The Rev. Shelley Wiley, Ph.D., began serving as pastor at Slifers Presbyterian Church in Farmersville on June 1. After 36 years in ministry, she has served six churches in various pastoral roles and has taught Religious Studies and Philosophy in four different colleges throughout the US, mostly in the Midwest; some of that time she was either a full-time pastor or professor, and at other times she served in part-time pastorates while also a regular Adjunct Professor. In her pastoral work she is excited to be with churches who reach out into their communities to serve Christ by serving others, she loves all aspects of worship, and enjoys being involved in educational opportunities in the churches. She has also been involved in local ecumenical relationships and looks forward to working with the pastors and churches in Farmersville.
You cannot talk to Shelley for very long without finding out about her love for Haiti. In 1997 she traveled to Haiti with eight other Presbyterian pastors and fell in love with a ministry that works with children and adults living with various disabilities, and with the Haitian culture in general. She has been to Haiti over 30 times and has often taken groups, though that has slowed. As the Pandemic combined with political and social upheaval in Haiti ends, she hopes she can return to visiting.
Shelley mostly grew up in Texas. She completed her seminary training at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and after a first call returned to graduate school to complete her doctoral work. She is married to Jon Vanderglas, and since the summer of 2013 they have lived on the farm where he grew up, not too far from Yellow Springs or Young’s Jersey Dairy.
Shelley says, “It feels odd to me to be introduced to the Presbytery of Miami Valley. I transferred my membership here in 2007 and have been quite active in the PMV. In 2018 though, I began serving as the Transitional Minister at a church in the Presbytery of Scioto Valley and transferred my membership there, even while continuing to live at home outside of Yellow Springs, and staying involved with my local clergy group. I am delighted now to be both living and working within the bounds of this presbytery, and am already serving again on the Committee on Ministry.”
