member enrolled in 2010. In just two years – four times the number than in the previous 100 years!
Your contributions will ensure that those who are called by God will be equipped to preach and to teach and to provide leadership in Christ’s church – now and in the years to come.
Checks or money orders, made payable to the Reformed Church of Prince Bay, may be mailed to the church at 239 Seguine Avenue, Staten Island, NY10309. Please write “Rev. F. Scott Petersen Fund” on the memo line. Your donations are tax-deductible.
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