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SNAPSHOT for 10/3/97: REV WILLIAM J. MINSER

Occupation: Pastor of Stepney Baptist Church, Route 25 in Monroe

How long in Newtown: We moved to Newtown from Meadville, Pa., three years ago.

Since we built our house on Turkey Hill Terrace, we've had to do a lot of

landscaping. I planted 150 trees, mostly spruce and pine, to hold the soil.

They were seedlings we got through the Conservation Commission.

Actually, I grew up on a farm so I love working outside planting trees,

shrubs, perennials and bulbs. Many are plants that people have given us.

Biggest change: In the three years we've been here, I've noticed that Newtown

residents are taking more pride in the way their property looks. They are

landscaping, paving driveways, sprucing up. I see a lot of other people doing

what we are doing.

Family: My wife, Shirley, teaches Reading Recovery in the Bethel Public

Schools.

We have three children. Bill works for the federal government in Springfield,

Ill. Amy is a structural engineer and Jessica, who graduated from Newtown High

School in 1995, is a junior at Bucknell University. We chose to live in

Newtown because of the schools. Jessica is a violin player and we liked the

string program.

Pets: We have a Sheltie collie named Lucy and two cats named Becky Thatcher

and Applesauce.

Hobbies: I like to paint on slate with acrylics and I'm learning to do

watercolors. I love music of all kinds. In our church service, we incorporate

a lot of contemporary music.

Personal philosophy: I hope I'm able to help people, in particular, people who

are recovering from drug addiction or alcoholism.

I've heard it said that when a person is addicted, substance takes the place

of God in his or her life. I try to help them recover their spirituality.

That's not easy because during addiction, family relationships get out of

balance. To recover, a person must find a way to repair that damage, too,

possibly by breaking old patterns.

I don't have all the answers. I feel like I'm a Pilgrim, too.