wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Evangelism guru Rosalie Potter dies

[Deeanna Alford <dalford@CTR.PCUSA.ORG>]

 03281
July 14, 2003

Evangelism guru Rosalie Potter dies

Former ECD head succumbs to Lou Gehrig's Disease

by Jerry Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - The Rev. Rosalie J. Potter, one of the Presbyterian Church
(USA)'s foremost experts on evangelism and church revitalization, died July
12 of Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS). She was in hospice care near her Victor,
NY, home at the time of her death.

Potter entered the ministry after a lengthy career as a social worker. She
graduated from Colgate-Rochester Divinity School in 1980 and served two
pastorates in Genesee Valley, where she established solid credentials as a
formative thinker in the field of evangelism and church revitalization. In
1982, she earned a D.Min. from San Francisco Theological Seminary in
evangelism and church redevelopment ministry.

In 1988 she was called to rapidly growing Central Florida Presbytery,
where, among other accomplishments, she spearheaded the effort to establish
Celebration Presbyterian Church, the only Protestant church in Walt
Disney's Celebration community near Orlando.

In July of 1997, Potter came to Louisville as associate director for
evangelism and church development, where she quickly established herself as
an aggressive, enthusiastic proponent of new church development and
redevelopment of existing churches in transitional communities. Her
outspokenness and sense of humor made her an extremely popular speaker at
evangelism conferences here and abroad.

Potter retired in 2002, shortly after she was diagnosed with ALS, and
returned to her roots in upstate New York.

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