Ohio pastor, writer will speak at church’s Loyalty Day

By Dwight Dana
Morning News reporter
Published: October 9, 2008

Peter Larson was a hard-charging newspaper reporter covering east Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma for the now defunct Dallas Times-Herald when he went to church one Sunday in Tyler, Texas.

Larson had drifted away from his Christian faith after graduating from the Medil School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1975.

He was assigned to a one-man bureau in Tyler, about 100 miles from Dallas. He thought he might meet some people at church.

“From that first Sunday going back to worship, it was like a homecoming to me,” he said during a telephone interview. “It was like God met me there. My life began to change dramatically, almost right away.”

But it was three years later before God pulled Larson out of the trenches of print journalism.

“I fought it as long as I could,” Larson said. “I just kept saying ‘no’ until God kind of wore me down.”

Larson headed for Princeton Theological Seminary in 1984. He graduated four years later.

He’s now senior pastor of Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, Ohio. He has served churches in Indianapolis, southern California and Seattle.

Larson will be the guest preacher at 11 a.m. Sunday when Darlington Presbyterian Church celebrates Loyalty Day. His topic is “Ezekiel in the Valley of the Dry Bones.”

“What we need is life,” he said. “When you are in a state of physical, emotional and spiritual death and someone can raise you from death to life, we all need him.”

Larson is a contributing editor to PRISM magazine, published by Evangelicals for Social Action. He also has been published in Daily Bread, Leadership Magazine and Christianity Today.

Larson’s father, Dr. Bruce Larson, is well known in Presbyterian circles. He was senior pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, a popular preacher and author of many books.

Special music will be provided by the chancel choir, Ann Dowling, organist; Bill Caudill, bagpiper; the Florence Brass Quartet; and Kevin Flowers, timpani and percussion.

A nursery will be provided and dinner on the grounds will follow the worship service.

Kevin Cauley is pastor of Darlington Presbyterian Church. He and members of the church invite all friends and community members to join them for this special homecoming service.

Meanwhile, Larson also worked for the Orlando Sentinel in Florida before moving to Texas. He covered the space program in Orlando.

And how much does he miss print journalism?

“I seriously feel like I’m still in the news business,” he said. “Every journalist looks for the ultimate story to write. To me, Jesus — his life, death, resurrection and what he is still doing — is the ultimate story. So I feel like I’m covering the ultimate story.”

IF YOU’RE GOING
WHAT: Loyalty Day
WHEN: 11 a.m. Sunday
WHERE: Darlington Presbyterian Church, 311 Pearl St.
COST: Free
INFO: Call (843) 393-4851