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Jay Groat was named senior Pastor of the First Congregational Church of Akron July of 2000. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History (1980) from Mount Union College, and both his Master of Divinity degree (1986) and Doctor of Ministry degree in Preaching (1992) from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago.

He and his wife Vicki have been joyously married since 1982 and they are the proud parents of son Jackson, born in 1995.

Jay is known for his dynamic presence in the pulpit where his sermons bring Jesus' eternal message to life in contemporary and lasting terms. His passions in ministry also include "getting your hands dirty" in service as well as Interfaith Relations.

He is past president of the Akron Area Interfaith Council. Jay's hobbies include a life-long love of sports, ornithology, the life and work of Van Gogh, and spending time with family.

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posted 9/22/2009 9:20:00 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	The Five Things We Cannot Change Again this fall I will teach our SpiritualJourney.Yours class as part of our Wednesday Night Live experience. We will be studying this book - The Five Things We Cannot Change... and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them by David Richo. read more "The Five Things We Cannot Change"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 5/27/2009 9:15:30 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	Whatever Road Our congregation lost a young man to death this month. Tom Hamilton died during the course of heart surgery. He was only 57 years old. That's too young to die. read more "Whatever Road "... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 4/17/2009 3:27:00 PM by Dr. Jay Groat
	Shine On March 31, twelve days before Easter Day 2009, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that twice in March racist graffiti was spray-painted on the walls of Lakeview Intermediate School in Stow, Ohio. read more "Shine"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 4/2/2009 9:42:04 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	God Calling One of the basic tenets of John Calvin's theology rested on the principle that every person is called by God to do something unique. The key to understanding this theory rests in the word calling. God calls and we respond. read more "God Calling"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 2/18/2009 10:23:53 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	The Gift of Mistakes In his latest book How We Decide neuroscientist Jonah Lehrer attempts to answer two questions. How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better? read more "The Gift of Mistakes"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 12/19/2008 9:14:00 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	The Other Wise Man In 1899 Henry Van Dyke published a piece of Christmas fiction entitled The Other Wise Man. It is a tale about the magical voyage of the three Wise Men of the East, how they traveled, guided by a single star, to bring gifts to the baby Jesus, who was lying in a manger in Bethlehem. read more "The Other Wise Man"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 11/19/2008 9:16:50 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	Jesus and John McCain - 11-19-08 One way or another, all Americans were part of history being made on November 4, 2008. And God, as always, was there. read more "Jesus and John McCain - 11-19-08"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 10/7/2008 8:58:38 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	The Great American Financial Crisis of 2008 There are no atheists in IRS waiting rooms. There also were probably no atheists on Wall Street on September 15th, 2008. That was the day the Dow Jones industrial average fell over 500 points: a new record drop. The market is falling, unemployment is rising, banks are being sold, and a lot of Americans are afraid. read more "The Great American Financial Crisis of 2008"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 9/29/2008 9:28:58 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	Perfectly You "Do not wish to be anything but what you are and try to be that perfectly." - Saint Francis DeSales Recently a friend shared this quote with me and it froze me in my tracks like a deer in headlights. I felt something to the marrow of my bones that goes to the heart of the matter of the spiritual journey. First I felt it, and then I began to think it through. read more "Perfectly You "... link to post \| (no comments yet)

posted 8/25/2008 7:15:46 AM by Dr. Jay Groat
	My Father Cannot Prove I Did It... I'm Gonna Lie When I was sixteen I smashed my father's powder-blue Chrysler. I had gotten my driver's license only a few months before, and that day was one of the first times he'd let me drive his car by myself. I drove from our suburban home into the city with a friend. Backing the car out of a parking place in a high rise garage, I slammed into a large concrete abutment. I spent the twenty minute ride home petrified, saying over and over to my friend, "I'm gonna lie. I'm gonna lie. I'll just say we walked up to the car and found it smashed. My dad can't prove I did it. I'm gonna lie." read more "My Father Cannot Prove I Did It... I'm Gonna Lie"... link to post \| (no comments yet)

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