Earl F. Palmer

Earl Frank Palmer (born November 26, 1931) is an American Presbyterian minister. Rev. He served in pastoral ministries at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Union Church in Manila, First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, and The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Earl is known for his expositional preaching and teaching style. He has a strong interest in pursuing theological themes that are present in classic and contemporary literature, with focus on authors such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Earl has written over 20 books, and served on the boards of Princeton Theological Seminary, New College Berkeley, Whitworth University and Regent College.

Biography 
Earl was born in McCloud, California to parents, Lewis Ward Palmer and Myrtle Elizabeth Hovey Palmer. He is named after his uncle, Earl and his grandfather, Frank Hovey, who drove the Wells Fargo Stage Coach on the mountain trail from Northern California to Southern Oregon. The second of four children, he joined his older brother, Lewis Ward Jr. and was joined later with the birth of two sisters, Nancy Elizabeth and Marian Lee. Earl was baptized as an infant in the Episcopal Church as in Yreka, California and in his youth attended his hometown McCloud Community Presbyterian Church just up the street from his home.

Living in the shadow of Mount Shasta he climbed the 14,179 foot mountain over 50 times, on one occasion he climbed it twice in one day For his summer work during college he worked as a compass man for the McCloud River Lumber Company throughout the Northern California forests. Earl headed to the University of California, Berkeley to study political science as a pre-law major. As a sophomore it was through a men's Bible study in his dorm that led him to make a commitment to the Christian Church. He became an active member of the fellowship at First Presbyterian Church. In his senior year, he met with Dr. Robert Boyd Munger and shared that he was thinking about being a minister. This pastor encouraged Earl to consider Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned his Bachelor of Divinity Degree. Upon graduation in 1956. he accepted the position as pastor to high school and college students at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle. Two years later, Palmer was called to be the pastor of Union Church in Manila – a post he held for the next 6 years. Earl claims that, "the Manila years were deeply formative as I learned to preach to an international community and serve as a solo pastor to a congregation of over five hundred." His time there also included a teaching post at Union Theological Seminary in the Cavite Province with an opportunity every week to explore the New Testament with the students. In 1969 he was invited by the Navy Chaplains of the Seventh Fleet assigned to Vietnam to travel to Saigon and DaNang to meet with them as they served in the Vietnam War.

In response to the call in 1970 to be pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley (FPCB) Earl and his family returned to the United States where Earl met the challenge that he describes as "turbulent" due to political and social unrest amongst Berkeley students, The 21 years there were exciting and fulfilling with a ministry that brought students and families into the fellowship. Earl travelled with his family to do Ministry in South Africa, Australia, South East Asia, China, Russia and Europe.

Then another change came in 1991 when Earl received the call to return to University Presbyterian Church in Seattle as Senior Pastor. When Earl retired from the University Presbyterian Church in 2008, a group of individuals encouraged Earl to remain active and founded Earl Palmer Ministries which continues to the present. 10 days after he retired from University Presbyterian Church, he boarded a plane and headed to Washington D.C. to serve as Preaching Pastor in Residence at The National Presbyterian Church. Earl had the opportunity to connect with many Christian organizations speaking at retreats and events in the area surrounding the nation's capital. He returned to his home in Seattle in 2010. As of 2019, Earl remains actively involved in ministry and as an expositor of the Bible and authors such as C.S. Lewis, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Herbert as well as many others. He continues to preach, and teach in the Seattle area and around the world.

Personal life 
Earl met Shirley Green Palmer in Seattle and asked her to be his wife. According to Palmer, "it was love at first sight" and they were married on June 14, 1958. Earl and Shirley welcomed their first child in 1962. While in Manila from 1964-1970, they welcomed their second and third children. While Earl was developing his skills as a pastor, Shirley, with her education in public health, reached out to the rural barrios and worked with the families to improve nutrition under the auspices of the World Health Organization teaching cooking classes using local foods and encouraging young mothers in the care of their children. She worked as junior high counselor at The American School of Manila as well as providing hospitality for the church community in their home located next door to the sanctuary. 	 While living in the San Francisco-East Bay area Shirley returned to her field to combine her public health background and her educational credentials to become Supervisor of Health Services, Curriculum and Programs in the Richmond Unified School District. While Earl was Senior Pastor in Seattle, his children left for college and married, Shirley returned to graduate school and earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Theory/Analysis in the College of Education and Department of Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington in 2002.  Earl lives with his wife Shirley in Seattle, Washington, their three adult children and families live nearby.

Books 

 To Run The Race: Paul's Second Letter to Timothy (2014) 
 Trusting God: Christian Faith in a World of Uncertainty (2006) 
 the Humor of Jesus: Sources of Laughter in the Bible (2001) 
 The Book That John Wrote (1999) 
 The Book That James Wrote (1997) 
 Integrity in a World of Pretense: Insights From the Book of Philippians (1992) 
 Mastering Teaching: Mastering Ministry Series (1993) 
 Prayer Between Friends: Cultivating our Friendship with God (1991) 
 Sign Posts: Living With Christian Values in an Age of Uncertainty (1990) 
 Laughter in Heaven: the Parables of Jesus (1987) 
 The 24-Hour Christian: Sheer Encouragement for the Christian in the World (1987) 
 The Enormous Exception: Meeting Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (2001) 
 Discovering Philippians and Colossians: The Guideposts Home Bible Study Program (1986) ASIN B000EH0RHK
 In Search of a Faith That Works (1985) 
 Old Law, New Life: The Ten Commandments and New Testament Faith (1984) 
 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Good News Commentary (1983) 
 Alive from the Center (1982) 
 The Communicator's Commentary: 1, 2, 3 John, Revelation (1982) 
 The Intimate Gospel: Studies in John (1978) 
 Love has its reasons: An inquiry into New Testament Love (1977) 
 Salvation By Surprise (1975) ASIN B008I8TM8W

References 

Category:1931 births
Category:Living people
Category:American Presbyterian ministers
Category:People from Siskiyou County, California
Category:Princeton Theological Seminary alumni