Dear Fellow Fourth Church Members and Friends,

Last week when the Personnel Council shared Session’s decision to hire an intentional Interim Pastor, we were still working to finalize membership of an Interim Pastor Nominating Committee (IPNC).

We are now pleased to report that the following Fourth Church members have agreed to serve on the IPNC.

Mark Hurley, Chair

Jared Light

Sally Scott

Gretchen Van Natta

Jessica Wang

The IPNC brings together members of the Personnel Council and representatives from Session and Trustees, and it will be this committee’s responsibility to recommend an Interim Pastor candidate to the Personnel Council.

Per Presbyterian Church (USA) policy, the Interim Pastor will be hired on a temporary contract approved by Session.

The IPNC — who will be working with Craig Howard, Executive Presbyter of the Chicago Presbytery — will immediately begin their work to search for and nominate a candidate for Interim Pastor.

A process like this has no definitive timeline, of course, so we are pleased to have the IPNC in place so quickly and would expect that the earliest an Interim Pastor might join us would be three months after Shannon’s departure.

In that between time — the transition period between Shannon’s departure and the Interim Pastor’s arrival — the congregation, as a Presbyterian body, will continue to have final responsibility for decisions.

To facilitate that during the upcoming transition period, the co-chairs of the Personnel Council and the co-clerks of Session will work together as the Congregation Leadership Resource Team (CLRT).

The five of us are committed to serving as representatives of the congregation and as a resource for the leadership of Fourth Church, and thus we will work to moderate and facilitate decision-making that affects the congregation broadly.

We look forward to collaborating with clergy, staff, and lay leadership when appropriate.

The role of Acting Moderator of Session will be filled by Lucy Forster-Smith.

Lucy has also graciously agreed to serve as Acting Head of Staff after Shannon leaves and until the Interim Pastor arrives. The critical work that the Clergy, Senior Leadership Team, Program Directors, and the entire staff of Fourth Church and Chicago Lights already do will continue as it is now. For some this will include additional transition-related responsibilities, and we are grateful for the staff’s partnership in this.

The two seasons of Transition and then Interim Pastor are what is to come. But first is our current season, one of celebrating and honoring Shannon Kershner in her final weeks with us as Pastor and giving thanks for our shared ministry these past nine years.

If you have not yet had opportunity to contribute your private message of gratitude, remembrances, and well wishes to be included in the Memory Box for Shannon, we ask that you please take a moment to do so.

You can send your note, letter, memories, or photos to the church (Fourth Presbyterian Church, Attn. Memory Box, 126 E. Chestnut, Chicago, IL 60611.2014), email them to memorybox@fourthchurch.org, or drop them off in Coffee Hour or at the church reception desk by Sunday, May 21. We will then present the collection to Shannon as part of the festivities on her final Sunday with us.

That final Sunday will be May 28, when Shannon will lead us in worship for the last time as Pastor of Fourth Church.

Immediately following that 10:00 a.m. service, we will hold a congregational meeting, which Session has called for the purpose of formally dissolving the pastoral relationship between Shannon and Fourth Church. That meeting, like the worship service, will take place both in person and via livestream.

Afterwards we will move to Anderson Hall and the Commons for the reception honoring Shannon, a time when we will have opportunity to thank Shannon for all she has done in ministry among us and wish her and her family well in their move to Central Presbyterian Church.

As we look ahead to that day of celebration and prepare to move into transition and then interim seasons, please do not hesitate to send questions or comments to us at transition@fourthchurch.org. You can also find current updates posted on the church website, with a link from the home page.

We hope to see you on May 28!

In partnership,

Arlene Faulk, Patsy Habicht, Jared Light, Jim Kulich, and Allison Youngblood