THIRD MESSAGE FROM RUTH 8/1/19
Dear Church Family,
We have completed our first round of interviews for our Transitional Pastor position, and we are excited about our prospects! Due to team and candidate vacations, our next steps will be in mid-August. Please continue to keep our search process in your prayers!
Blessings from your Transitional Pastor Nominating Committee
SECOND MESSAGE FROM RUTH 7/15/19
Dear Church Family,
Our transitional pastor position now is posted throughout the denomination. Many thanks to those who have suggested potential candidates for the position; We have followed up on your suggestions, and while most of the wonderful pastors folks have suggested are not available because they are obligated to other ministries, we have several candidates we are evaluating and we feel strongly that God will send us just the right person to lead us through this transition period as we prepare to call our next pastor. Please continue to pray for this process and for our congregation!
Blessings from your Transitional Pastor Nominating Team
FIRST MESSAGES FROM JOEL AND RUTH 5/31/19
Greetings Church Family!
In our pastoral transition, Ruth Kawamoto, Chair of Personnel, and I wanted to give you some vital communication on what’s next for us. Before we jump into some of the details of our interim pastor search, I want to give us a few encouragements on how we can “be” the church in this important season!
First, we live into who we are.
During our Sunday worship Memorial Day weekend, I imagined with you all what it is like when we go through significant transitions in life, like going away to college. I imagine when my kids are ready for college, I might remind them who they are. They’ve learned they are God’s beloved and that Larsons always try to serve. They’ve learned not to default to junk food (if they can help it!) In the same way, as a church right now, we remember who we are. Pastor Dan led us over the last 8 ½ years to lean into our urban, intergenerational, and community identity. Church family,we know who we are. We are loved by God and have values essential to us as a community. In this time of transition, we lean into these values. However, even more importantly, we remember who God is; unchanging, steady, faithful, the God-with-us, in Jesus Christ who loves us so much. We rest in his faithfulness to us as a church, for over 100 years.
Secondly, we live into being a praying community.
Our vision statement adopted in 2012 says, “We believe God is calling us to be a praying andworshipping community in the city. Trusting in Jesus Christ and equipped by the Holy Spirit, we desire to proclaim the good news of Christ with our words and lives. We want to be a blessing to our community and the world.” I want to ask your prayers for our interim pastor search and also for our pastoral staff; pray for me, Amie Quigley, Anna Kerr, Bethany Corey, Brooke Coxon, Courtney Moore, Jourdan Turner, Maddie Smith, and Nick Barrett. Pray for our Elders, Deacons, and our Fraser interns. You might consider fasting from food, or electronics, for a block of time in this upcoming month so that you can use that time praying for our church and remembering we rely upon God in this new season.
Thirdly, we live into being a church where everyone serves.
As part of praying for our church, I encourage you to pray for how God might want to use your gifts during this transition time. On sabbatical, we visited a church that had the motto, “Everyone plays.” I love that. We need you on the “field!” Pray, reflect, and dream how God might want to use your unique gifts for his kingdom right now. Talk to an elder on Session (their names are below) or a pastoral staff member and ask how you can serve. Let’s see what God might have in store. The work of God’s kingdom is not just for paid staff, or the ordained. God has called and chosen you to serve alongside others. Let’s watch how God will bring out our unique gifts during this time!
Lastly, scroll further down to hear more about the specifics of our interim pastor search.
Blessings,
Pastor Joel, Associate Pastor
Current members of Session: Don Bennett, John Brownson, Shay Case, Jennifer Christian-Herman, Andra Clarke, Julietta Corti, Stephanie Derrick, Lee Finch, Linda Garberson, Jack Hardgrave, Tim Hodgin, Janet Iovino, Steve Johnson, Ruth Kawamoto, David Knox, Phillip Olive, Liz Smith, Christina Yew.
Pastoral Search Update
Dear Church Family,
With Pastor Dan Baumgartner’s departure on May 19th our church is in a time of transition. I am deeply grateful for Dan’s leadership and the stability he brought to our congregation following a difficult time. I am also grateful for all of you. I know you have some questions about our search for a new pastor. Let me now give you an update.
As chair of the Personnel team I have spoken to Linda Culbertson, executive director of Presbytery, Rev. Paula Mann, moderator of Presbytery’s committee on Ministry. They went thru the steps we will need to follow, and that is what we are now so doing. Please know that we will be hiring a transitional aka interim pastor, while we call a permanent pastoral nominating team.
Session is responsible for searching for a transitional pastor and they have asked the Personnel team to be in charge of the process. In addition to myself, Carol Rinn, Patrick Yew and Bethany Corey are on the team. Also, in concert with Presbytery the selection of a permanent pastoral nominating committee will begin. This process will take a while.
A template contract, job description and a church information form were circulated to Session and Pastoral Staff on May 20th. The drafts were reviewed, modified and approved by Session at the May 28th meeting. Presbytery will be assisting in the process by helping us vet candidates for both the transitional and permanent pastor positions.
The job description for the Transitional Pastor has been posted with several presbyteries, and we are working through the necessary steps to post it more widely in the denomination. We are actively seeking candidate suggestions from pastoral sources who know our church well.
An email box has been opened, ipnc@fpch.org, where candidates can submit their applications for transitional pastor. If you would like more details about our process, please send me a note at the email provided.
We have heard concerns that the transitional and called pastors be pastors who share our understanding of God’s Word, and I assure you that we share your concerns and will be paying close attention to that issue.
What can you do as part of the church family? Pray! Pray for the search, the personnel team, the pastoral staff, and the person God has chosen to lead us thru the transition. Stay involved, come to worship, reach out with love to others, encouraging them to be involved as well.
Blessings,
Ruth Kawamoto