July-August'26 Interim Update

Dinner and Discernment:
Update from our June 2026 Meeting

I think by now everyone realizes how much 2020 changed the landscape of the Church in America. Even before the COVID shutdown, even discounting any scandals with the leadership of other churches, more and more potential pastors have been turning their backs on The Call.

I mean, can you imagine being paid to stand at the pulpit and give the biblical response to the question "Who is my neighbor?", only then to be told that suddenly now you're a political risk for having faithfully done your job??

Nobody wants that!
We live in a horribly critical world climate.
Just as Jesus did.

That is why the Presbyterian Church in America - the PC(USA) - chose to formalize the interim process with documents and milestones; to intentionally slow us down and give us a much better chance to not only obtain, but to retain the right pastor for each congregation. And yes, in case you hadn't noticed, even neighboring churches are taking 3-5 years to go through this exact same process right now. 

But if you've been paying any attention, you've already heard all of this multiple times: from this pulpit, from our presbytery representatives from the COM (Paul Rack, then Cathy Foerester), and nearly every month at Dinner & Discernment.

With all that said, I'm personally amazed at the amount of progress we've been able to make here in an astonishingly short amount of time! And if you don't also see how remarkable the amount of knowledge and healing this church family has undergone in the past year and a half, let me ask you:
Exactly how active have YOU been in our monthly Dinner & Discernments?

Because although I'm an elder at First Presbyterian, I've only been a member here in Watkins Glen for less than a dozen years; so not only have I learned a lot during this process, but I'm actually feeling much more emotionally integrated into this congregation as a direct result of Lynda's leadership through these activities! 

All of that review last year laid the foundation for the future of this congregation. If I were to put a number on it, I'd guess we've gleaned a little over half the information we need in order to put together this new Self Study document that John King talked about last month. 

To be specific, we have all of the info we need to create a thorough study of our Past, with very little thought towards our Future. That would be more than enough to place our church on hospice care, but not quite enough to allow us to *thrive* as a congregation. Obviously, that means there's more to be done! 

I was planning to talk here about the progress we made at our June Dinner & Discernment: about this thing we did called a Congregational Asset Mapping, where we linked the church's assets to the community's needs; about the cool new programs that we proposed as a direct result of this exciting new exercise; about how we already have a brand new ecumenical "place of worship" on 5th Street, which is now labeled on Google Maps as "The Labyrinth at First Presbyterian"; and about why each of you needs to be actively participating in this process, or expect to be surprised by the actions that we take without you. 

I was planning to talk about that, but we changed course a little during sessions last Tuesday. We wheeled in a new proverbial Crash Cart to try and jolt a little new life into this process. So rather than just continuing to make these monthly appeals for all of you to become active participants, the elders will be proactively calling on each of you over the summer. We will be leading the charge to get your input!

Each elder was given a list of active members Tuesday night, along with a list of questions; and if you are an active member here, one of us will be giving you a call. In fact, if you aren't called by the end of August, grab an elder and demand that your voice be heard! Let's Thrive Together!

God bless you. And may he guide us through the rest of this process according to his timing. Not ours. Amen.

Respectfully, iliese Bowman

July-August'26: Pastor's Corner

 PASTOR’S CORNER

• For the past 14 months — you have been gathering — around dinner tables in the fellowship hall — and in small groups — to engage in honest — tender — and sometimes courageous conversations about who you are and where God is calling you. You have been doing the hard and holy work of looking at your Heritage — celebrating the faithful journey that brought you here — while honestly tending the places that still need healing. 

• You have been wrestling together with your Mission — asking what you truly stand for — what you are called to be in this community and in this world — during this season. You have been examining your Leadership — thinking carefully about how this community is organized and who needs to be equipped and empowered for what comes next. 

• You have begun identifying your Connections — remembering that no congregation is an island and that the partnerships you have formed beyond these walls are part of your calling too. And you have been daring to look toward your Future — not with fear — but with faith. 

• Heritage – Mission – Leadership — Connections — and Future — the Five Focus Areas of Interim Ministry. 14 months of faithful work carried out in Dinner and Discernment and Small Group gatherings. And yet — I want to remind you that you have not been building something from scratch. You have been joining something that was already in motion — because God was already in the field before you got there. 

• In April — our Committee on Ministry representative — Cathy Foerester — came and instructed Session about the steps involved in preparing to form a PNC. One of those steps is a Congregational Self-Study to be conducted by Session. The information gathered in the study becomes our "application" (for lack of a better word) that will be submitted to COM for approval to form a PNC. In the coming weeks — Elders will begin collecting information to complete the required Self-Study in preparation for formally requesting that COM approve the formation of a Pastor Nominating Committee at their meeting in September.

• To accomplish this in a timely manner — each Elder has been assigned 8-10 members of this community to have conversations with members regarding how each of you sees this community and what your hopes are for the future. It is Session's hope that you will accept the invitation to be part of the answer you have been seeking — by participating when contacted. The goal is to collect all the survey results by mid-August so that the information can be formatted to present to COM at their meeting in September.

• To foster good communication – and ease any anxiety around what my you will be asked – an email will be sent with all the survey questions. Additionally, if you would like to know who will be contacting you – please call, email, or text me and I will provide you with that information.

• The upcoming Congregational Self-Study is not just an administrative exercise. It is not just a box to check on the way to forming a PNC and calling a new pastor. These conversations are an act of prayer made visible. They are you saying to God — we are willing — and ready to be part of the answer. And here is what I believe with my whole heart — when you show up for these conversations — when you bring your honest voice and your hopeful spirit — you are answering a prayer that this congregation has already been praying together.

Blessings,

Pastor Lynda