By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Just in time for the Christmas season, there is a bright new beacon of hope shining at the First Baptist Church at 91 Cottage St.

Rev. Diane Merrill Pomeroy arrived earlier this month from Illinois to be the church’s new pastor. The Nashua, N.H., native brings to the position a wellspring of energy, a sunny disposition and a wealth of ideas on how to grow and expand the 203-year-old church’s congregation.
Pomeroy was most recently an assistant pastor at the Community Baptist Church in Warrenville, Ill., just outside of Chicago. Ordained in 1984, she has served at churches in Washington D.C., New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Pomeroy said that while growing up, she and the rest of her family were very active in the First Baptist Church of Nashua.
“My parents gave a strong foundation of faith. God was central to the family,” she said of her upbringing.
She first studied to be a kindergarten teacher, however, graduating from Plymouth State College with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. She taught kindergarten for seven years, including a two-year stint in Alaska fresh out of college. But Pomeroy never stopped doing volunteer work for her church, prompting her pastor to suggest that she consider the ministry.
“When I was 29, I felt called to the ministry,” she said. Pomeroy attended the Andover Newton Theological School, where she earned her master’s degree in divinity.
Soon thereafter, she was off to her first assignment: associate pastor of Christian Education at the First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. “It was famous for being the church that President Jimmy Carter attended,” Pomeroy said, “although, I was there later, under Reagan’s presidency.”
Pomeroy said that with most of her family in the New England area, she had been looking to return. When she met with church officials at the First Baptist Church in Pawtucket, she immediately thought it would be a good match.
“What they were looking for and what I bring to the ministry melded beautifully,” she stated. “I felt challenged. And I also felt at home here right away.”
The new pastor said church growth is her main focus. She intends to start working toward that goal by doing more outreach in the community through the church’s food pantry and on-site daycare center.
She also wants to reach out to younger members of the community by starting a youth group for those of junior high and high school age.
Pomeroy  said she is also eager to work ecumenically with other clergy in the local area.
As with most faiths in the United States, there has been a drop-off in attendance at First Baptist in recent decades.
Some 15-20 years ago, the congregation numbered around 300, but has since dwindled to around 150. Pomeroy is open to ideas on how to once again fill the 400-some pews of the historical church for the weekly 10:45 a.m. Sunday worship. 
“I’m looking forward to having activities that will encourage folks to become interested in the church,” she said. “People come to church because there is a connection. This is done by developing programs and study groups and opportunities for spiritual growth and in turn, encouraging our folks to reach out,”
Pomeroy, and her husband, George Pomeroy, a retired Presbyterian minister, have settled into a new home in Greenville.
The couple has two grown children, a son in Pennsylvania and a daughter in New York, and a 4-year-old granddaughter.
Her parents, Mary and Leonard Merrill, have moved to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, while her brother and sister still live in New Hampshire and are active in the First Baptist Church there.
In her spare time, Pomeroy lists mountain climbing and hiking, reading, playing the piano, and attending theater events and concerts as some of her favorite activities.
“And the PawSox!,” she said, excitedly. “I love baseball and I’m glad to be back in Red Sox Nation.”
Pomeroy will preside over the dedication of a new sign this Sunday, following the 10:45 a.m. worship service. She will be officially installed in January.