A ‘calming and reassuring' pastor steps down from his pulpit

Pastor Bob Dent will give his last sermon at First Presbyterian Church of Monroe on Dec. 31, By Tony Houston Monroe - It’s been from Gerald R. Ford to George W. Bush; from “Rocky” to “Rocky Balboa” — and all the U.S. presidents and Rocky movies in between. That is the almost 31-year tenure of Pastor Bob Dent at the First Presbyterian Church of Monroe. After serving as pastor here in Monroe since March 1976, Dent and his wife, Judy, will retire to Maine in January. “Bob will be sorely missed,” said Kirk Watkins, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Highland Mills. “He is a vital fixture in the faith life of the community.” Watkins, who worked with Dent within the Monroe-Woodbury Clergy Association, said “Bob is someone very special.” Dent was born and grew up in Crosswicks, N.J. “It was a rural setting,” he said. “Our family raised some of our food in our vegetable garden.” He attended high school at Bordentown Military Institute in New Jersey. It was a disciplined life that included academic studies, chapel services, music and drill teams. He achieved the rank of battalion executive officer. It was in high school that the idea of going into the ministry first occurred to him. Dent’s education continued at Grove City College in Pennsylvania where he majored in philosophy in a pre-ministerial program. Next came Princeton Seminary. It was there that he married the former Judy Pollock in 1964. After pastoring four years in McConnellsburg and six years in Chambersburg, both in Pennsylvania, Dent was called to the First Presbyterian Church of Monroe in 1976. “Since then the church has kept up a vibrant membership,” said Dent. “We work with the Methodist Church on the Food Pantry and continue with the now 40-year old Monroe Presbyterian Preschool.” There are currently 82 children enrolled in the preschool. “The church has a strong music program,” said Dent. “We have a voice choir for both adults and youth, and a hand-bell choir for both adults and youth.” The largest project of Dent’s tenure was the near-doubling of the size of the church building on Stage Road in 2001 and 2002. The church was able to get a grant for half of the $1 million cost of the expansion. “Our kids grew up together; my wife and I are happy that Bob and Judy were here for more than a generation,” said parishioner Cliff Berchtold. “My wife, Marcy, and I look forward to visiting them in Maine.” Fred Lindlaw of Highland Mills, though not a parishioner, holds him in high regard. “Bob is a man of quiet faith; he is a very caring guy — not boisterous of flamboyant,” said Lindlaw. “Bob presided at a funeral for a friend of mine,” Lindlaw added, recalling how Dent was both reassuring and calming. Bob and Judy are the parents of a son, Doug, and a daughter, Janice, who was killed in an automobile accident. They are expecting their fifth grandchild in a matter of weeks. The pastor’s last service will be Sunday, Dec. 31. There will be a reception after the service.