Speaker

Rev. Dr. David Palmer

Rev. Dr. David Palmer is senior pastor of Kent First United Methodist Church in the Canal District. Prior to being appointed to the church in 1995, Palmer served as pastor of Howland UMC for seven years. He began his 44-year ministry as associate pastor of Brunswick UMC and then served six years as pastor of Vermilion Grace UMC before being appointed to Howland.

Throughout his ministry, Palmer has served within and beyond the local church. He is currently a member of the East Ohio Conference Board of Benefits after most-recently serving as chairperson of the Conference Council on Finance & Administration. He has served on other committees and councils of the Conference, on committees in the districts in which he has been appointed, and for many years was a summer volunteer at Camp Wanake, where he had served on summer staff in 1976. Palmer attended the World Methodist Conference in Singapore in 1991 and has also participated in an exchange with a German pastor through the World Methodist Council.

An author of nine books, Palmer earned a bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. He and his wife Mavis are the proud parents of three children, who are students in college and graduate school.