The Stiers Family Papers

Collection

Identifier: 2021-003

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection includes sermons preached by the Reverends Thomas and Brenda Stiers, both together and separately, in numerous churches and conferences. It also includes papers relating to their respective educations, manuscript drafts, family history papers, and other material by or about Thomas and Brenda Stiers.

Dates

1912-2015

Conditions Governing Access

There are no special restrictions to the access of this collection. It may be examined by library patrons under the normal rules and conditions of Special Collections.

Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Stiers

The Reverend Dr. Thomas L. Stiers (1938-2023) was educated at DePauw University (B.A. 1960) and received his Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1964. He joined Princeton Theological Seminary’s Doctorate of Ministry program in 1975, graduating in 1981. He was the Senior Pastor at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich, Connecticut from 1976-2003, overseeing the congregation through a period of drastic cultural and societal change. Upon stepping down from FCC Greenwich, Rev. Stiers accepted a series of interim positions across the United States, all the while delivering sermons on a wide range of topics. He retired to Boulder, Colorado in 2012, becoming active in the First Congregational Church of Boulder. He married his second wife, Judy Schilling, in 2017, and passed away in 2023 at the age of 85.

1938 (July 3)
: Born, Rushville, Indiana
1960
: Graduated, DePauw University
1961
: Married Brenda Stiers (née Enmeier), Greencastle, Indiana
1964
: Graduated, Union Theological Seminary
1964
: Ordained, United Church of Christ
1964-1967
: Youth Minister, Milford, Connecticut
1967-1974
: Senior Minister, North Haven Congregational Church, North Haven, Connecticut
1970-1975
: Adjunct Professor, Yale Divinity School
1974
: Associate Pastor, First Congregational Church of Greenwich, Connecticut
1976-2003
: Senior Pastor, First Congregational Church of Greenwich, Connecticut
1981
: Graduated, Princeton Theological Seminary
1985-1991
: Executive Committee, General Synod, United Congregational Churches
1990
: Chair, Board of Directors of the Connecticut Conference
2003-2004
: Interim Program Minister; Riverside Church, New York City, New York
2005-2006
: Interim Minister; Church of Beatitudes, Phoenix, Arizona
2006-2009
: Interim Senior Minister; Riverside Church, New York City, New York
2009-2011
: Interim Minister; Plymouth UCC, Seattle, WA
2012
: Retired, Boulder, Colorado
2023 (January 10)
: Died, Boulder, Colorado

Rev. Dr. Brenda J. Stiers

The Reverend Dr. Brenda J. Stiers (1939-2013) was educated at DePauw University (B.A. 1960), where she met Rev. Dr. Thomas Stiers, and received a Master’s of Science from Southern Connecticut State University in 1967. She became the Executive Director for Sage Advocate Program, working closely with the aging community, and joined Yale Divinity School as a Master of Divinity student and adjunct professor. She continued to work with Yale Divinity School until 1984, when she became Executive Director of the Council of Churches & Synagogues, an institution working towards interfaith community and healing. In 1990, Rev. Stiers received her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. She subsequently held a series of executive-level appointments, including Executive Minister at Riverside Church in New York City, until her retirement in Boulder, Colorado in 2012. Reverend Dr. Brenda J. Stiers passed away in 2013 at the age of 74.

1939 (February 10)
: Born Brenda Jane Enmeier, Vincennes, Indiana
1960
: Graduated, DePauw University
1961
: Married Thomas Stiers, Greencastle, Indiana
1967
: Graduated, Southern Connecticut State University
1971-1975
: Executive Director, Sage Advocate Program, New Haven, CT
1971-1975
: Adjunct Professor, Yale Divinity School
1979-1984
: Adjunct Professor, Yale Divinity School
1982
: Ordained, United Church of Christ
1982
: Graduated, Yale Divinity School
1982-1984
: Director of Ministry and Gerontology, Yale Divinity School
1984-1994
: Executive Director, Council of Churches & Synagogues, Stamford, Connecticut
1990
: Graduated, Princeton Theological Seminary
1994-2000
: Executive Minister, Riverside Church, New York City, New York
2000-2007
: Executive Director, YWCA, Greenwich, Connecticut
2007-2009
: Interim Senior Minister, First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, Connecticut
2012
: Retired, Boulder, Colorado
2013 (November 10)
: Died, Boulder, Colorado

Extent

13 Linear Feet (12 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Series I: Sermons

Sub-Series A: Thomas Stiers’ Sermons Sub-Series B: Brenda Stiers’ Sermons Sub-Series C: Thomas and Brenda Stiers’ Joint Sermons

Sub-Series D: Sermons by Others

Series II: Professional Papers

Series III: Audio Materials

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated to Princeton Theological Seminary’s Special Collections and Archives by Gretchen and Thomas Stiers in 2021.

Related Materials

See also the following material in Special Collections related to

See also the following publications by Thomas Stiers in Special Collections:

• XE1981 .S85 – Deepening Lay Attitudes Toward the Ministry of the Laity (Thesis, 1985)
• [SCC NUM] - My Life’s Journey: By Thomas Stiers, v. 1 and 2 (StoryWorth, c. 2015)

See also the following publications by Brenda Stiers in Special Collections:

• XE1990 .S84 – Theological Reflection in Congregational Training for Ministry with Older Adults (Thesis, 1990)