Pastoral Search Committee
I am here to give the congregation an update of what is happening with the pastoral search committee.
After Pastor Eberhard announced his retirement, a search committee was formed to follow the process for finding a new Senior Pastor.
The Search committee has 16 members representing almost all of our functional ministries.
The Search committee met for the first time after the September Board Meeting and then weekly through October and November.
Our first task was to find an interim minister.
We were successful as Pastor Phillip Hayes was called and began serving us in mid-January.
Jim Rybka has served as chair of the pastoral search committee since the committee was formed. Since the Rybka's will soon be moving to Arizona, I have assumed the responsibility of chair of the search committee with the help of Carolyn Kanehe. We will be assisted by Carolyn Reed, Assistant Regional Minister and by Pastor Phillip who has led 16 other churches through the interim process. The committee and I would like to thank Jim for his excellent leadership of the search committee.
The search committee met last Wednesday, April 11
th
. Carolyn Reed, our Assistant Regional Minister, led an orientation exercise to help the committee as we begin the next step in the search process. The next step is to build the Congregational Profile which is a document to be shared with potential candidates informing them how we see ourselves as a congregation and where we wish to go in the future. This information will help the candidates know not only who we are, but also what we expect them to help us become.
Much of the work to answer the questions in the profile about how we see ourselves as a congregation and where we wish to go in the future needs to come from you, the congregation. These answers will be found by the New Beginnings program as the congregation will be involved in answering these questions during the upcoming home meetings. Therefore, all of the congregation (not just the board members or the search committee) are encouraged to participate fully in the New Beginnings program. It is essential for the future of our Church. So when you are asked to attend New Beginnings home meetings, please attend the meetings and actively be involved.
A "progress Chart" will be placed in the gathering place which will keep you informed of the progress of the search process.
Now everyone needs to be patient. This process needs time to find the right person. And the congregation needs time to adjust to the possibility to a new Senior Pastor. Brian Nelson told the Elders and the Board that it can take as long as one month for each year that the last Pastor served for a congregation to grieve the loss of its old Pastor and be ready to accept a new pastor. We don't know if it will take that long, but the important thing is to be patient so that the Search Committee can follow its process and we are confident that if we follow our process, God will help us to find the right person to call. Your prayers and support are appreciated. Sandie
