First Presbyterian Church of Taos welcomes new pastor
Bairby
The Rev. Virginia Bairby is now the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Taos.
She is responsible for leading the spiritual life of the church and for outreach to the community.
Church officials say she has been described as “one of the rising stars” in the Presbyterian Church. Bairby graduated from the College of William and Mary and later received her masters of divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary, where she earned the faculty fellowship for graduate study.
She has been a featured speaker and organizer at events across the country and has presented workshops related to the social justice ministries of the national Presbyterian Church, with a particular focus on young adults. A fluent Spanish speaker, she also spent a year serving in Lima, Peru, as a church assistant and translator for a Peru-based fair trade program. Her experience includes being a hospital chaplain, student pastor and a fellow for international issues with the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C.
“I am thrilled to begin this new chapter of life and ministry in a town with such a rich and diverse cultural heritage,” Bairby said in a statement. “As I have gotten to know Taos and First Presbyterian Church over these last few months, it has become increasingly clear to me that the church and the community each have a lot to offer, both to each other and to the world.”
Bairby’s family includes her husband, Andy Bairby.
“In particular, I have felt called to First Presbyterian Church because as a congregation, this church readily recognizes that they are a church in transition called to be faithful in a world in transition. I look forward to working together to participate in God’s work of love, justice and reconciliation, embodying that love and service in the Taos community,” she said.
The community is invited to meet Bairby at its 11 a.m. service Jan. 15, with a reception to follow. First Presbyterian Church of Taos is located at 215 Paseo del Pueblo Norte (next to Kit Carson Park).
