Pastor Miles Hopgood
Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Miles first came to New Jersey in 2013 to pursue a PhD in Church History at Princeton Theological Seminary, which he completed this past October by defending a dissertation on Martin Luther’s lectures on Deuteronomy. Prior to studying at Princeton Seminary, Miles lived in Chicago for seven years, where he earned both his Masters of Divinity and Bachelors at the University of Chicago.
While studying at Princeton Seminary, Miles met his future wife, Kayla, who at the time worked in New York City as a grant writer for Teach for America. Discerning a call to ministry as well, Kayla began her own ministry studies and completed her M.Div at Princeton Seminary in 2018 and her certification as a Spiritual Director in 2019. Currently she is on leave from her position as a Major Gift Officer at United Lutheran Seminary as she cares for their son, Felix, who was born this past November. When he’s not working, Miles enjoys a number of outdoor activities from rowing to mountaineering. At home, you can find him in the kitchen, where he loves to cook and bake, or around a table playing board games with anyone who’ll join him.
Miles is excited to work with the people of Abiding Presence again in this new season as we learn how God is calling us to love and serve our community and the world.
