On February 24, 2008, the congregation of North Church formally called the Reverend William T. Hennessy to serve as its next installed pastor and head of staff. Reverend Hennessy began serving the congregation during the second week of June, and was officially installed as Pastor of North Church on Sunday, June 22, 2008.

About Rev. Hennessy: Reverend Hennessy's background, personality, sense of grace, preaching skills, and obvious fit with NPC led the Pastor Nominating Committee to an unanimous consensus that he represents the best choice to walk together with us into the future as our new Pastor.

Personal Beliefs and Theological Perspective: Reverend Hennessy describes grace as a core belief that resonates within him. He believes that grace grows when we honor the image of Christ in one another. We must listen attentively to each other, seeing that image of Christ, and thus allowing that grace to grow. In a larger way, Reverend Hennessy believes a church can measure what it does by its experience of God's grace revealed in Christ, found through an intentional commitment to being a grace-filled community. Reverend Hennessy finds grace once again in his role in the pulpit, treating it reverently as a place for teaching the word of God.

Grace undergirds a second theological value in Rev. Hennessy's life: commitment to full acceptance and inclusion for every person whom God leads into fellowship. "Responding to the image Christ begins, it seems to me, by acknowledging that image regardless of a person's circumstances. We don't choose whom Christ will call; our role is to receive one another with open hearts."

Professional Background: Reverend Hennessy comes to NPC with a rich background of experience in ministry. His most recent call has been as Pastor to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Bay City, Michigan, in the Lake Huron Presbytery. Rev. Hennessy has also served as Pastor of Doon Presbyterian Church in Kitchener, Ontario, and as Associate Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois.

In the Lake Huron Presbytery, Rev. Hennessy has served on the Committee on Representation, the Committee on Ministry, and the Stewardship, Mission Interpretation, and Communications Team. He has also served on a special mentoring/support group for the General Presbyter in 2004 and 2005, and was a delegate to the General Assembly from the Presbyterian Church of Canada in 1999.

Rev. Hennessy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Illinois at Champaign - Urbana, and a Masters of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. 

Personal Highlights: Reverend Hennessy, a life-long Presbyterian, was born and raised in Lawrenceville, Illinois, where his mother remains active in the Presbyterian Church in which he grew up. He met his wife, Beth, at McCormick Theological Seminary while they were both students. Beth is an ordained American Baptist minister. The couple has two children - Matthew, 11, and Sarah, 6, along with an energetic black Lab named Molly.

In their rare spare time, the Hennessys enjoy movies, reading, music, traveling, visiting state and national parks, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. Bill is also a self-taught student of the Irish penny whistle, and he hopes to take lessons in the future and ultimately study that music instrument in Ireland.