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Faith trip of Logan's new Presbyterian
pastor included Hawaiian barbecues, Jerusalem bombings
By Trevor Brasfield
April 30, 2007 | PROVIDENCE -- Having bombs lobbed
over your head and being mistaken for an Arab in a Jewish
town is not many people's idea of an educational trip,
yet for pastor Paul Heins it was one of many instances
that have shaped his life.
Pastor Paul, as he prefers to be called, is one of
the newest residents of Providence. Since March 1 he
is the head of First Presbyterian Church in Logan.
Pastor Paul was born in San Gabriel, Calif., to a
Dutch-Indonesia father and a Dutch mother. Paul's parents
met in the Dutch Indies after World War II. The elder
Heins became a Presbyterian minister after attending
the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Heins
family then moved to California, where Paul was born.
When Paul was about 9 the family packed up to move to
Oahu, Hawaii, to start a ministry with several other
church leaders.
When the endeavor of setting up the faith-based ministry
became highly unprofitable, all the church leaders left
except the Heins family. The Heinses stayed to continue
to practice the gospel, often in what Pastor Paul described
as an "all-day affair -- church would consist of singing
and guitars and ukeleles." Then after the service there
would be a barbecue. He said church was very informal,
meeting in a World War II-era quonset hut. This was
an unusual experience, but Hawaii nevertheless proved
to be a "fantastic place to grow up," he said.
Upon graduating from high school in Hawaii, Pastor
Paul made his way to Lewis and Clark College in Portland,
Ore., where he studied international affairs and minored
in religious studies. While there, he traveled during
the summer of '86 to Jerusalem to study. It was a volatile
area for a schoar; bombs were literally flying overhead
from Libya and other locations while the class was there.
It was an "intense experience." He was not used to
seeing armed soldiers in the streets and having "armed
escorts" just to get around the area.
He did visit many holy sites from the three major religions
of the world. It was also in this "intense environment"
he heard the call from God to serve, and to teach in
a Christian college or seminary.
Then upon graduating from Lewis and Clark, Paul enrolled
in the Princeton Theological Seminary, in Princeton,
N.J. He pursued this calling for a long time, and became
involved in a local parish. After becoming more and
more involved in the parish, he received another calling
from God, and this was to become a minister.
Longbranch, N.J., was the next home of Pastor Paul.
He lived there many years until the unique opportunity
arose for him and the family to move to Utah.
"Wherever God would lead us," was what he said in response
to questions about his relocation. Utah provides a very
"fresh challenge" for Paul and his family, he said.
He is very interested in living among different faiths.
It's not a totally new experience; in New Jersey he
was surrounded by Catholics and Jews, so this is not
the first time he has been faced with being the minority
in his faith beliefs.
It is a unique place to do a ministry, and this was
the leading factor in coming to Utah, he said. Being
with people is his favorite part of being a minister.
So for now the pastor, his wife, daughter and son are
excited abou facing these fresh challenges.
When asked about one of the hardest challenges in
moving to Utah, he said it will be not living near the
ocean. He and his wife, Carrie, have always lived near
the ocean. Knowing they have to become mountain people
will prove to be one of the most daunting tasks.
Providence is a world away from the bombs and guns
of Jerusalem and the West Bank, but it is a place the
Heins family is calling home.
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