Guest pastor welcomed at Presbyterian Church

Shelter Island Presbyterian Church has announced that the Reverend Charles Orr will serve as a guest pastor for the next six weeks. A retired minister from Los Angeles, California, Reverend Orr brings to Shelter Island noteworthy experiences in serving the homeless.

While Reverend Orr preaches from the pulpit, church officers will continue efforts to hire an interim minister and begin the process of finding a permanent minister to follow the Reverend Bill Grimbol, who retired in June after 25 years of service to the community. All are welcome to attend services, which begin at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday through Labor Day.

Reverend Charles Orr was born in western Pennsylvania, spent his high school years in American Fork, Utah and graduated from Brigham Young University with high honors. Upon graduating from San Francisco Theological Seminary, he was awarded a fellowship for graduate study at Harvard University.

In l96l he was called to serve as Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in San Geronimo, California and a few years later became Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Santa Cruz, where he was active in community affairs, including the launching of a campus ministry at the University of California’s Santa Cruz campus.

In l970, he was called to serve as Senior Pastor of the Westwood Presbyterian Church, located near the campus of UCLA. Under his ministry there, the church became a catalyst, launching outreach programs. In l984, he and his wife, Claire, began a community-based organization, PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), which has helped thousands of men, women and children.

PATH has raised over $300 million for affordable and sustainable housing units in Los Angeles and San Diego.

A year later, the church helped to launch Child SHARE (Shelter Homes: A Rescue Effort), which has helped 3,000 abused and neglected children in Los Angeles County.

Reverend Orr retired in 2009 and has continued to serve on volunteer agency boards and as guest preacher at several churches. Claire manages her business as an interior designer and spends time working with PATH.

The couple has six adult children — two daughters by Charles and his first wife and three daughters and a son by Claire, with 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren — keeping them busy with birthdays, weddings and graduations.

They are looking forward to their stay on Shelter Island.