About Our Pastor:

Pastor: Reverend Elizabeth Pang

Greetings First Presbyterian Church of Copperas Cove!

I am so pleased to be joining you as your pastor. In the coming weeks, I look forward to getting to know each of you, and learning about the ministries you're doing in and outside the church.

I recently returned to my roots in Texas when I moved to Austin in August. Previously, I was serving a congregation in Columbus, Nebraska as their Associate Pastor. I was simultaneously dating a handsome gentleman I met in Atlanta after I graduated from seminary. After three years of saying hello and good-bye in airports, we decided to quit long-distance dating and get married. Derek moved to Austin last March, and I said good-bye to the good people of Nebraska and came in August. We were married in October. Derek works from home for AT&T as a Technical Architect. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona where his parents and many of his extended family still live. He has two brothers, the older married just three months before we did. His younger brother has just accepted a position with the State Department, and will be sent somewhere overseas this coming summer.

I grew up in Houston, Texas with my parents and older brother. Since high school, I've lived in North Carolina, Montana, Atlanta, and Nebraska. While I love being back in the great state of Texas, I do miss the snow! I've also been fortunate to travel internationally to Indonesia (where my parents lived for five years), and parts of Europe, Southeast Asia, and central America. My parents now live in Austin, and have a lake house on Lake Travis that floods about every three years where my dad builds wooden boats. My brother works for Caterpillar, and recently moved with his family to Regensburg, Germany. Derek and I look forward to traveling to visit all the family we have living overseas!

Derek and I have two cats. I came to the marriage with a short-haired tuxedo cat named Toby. He's very active and lives to stalk Zoe, Derek's long-haired tuxedo cat, who prefers to sit in the sun and not be bothered. They're not as thrilled about our marriage as we are. We enjoy getting outside and hiking when we're not staying inside watching movies. We have a few TV shows we watch religiously. My only request is you not call on Thursday nights during LOST unless it's an emergency! And we have a list a mile long of places we look forward to traveling to during our lifetime.

I will spend two days a week (Sunday and another day TBA) in Copperas Cove where you can visit with me in person. Otherwise, I welcome your calls to my home phone (512) 535-7087. I also have a cell phone that I usually remember to carry with me, (512) 789-5662. I will turn it off when I am unable to talk, but I check messages frequently. If you're calling with an emergency at night, please keep calling if I don't answer the first time, as I probably didn't hear the phone immediately. You can expect to see Derek about once a month since I'll be working before and after services most Sundays. The other weeks he'll be a good Episcopalian attending church in Austin.

I look forward to hearing your stories, celebrating your joys, and journeying with you in faith. The peace of Christ be with you!

Love in Christ,
Rev. Elizabeth Pang

She will be in Cove on ?? and Sundays and for meetings.

Email: fizmarie@aol.com