General Presbyter, Melana Scruggs Joins US April 10th
Our General Presbyter, Melana Scruggs will be with us during the worship service on Sunday April 10th. She will be sharing about the transition process and what is involved in finding a new pastor. I look forward to welcoming Melana to our church. She has spoken with our Session on 2 prior occasions and both Melana and our Session thought coming to speak to the congregation would be helpful.
The details at this time of my retirement are as follows:
Sunday May 29th will be my final Sunday preaching and leading worship
I will be on vacation from that point until the end of June
I will be officially retired and receiving a pension as of July 1st.
After we finish the Lenten sermon series on the characteristics of a vital congregation on Easter Sunday, I will begin my final sermon series as your pastor exploring The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). I have already begun my study and preparation for these sermons and am very much looking forward to sharing them with you.
Some people have asked me why I am retiring. The best answer is it is time – the right time. I do not say this lightly or casually. I have prayed and reflected on this for quite some time.
It has never been an easy thing for me to leave a church – it is difficult and painful to say goodbye to people you know and have come to love in so many ways. Having said that, I also have learned that is important to do so. I have shared my gifts with you, and it will be time for a new person to share his or her gifts with you.
Before that can happen there is typically a time of grieving and reflection. In spite of our typical normal desire to avoid this, it is worthwhile, helpful and necessary. It is one of the two things I know to free you from the harmful process of comparing someone else to me. Simply put what will be best for the church is not another John but a new pastor – the right new pastor.
The other things that will be of tremendous value for finding the right pastor to lead you into the next chapter of the life of the church is the study and reflection the Vital Congregations Initiative will bring. This process can help you discover, affirm, and build upon your gifts as a congregation. God has brought together an extraordinary group of people here. I am excited about your future – in fact I feel some real sadness about not being a part of it. That is part of my grieving process.
In the meantime, I look forward to being your pastor between now and my last Sunday, May 29th. I will be working with our Session to help prepare us, as best I can for the future. Even more importantly, I trust God is already at work creating that future.
Grace and Peace, John