FIRST (SCOTS)
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
THE REV. DR. L. HOLTON SIEGLING, JR.
Greetings, First (Scots) Presbyterian Church!
It is with a humble and grateful heart that I come before you today. From my first
conversations with the PNC until now, I have been most confident of God's presence in our
midst. Please know that while I am personally excited about celebrating the numerous ways by
which the rich legacy of First (Scots) is enlivened today, it is also the case that my entire family
eagerly awaits the opportunity to join with you in ministry and for First (Scots) to become our
church home. The rare privilege and awesome responsibility of serving as your Pastor is not
lost on me, nor is the joy of the richness of God's grace which is altogether sufficient. As the
way becomes increasingly clear for me to serve with you, please know that I embark upon this
call with humility and kindness, energy and great joy.
Until I speak with you again, take care and God bless,
Holton
Harrison (17), Martha Ann, Will (12), Holton, Mary Caroline (6)
HOLTON’S FAMILY
Holton was born in Orangeburg, SC on July 15, 1971 and grew up in Charleston, SC. He met his wife Martha Ann at a Presbyterian Student Beach Retreat.
Harrison is a 17 year old Junior at West High School in Knoxville. As a member of the track team, he enjoys throwing the discus and shot put. He is also an avid Ultimate Frisbee player. He recently served as a member of Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church's Youth Director Search Committee. He would like to attend Clemson University.
Will is a 6th grader at West Valley Middle School. He plays the piano and clarinet and enjoys spending time with friends and family. He is 12 years old and loves movies. He is also learning to play tennis and is currently taking art and golf lessons.
Mary Caroline is a 6 year old bundle of energy that doesn't quit. Much of her kindergarten year has been spent learning and smiling and playing. She can usually be found either at the pool or on the trampoline. She is a proud member of the children's choir.
While Martha Ann manages the Siegling family very well, she is also currently managing a friend's small clothing business while the kids are in school. She also enjoys subbing at local preschools from time to time. She heads up the baby meal ministry at church and serves in a variety of other ways in the community. She loves to walk and read and cherishes her occasional girls' night out!
Education: Clemson University, Clemson, SC Bachelor of Arts,
English, 1995
Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, Master of Divinity, 1998
Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA, Doctor of Ministry, 2007
Ecclesiastical Status: PC(USA) Presbyterian Minister of the Word and
Sacrament Ordination Date: March 21, 1999
Work Experience: Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church,
Knoxville, TN Minister (Head of Staff), 2011-Present
First Presbyterian Church of Fernandina Beach, Fernandina Beach, FL Minister (Head of Staff), 2007– 2011
The Marion Presbyterian Church, Marion, SC Pastor, 2002- 2007
First Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC Associate Pastor (Youth and Families), 1998-2002
Services to PC(USA): Presbytery of East Tennessee: Committee on Ministry Chair, Examinations Sub-Committee PC(USA) Ordination Exam Reader
St. Augustine Presbytery:
Pastor Nominating Committee Liaison Committee on Ministry
New Harmony Presbytery: Examination Panel
Committee on Preparation for Ministry Mission Committee
Community Service: Maryville College Board of Church Visitors Barnabas Center, Board of Directors
Serves the Fernandina Beach community by providing clothes, food, household goods, medical/dental care to those in crisis.
Rotary Club, Past President of Marion Rotary Club
Marion County Habitat for Humanity, Board Member
HOLTON’S BACKGROUND
I was blessed to be brought up in a Christian home
where faith was not simply a matter of attending church
on Sunday morning, but was also a vital part of
everyday life. Knowing from an early age that I would
serve God in whatever vocational capacity I found
myself, I received a more specific sense of call while
celebrating the Lord’s Supper at a Montreat Youth
Conference as a sophomore in high school. It was at
that moment when I felt the Spirit of God move within
me to affirm that some area of Christian
ministry would be my calling. In the
years that followed, I continued to be
actively involved in the local and greater
church in numerous ways.
Spending my freshman year
at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, I
attended the 203rd General Assembly
of the PC(USA), where I served as the
co-moderator of the Youth Advisory
Delegates (YADS). After transferring
to Clemson University, and while
participating in a Presbyterian Student
Association Beach Retreat, I met my wife
Martha Ann. I thought Martha Ann was
pretty amazing when, having been paired with her for
kitchen duty, she fulfilled our joint responsibilities
before I could even report for duty. As it turned out,
Martha Ann simply didn’t want to get stuck in the
kitchen with me because I was so intense and physically
active. With tongue in cheek, I like to say, “Now, that’s
divine intervention!”
One week after graduation from college, Martha Ann
and I were married. The following week we moved to
New Jersey where I began my studies at Princeton
Theological Seminary (PTS). I put my high energy to
good use by serving as the Athletic Director,
coordinating the intramural sports program. I fulfilled
two internships: one at the Flemington Presbyterian
Church and the other at the Presbyterian Church at
Westfield. I also fulfilled my Clinical Pastoral
Education at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital,
located in Philadelphia.
Upon graduation from PTS, I was called to serve as
the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at
First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg, South
Carolina. In the years that followed, I was called to
several other pastorates, namely: Marion Presbyterian
Church (Marion, South Carolina), First Presbyterian
Church (Fernandina Beach, Florida), and, most recently,
Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church (Knoxville,
Tennessee).
I am grateful and increasingly humbled to have
discerned with the members of the Pastor Nominating
Committee of First (Scots) Presbyterian Church this
new call to serve. Given my shared history with and
abiding love for the people of Charleston, my familiarity
with the ecclesiology of the Lowcountry, and the sense
of love for First (Scots) as well as the clarity of purpose
which was so evident on the part of the PNC, it was not
surprising to find that a sense of joy filled my heart to
overflowing as together we perceived
that to unite in ministry would not only
be a mutual blessing, but that it would
also be a most faithful response to God’s
work in our midst.
My life as a pastor has been rich and
full. In 2007 I earned the Doctor of
Ministry Degree from Columbia
Theological Seminary in Decatur,
Georgia. My continuing education has
come in a variety of forms, including
Presbytery sponsored events, Stephen
Ministry training, conferences offered
through Princeton Seminary, Youth
Specialties and the Festival of Homiletics,
as well as three Pulpit Exchanges with sister churches in
Scotland. Over the years, I have also enjoyed leading
continuing education events, though most of the time I
prefer the role of student. My most recent service to the
greater church has been with the Committee on
Ministry, though I have also enjoyed my past work as a
member of the Committee for Preparation for Ministry
and as an Ordination Exam reader. My involvement in
the community has included serving on such local
boards as Habitat for Humanity and the Barnabas
Center. Enjoying my work as a Rotarian, I am a Past
President and Paul Harris Fellow.
Martha Ann and I have three children: Harrison,
Will, and Mary Caroline. It was my distinct pleasure to
preside at the Baptism of all three of our children. In my
spare time I can be found spending time with my family.
I am an avid runner and participate in some rather crazy
“off-brand” types of races from time to time. I am hydro
and solar powered and am happiest when I am both on
the water and in the sun! Some of my great pastoral joys
include recognizing and celebrating the blessings of
God, walking alongside people in their Christian
journey, studying God’s Word while preaching it with
gusto, and maximizing people’s gifts for Christ’s service.
SPIRITUAL JOURNEY By The Rev. Dr. Lanneau Holton Siegling, Jr.
STATEMENT OF FAITH The Rev. Dr. L. Holton Siegling, Jr.
It is altogether humbling to contemplate the fact
that God is sovereign. It is certainly not within our
power to create the world out of nothing, nor are we
either the author of salvation or the divine giver of
grace; nevertheless, we can, by God’s grace, be a part
of God’s ongoing and redemptive work (cf. Acts 14:8-
18).
To help us better understand how God’s
redemptive love has been and continues to be at work
in the life of the world and within the hearts of God’s
people, we need look no further than the testimony of
the Scriptures, which, by the inward witness of the
Holy Spirit, prove as essential to our spiritual bodies as
bread is to our physical bodies (cf. Mt. 4:4).
I believe that the Bible is the only rule by which we
can know how to live and how to love as God’s people
(cf. II Tim. 3:16). The Bible speaks not only of the
dawn of creation but also about the consummation of
God’s story of salvation. The Bible conveys the very
narrative of grace through which the stories of our
lives finally make sense.
It is from within the context of God’s story of
salvation that we behold the ultimate revelation of
God’s love in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who
was with God in the beginning - who is God - who is
the way, the truth, and the life (cf. Jn. 14:6). I believe
that Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that, by
believing in him, I will share in that eternal victory (cf.
Jn. 3:16)! I also believe that Jesus ascended into
heaven and that he will come again.
I believe that the church is called to be the
visible expression of what God intends for the world
(cf. F-1.0301). I also affirm certain identifying marks
of the church, some of which are: the preaching of
God’s Word, the celebration of the sacraments and a
measure of ecclesiastical discipline (cf. 3.18).
I recognize that the sacraments are received by way
of dominical authority. In other words, Jesus tells us
in the Bible that we are to be about “baptizing [the
disciples/nations]” (cf. Mt. 28:19) and that we are to
“do” the Lord’s Supper “in remembrance of me” (cf. Lk.
22:19); indeed, the sacraments of Baptism and the
Lord’s Supper express for us in tangible ways the
redemptive work of God in Jesus Christ our Lord, and
it is through them that we more fully live into our
identity as the people of God.
For this I give God thanks and praise, that I am
known first and foremost as a child of God. I rest
confidently in the knowledge that I am chosen and
beloved. Moreover, I realize that I am called not to
privilege, but to responsibility (cf. S. Guthrie). The
concept of Christian responsibility is a vital part of the
historic mission of the PC(USA), and it is with a
grateful heart that I live my life within this
communion and in joyful response for what God has
done for us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Praise be to God that he continues to be at work in
the church and in the lives of her people.
Given our propensity to sin and fall short of the glory
of God, it is good to know that God will never
abandon us and that we have an advocate in the Holy
Spirit who directs us in the process of sanctification (cf.
Jn. 14:26).
Such an awareness of God’s grace as well as our
own depravity is reflected in our church’s polity, for it
continually testifies to the benefit of people
coming together to discern God’s will and the role of
the Holy Spirit in the midst of that discernment.
The fact that we come together, however, does not
necessarily mean that the church called forth is
somehow perfect, but it does mean that we trust in
God’s redemptive work through the Body of Christ, of
which Christ is undoubtedly the Head. I celebrate that
in our greatest joys and deepest sorrows as well as in
our good and bad choices, God is ever-faithful,
weaving our individual lives and the collective life of
the church into a grander pattern of purpose than we
can presently discern.
The Pastor Nominating Committee is very excited to nominate as our new Senior Minister and
Head of Staff, Dr. L. Holton Siegling, Jr., whom we have discerned God has called to lead
First (Scots) Presbyterian Church into the future.
Callie (Campbell) Stratos, Harold Davis, Charlotte Gillespie, Steve Harth, Bonnie Hutson,
Greg Jones, Elizabeth Ouzts, Saye Simpson, and Mark Zuraw.