rev. dr. stephen d. adkison,

pastor at SI presbyterian church

Hello Shelter Island Presbyterian Church and grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The world has experienced a time of great historical unrest with the Covid-19 pandemic, political turmoil, financial hardship, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. How are we to respond as followers of Jesus?


With God’s love. One of my favorite verses in the New Testament is from I Peter 4:8, which proclaims, “Above all, love one another deeply...” The very foundation of my pastoral ministry is this radical, transformative love, for it is this love that enables and empowers us to love ALL unconditionally. As followers of Jesus, if we love one another deeply, as the Apostle Peter says, then spiritual growth will happen, and if spiritual growth is happening, then the ministry of Shelter Island will grow in every desired way. As your Pastor, my primary goal for myself and for Shelter Island is simple yet challenging. It is to allow God’s love to grow deeper within us and to then go forth and give it away to all.


As I close, I want to extend a special thank you to the PNC and to the Session of Shelter Island PC, and to the Presbytery of Long Island and to any others I may have missed who helped make it possible for me and my family to be here with you. We look forward to living and serving with you on Shelter Island for many years to come!

 

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Steve

more about pastor steve...

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Douglas Adkison, born in 1968, grew up in the River Valley of Russellville, Arkansas. He graduated from Russellville High School with honors in 1987, from Arkansas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Theater in 1992, from the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky with a Master of Divinity degree in 1995, and from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California with a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2011. Before being called to Chapel by the Sea, Ft. Myers Beach, Florida in 2014, Dr. Adkison served churches in Indiana (1994-1997); Arkansas (1997-2008); and Missouri (2008-2013). He has pilgrimaged to Israel twice, in addition to Italy, Greece, and Turkey.


In addition to parish ministry, he served as a Pastoral Counselor at both Norton Psychiatric Hospital and Dismas Charities (St. Patrick’s Halfway House) in Louisville from 1995 to 1997. He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Speech Communication at Hannibal LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri from 2011 to 2013. He served as a member of the Chaplaincy Corp of Hannibal Regional Hospital and served as its President in 2013-2014. Dr. Adkison enjoys his family and friends, fishing, aviation, motorcycles, reading, travel, playing and listening to music, and martial arts. 


Pastor Steve and his wife, Amy Taylor Adkison, married on December 8, 2019 in Jerusalem, Israel. Amy is a lover of God, her husband, family, friends, nature, animals, and all people. She is a treasure hunter, seeing precious things everywhere. Amy graduated from Columbia International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible (2011) and a Master of Arts degree in Teaching (2012). She is a former 5th grade teacher and a passionate educator of the heart and mind, specializing in individualized education. Amy is the founder of her own small company, Image, the education company that focuses on how individual students are created uniquely and then makes an education plan accordingly. Her hobbies include baking, biking, creating, hiking, loving her family, reading, thinking, walking, and finding joy in life.


They together share three children: Hannah (28), April (24), and Taylor (22, Student at Stoneybrook University). They also have a lovable dachshund named Cinnamon, two cats named Archie and Hermione, and one rabbit named Harvey, a.k.a. Bun-Bun.

Our mission Statement

We envision the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church as a spiritual heart of our small island community -- a congregation that keeps its doors open to all and offers service and support to friends, neighbors, and visitors from beyond our shores. We will encourage the spiritual growth of our church's people in Jesus Christ through worship, service to others, stewardship, study and fellowship with one another. We will work to increase our spiritual engagement with youth, young families and our growing senior population. Inspired by God's Word, we look forward to our future with faith and confidence in God's purpose for us. 


AS WE BELIEVE, SO WE DO.