A new leader at First Presbyterian

The Rev. Adrian Pratt has been at First Presbyterian Church in Baldwin for less than six months, but he has already had a positive effect on its parishioners. And according to some members of the congregation, Pratt, a native of England, is helping their efforts to improve attendance, particularly among youth, and also to bring a more modern feel to the church.

"He's been a very inspirational pastor — he just has a laid-back, anecdotal style," said Rich Perez, who has been a member of the church for four years. According to Perez, Pratt has a unique ability to reach individual members of the congregation by incorporating personal experiences and current events in spreading the word of God. Perez said he recalls a sermon in which Pratt talked about the suicide of popular English band, Joy Division's singer — who the pastor said had lost his way spiritually — in an effort to communicate the importance of faith in a person's life. "It really gave us something to chew on. He wasn't just talking about something that happened a thousand years ago. We need that type of message in our church right now. We really need to get the word out that there's a young minister looking to bring the message to the younger people."

Pratt, 52, was born in Moreton, a coastal town on England's Wirral Peninsula. He spent much of his life and pastoral career there before moving to the United States, where he served as pastor for two West Virginia churches over a 12-year period. But despite his international travel and numerous congregations he has served, Pratt said that Baldwin feels the most like his native Moreton. "This is very similar to the area I grew up in," he said, adding that while it didn't necessarily influence his decision to join First Presbyterian Church, he definitely appreciates the environment. "It was a nice surprise."