REV. KLAY ASPINWALL Rev. Klay A. Aspinwall has accepted the position of pastor for the Washington First Baptist Church and thereby puts an end to the search that lasted almost three years.

Aspinwall preached a "trial" sermon on Sunday morning, September 28, after which the church congregation voted overwhelmingly to extend the call for him to join the staff as pastor. He will begin his ministry this Sunday, October 5, as he conducts his first service in that capacity.

Coming to Washington with Aspinwall will be his wife, Amy, and their five children, Hannah, Klay Jr., Elizabeth, Abigail, and Jakob. They will move here from Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Aspinwall, 34, has about 10 years pastoral experience in Tennessee and Florida, is a native of Thomasville, Ga., but spent most of his formative years in Oviedo, Fla., in the Orlando area. He attended Carson-Newman College before transferring to Union University, where he graduated in 1996 with highest honors (summa cum laude), receiving his BA degree in religion and Greek. He also did graduate work in the School of Education toward an M.Ed. degree.

He went on to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and was awarded the Master of Divinity degree in December 2007. While at Southern he continued to distinguish himself as a student, winning the Presidential Scholarship Award and faculty nomination for the Clyde T. Francisco Preaching Award.

Rev. Aspinwall's early ministry was limited to churches in Tennes- see, but in 2002 he accepted a call to become senior pastor for Lakeview Baptist Church in Delray Beach, Fla.

During his tenure at Lakeview, Rev. Aspinwall also served five years as chaplain for the Delray Beach Police and Fire Rescue departments, including two terms as chief of chaplains.

Citing changing community conditions and their negative effect on his children, the growing need for improvement in area schools, and other personal considerations, Rev. Aspinwall resigned his pastorate in 2007 and moved his family to Gatlinburg, Tenn. Prior to accepting the position at First Baptist, he had been working in a secular job to support his family while looking for the right opportunity to resume his active ministry.