WESTGATE STAFF:

Fran Linscott
Office Manager/CARE Ministry Assistant

fran@westgatechurch.org

Vitals

Fran grew up just outside of Miami, Florida in what felt like one of the only Christian families in the area. She grew up in a traditional Catholic Family and never felt doubts about her commitment to Christ. She has fond memories of Disney World, lounging on the beach, and enjoying the many different cultures in South Florida. In 1992 she moved with her family to Maine. Having never seen snow before, Maine was a startling new place for her. The towns were significantly smaller, and in the beginning, she struggled to find her place in such an ethnically homogeneous place.

Following the death of a close family member, as so many people so do, she began to fall away from Christ and have some serious doubts about the loving nature of God. Surprisingly, in high school when many turn away from God, Fran found solace in the Word and immersed herself in the church. Fran went to college in beautiful upstate New York, and it was there that she met Joel, who she would later marry. Joel helped her to expand her ideas about faith outside of the Catholic Church. Throughout college, even though Fran was outgoing and well-known throughout her campus; she struggled with wanting to vocalize her faith, but often felt uncomfortable and scared of becoming a target for the augmentative students in her Philosophy major.

After college, Fran moved to California and she and Joel were married. Fran struggled with how vocal people in California were about their faith, but has grown to love the way that Californians express themselves. She feels that while she felt challenged, her uneasiness caused her to grow in areas of her faith and ministry that she didn’t even know were lacking. After 10 years of working in retail, this is Fran’s first job in ministry, and she truly feels like she has found her calling. Fran and Joel have been at WestGate since August of 2007.


A Few of My Favorite Things
Music - "My musical tastes seem to change with the seasons, but I do have a few favorites that always make the rotation. I still have a passion for the local music from the New England area, and love Ryan Mont Bleu, Rustic Overtones, Paranoid Social Club and Pete Kilpatrick. Genre wise, I love neo-soul, bluesy Jack Johnson types of stuff, and upbeat fun alternative stuff; but I definitely find myself crooning to just about everything in the car."

Travel - "My mom used to work for a cruise line, and I am told that my first flight and cruise were at the grand old age of 3 weeks old. Needless to say, I have traveled all of my life and have a true love for it. Some of my most memorable and character building (i.e. TERRIFYING) experiences have been while traveling."

Hobbies - "I love to cook; especially the recipes that have been handed down in my family for generations. My mom is Italian, and my dad is Indian, so my cooking style tends to be what it is for most Indian or Italian cooks; a little of this, and a little of that, and it never tastes the same when someone else makes it. I also love to garden, even though my garden space in our home has been limited to a few potted flowers and tomatoes. Joel and I love to watch movies, and he loves to make fun of me, because up until a few years ago I was never really a movie person, so most of them are new to me!"

What Ifs
What if you weren’t in ministry?
The longer I’m here, the more I realize there’s no real getting away from ministry. It’s part of our calling as Christians. And there’s no denying the fact that I feel like I have been called to WestGate. But, if I wasn’t working here at WestGate, I think my dream job would be to be a travel editor. Who wouldn’t love to get paid to travel all over the place and tell everyone about your experiences?

What if you could spend time with some famous historical person?
Jesus is the obvious answer . . . and someone I hope we’ll all get the chance to experience some day. If I had to pick someone else I would have to say Plato. Being a philosophically minded person, I would love the chance to get inside of Plato’s head. So much of the way philosophy is structured is based after Plato and the way that he thought and argued, and many of the things he sought to explain, we are still struggling to understand today. I would certainly love the chance to argue with him for a bit!