It was only a few short months ago in mid November that we embarked on the search for a new Pastor. The Transition Team quickly dove into their mission and was already meeting together by December. They have done and continue to do a remarkable job helping us through this first part of the journey. The first thing they accomplished was administering the Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT). The results were shared with the congregation at a workshop on March 28. As a follow up to enhance the CAT results and provide us with additional insight about our congregation, the team and Pr. Luther have been working together to plan the “Why Us” workshop scheduled for May 1. And on May 22, the team will be presenting the Ministry Site Profile (MSP) workshop at which the congregation will be asked to begin the process summarizing our ideas about our congregation, and identifying what characteristics we seek in a new Pastor. The Transition Team members include: Paul Karl (Council representative), Cheryl Brigham, Jessica Feeley, Eileen Kackenmeister, Jeff Morrison, Dan Scammon, Rebecca Schrumm, Byrl Short, and Auderien Soeun.
After the MSP workshop on May 22, the writing team will begin creating the first draft of the document. When the MSP team has prepared the draft, it will be sent to the Council for review and approval. The final step is for the document to be shared with the congregation for review and approval. The MSP writing team includes: Mark Beliveau, Linda Edwards, Dot Kasik, and Eileen Kackenmeister.
Following the congregation approval, the completed MSP document will be sent to the New England Synod office where Pr. Wilco, our Synod representative will match our needs and desires with the qualifications of pastoral candidates. We plan to have our MSP document to the Synod by the start of summer. Then the Call Committee will await resumes of clergy who are seeking a new call. As you’ve probably heard, there are fewer candidates available than at other times, so we may have to remind ourselves to be patient and trust that someone will be lead to us. Call Committee members include: Erlinde Beliveau (Council representative), Stephanie Goupil, Tina Maiorino, Julie Moore, Dick Topping, and Dave Smith.
Please pray for our Transition Team members, as well as MSP writing team members, and Call Committee members that they may listen thoughtfully, and discern God’s path. And say thank you to these individuals when you have a chance!