Our Pastor

Rev. Dave Schlicher began his ministry with College Community Congregational Church on June 1, 2004.  He is married to Anne W. Jenny, who is a commissioned minister in the United Church of Christ, building a practice in congregational development and conflict resolution. 

Dave's first career was as an electrical engineer and holds a BSEE from the University of Utah and an MSEE from Georgia Institute of Technology. He trained for the ministry at Iliff School of Theology, a United Methodist seminary in Denver, Colorado.   Since 1989 Dave has served congregations at the Church of the Holy Trinity UCC in Hagerstown, Maryland; Church of the Pacific UCC in Princeville, Kauai; Mayflower Congregational UCC in Englewood, Colorado, and Zion UCC in Sterling, Colorado. He says "I felt a call to the ministry over a long period of time. The social justice witness is one of the areas which really turned me on to the church. There is so much more to the church than one hour on Sunday mornings. Instead, the ministry of the church, for pastors and lay persons alike, is what gives meaning, direction and purpose for our days."

Dave and Anne are new to the Fresno community but he is obviously excited about getting involved with church and social justice issues. "I am excited for new opportunities to work with other committed people. Involvement with the social justice aspects of ministry--this is where I am personally fed." What does Dave see as the greatest needs in terms of social justice in the Fresno Community? "As a newcomer, I am just learning about the Fresno area and needs in this community, but I think there are two underlying questions which people concerned with social justice are facing everywhere, including Fresno. One is the question of war and peace, brought to the fore these days in the conflict with Iraq. The basic issue here is what kind of country are we going to be? The direction of our country troubles me greatly. The second basic question people concerned with social justice face everywhere is this: What about the distribution of world harvest? What about the disparities between those who have and want more, and those who don't have and want access to any. This ties into the question of war and peace. These are the two basic questions people concerned with social justice are asking everywhere. We don't recognize how much we benefit from inequality. We benefit from low food prices because people who produce the food do not get paid much. We benefit from goods being manufactured overseas and because this keeps the prices down. We participate in these systems and cannot claim to be innocent." (From "Conversations with Pastor Dave Schlicher," Fresno Metro Ministry News and Views, September 2004.)

Dave's spouse, Anne W. Jenny, is a native of Pennsylvania. She is a commissioned minister in the United Church of Christ, a certified mediator, and is pursuing an M.A degree in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University.

Dave is a thoughtful, caring and compassionate man who believes that the love of God is at work in the world and in our lives, believes that worship is the central place in the life of the church and holds an enthusiasm for social justice ministry.