Our Staff
Pastor Philip Beisswenger
Who Is Our Pastor?
Philip Beisswenger has been pastor at Memorial Presbyterian since January 2024. He was born in Iowa and was raised in the Chicago area and in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated with highest honors from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and earned a seminary degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Over the past 38 years, Philip has ministered in a variety of settings—rural Tennessee and Iowa, the coast of Honduras, Nashville’s inner-city, and the highlands of Guatemala.
Bacilia, Philip’s wife, is originally from Honduras and received her nursing degree in Guatemala. They have four children. Their oldest, Daniel, is in the U.S. Air Force in Texas. He’s married and has two young daughters. Matthew’s a junior at Buena Vista University, Manny’s a sophomore at Iowa State, and Stefi’s a high school senior in Cherokee. Among Philip’s favorite pastimes are traveling to new places to buy souvenirs, eating, walking the family dog, and watching football with a bag or bowl of popcorn.
Philip writes: “Our mission at Memorial Presbyterian Church is to witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ, by word and action, with people far and near. We all want to be closer to God. God wants that too, and that’s why he formed churches like ours—as a means of the grace we all need. I invite anyone who wants to grow spiritually to join with us as we follow Jesus and serve God together.”