As a young girl, the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury’s newest associate pastor, Paulette Mixon, did not need to look far for a role model.
By:Casha Caponegro
As a young girl, the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury’s newest associate pastor, Paulette Mixon, did not need to look far for a role model.
"My dad, Paul Mixon, was a pastor," said the Rev. Mixon, 29, whose father is now retired and living in Florida. "I couldn’t wait to go to his office every day after school. I remember writing little sermons in first grade."
Growing up in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the Rev. Mixon was fascinated with the Bible and Christianity.
"It’s something that has always interested me," she said.
When she enrolled at Montreat College in North Carolina in 1990, however, the Rev. Mixon almost considered pursuing education rather than religious studies.
"At college I wanted to be a math teacher," said the Rev. Mixon. "But my college didn’t offer the necessary math courses, so I took Bible and religion courses instead."
"After college I traveled to Egypt, where I taught English for a year and a half," said the Rev. Mixon. "When I came back I thought about either entering the Air Force or seminary school. I applied to Princeton Seminary School and was accepted within a week. It seemed like it was God’s will for me to go."
Before the Rev. Mixon came to work in Cranbury, she worked from Oct. of 1999 to Aug. of 2000 for the World Council of Churches in New York City.
"This is an organization that tries to get different denominations of Christianity to work together on various projects," she said. "It helps churches throughout the United States realize there are Christians outside of this country. Sometimes it can be easy to forget about people outside of your local church."
The Rev. Mixon has traveled outside of the United States numerous times, working with different denominations of Christianity throughout the world.
"I once led a group of 15 Protestants to Israel to meet with Palestinian Christians of all different denominations," she said. "This was a really great experience. I think we often take for granted our faith and the freedom we have here. When you are a minority, it is much tougher."
In addition, the Rev. Mixon had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II when she attended the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, a school in Switzerland in which Christians from all over the world study together.
"It is hoped that the friendships made there can help keep the World Church connected," she said. "Meeting the pope was really exciting. He was so humble and seemed like such a great man. The experience gave me more respect for the Catholic Church and helped me to understand the role of the pope better."
The Rev. Mixon plans to use these experiences abroad as fuel for her work in Cranbury.
"I have had a good amount of international experiences with many different kinds of people," she said. "I’m hoping these experiences can help or impact my ministry here and bring Cranbury a broader perspective. I can’t wait to get to know the town and make new friends."
This is the Rev. Mixon’s first job as associate pastor. She started her ministry in Cranbury on June 1.
"There is a real shortage of Presbyterian pastors right now," she said. "I fell in love with the Cranbury pastoral nominating committee. I felt like this would be a great match. Cranbury is a very sweet, small town and is very family oriented. We have a great bunch of adults who volunteer to help us out with many of our projects. That is the great thing about this church."
As head of Christian Education and Youth Ministry at the First Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Mixon has already involved herself in various programs designed to educate children and adults alike. This fall she will teach Sunday school classes to seventh- and eighth-graders and will also be helping with confirmation classes in the spring.
"I will also be working on an after-school program on Wednesday, called Logos," she said. "In this program parents will come and help out their kids. It will promote recreational games, Bible and worship skills and family time. This will give different members of the congregation a chance to get to know the kids and promote relationships within the church."
The Rev. Mixon also will teach an adult education class throughout the year. The first 10 weeks of the course will focus on the Ten Commandments. It is scheduled to begin Sept. 16.
Anyone interested in information concerning the church’s youth groups, Sunday school, Logos program or the adult education classes should contact the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury at (609) 395-0897. A small fee will be required for enrollment in the Logos program.