Rev. Karol Farris will celebrate her first Christmas as a pastor later this month.

This fall, Rev. Farris accepted the call as pastor of Bluffton Presbyterian Church. Her pastorate began in September and she was installed in November.

As a first-time pastor, she describes her position as an “on-going balancing act.”

“I’m jumping in,” she says. That means preparing for Sunday morning worship services, being on-call for emergencies, becoming involved in church committees and session meetings, getting to know the congregation, working with small groups and even singing in the church choir.

Growing up in a Presbyterian congregation in Paris, Ill., she brings with her lots of musical interest. “My mother was church organist and choir director in my home church,” she said.

And, as she moved to Bluffton, she brought with her 35 boxes of theology books, many of which line the bookshelves in her church office.

Her journey to Bluffton started in her central Illinois hometown. After graduation from the University of Evansville with majors in music and theology, she spent one year in a church service program in Nashville.

“I worked in an after school program with children,” she said. Following that, as her vocational discernment developed, she became a church administrative assistant for a year.

That sparked an interest in seminary and she enrolled in Louisville Seminary, graduating in 2014 with a master of divinity and master of arts in spirituality.

Following seminary she gained additional experience as a college chaplain intern and pastoral intern and then served one year in a campus ministry program.

Concerning her first Christmas Eve service as a pastor, she says she’s nearly finished planning the service.

“We will open with a musical prelude at 6:45 p.m.” she said. “At 7 p.m. is a service of lessons and carols. There will be nine readings and a variety of music with soloists, the choir and music groups.”

As she continues in her first year at the church, she said, “I find Bluffton to be a great community to be a part of and appreciate being a college town.”