November'26: Pastor's Corner

Looking Forward in Faith: A Final Note from Pastor Lynda

As many of you know, my time serving as your Interim Pastor is ending earlier than originally anticipated, with my final day in office being November 12th.

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet writes to a community navigating a deeply unsettling and unexpected transition. It is in that exact context that God offers this profound promise: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart...”; (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Recently, Session experienced a transformative moment of clarity during a Special Session meeting. As Presbyterians, we are often known as the “decency and order” people. Over time, it is easy for the role of a Ruling Elder to unintentionally shift toward the physical “doing” of church—managing budgets, maintaining buildings, and overseeing operations. However, as underscored during the recent Presbytery Congregational Day of Learning, the primary, constitutional call of an Elder is to provide spiritual leadership to the flock.

In a space of deep vulnerability and courage, your Session members recognized that somewhere along the way, the vital work of intentionally inviting God into the center of the interim process and church leadership had been missing. This honest realization is not a failure; it is a vital, holy awakening that opens the door for profound spiritual growth.

This collective insight directly shaped the “Final Thoughts” portion of our newly completed Congregational Self-Study, and I strongly encourage every member of the congregation to read it. 

As you prepare to form your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), I challenge both the Session and the wider congregation to keep turning toward God. Commit to developing yourselves as spiritual leaders. Seek out concrete ways to invite the Holy Spirit into your daily community life. When your next installed pastor is called, let them find a church built upon a strong, deeply rooted, and spiritually mature foundation.

I am deeply grateful to the members of this congregation who welcomed me and shared their lives with me. You remain in my prayers as you seek God with all your heart and step into the future God has prepared for you.

Blessings,
    Pastor Lynda

Congregational Self Study 2026: Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts: Parable of the Two Sons
(from p.44 Congregational Self-Study)

For the past fifteen months we have been on a journey of self-evaluation as we worked through the Five Focus areas of the interim process, and for fifteen months we have struggled. We struggled with change. We struggled with inertia. We struggled with the weight of our past.

Like any good Presbyterian Session, we enthusiastically set about the task of completing the Congregation Self-Study. Session members were tasked with interviewing our membership, and with more than sixty percent responding, collected, collated, and interpreted over 300 pages of data and produced what we thought was a thorough and representative document. We submitted this document to our COM liaison for input, fully expecting that she would say, “Well-done good and faithful servants.” Imagine our surprise when she responded with recommended revisions – but more importantly posed two very powerful questions: “Where is God present in this process?” and “Where is God leading us?” We had produced the perfect corporate document without addressing Spirit’s presence amongst us and the process. We built a fine- looking house but forgot the foundation.

Not unlike the first son in the Parable of the Two Sons in Matthew 21:28-31, Session’s initial response to the critique was stunned disbelief, which led to resistance. “What do you mean it’s not there?” With the guidance of our interim pastor, over the course of two intense weeks and 4 special Sessions, space was created – Spirit entered – something shifted and we were transformed. For the first time in anyone’s memory, we had courageous, vulnerable conversations that welcomed Spirit in.

As a Session, we now recognize that we haven’t been fulfilling our role as spiritual leaders of our community but have been tied to process and doing. We realize that we, as individuals, must have a meaningful spiritual practice that then gets brought into Session and informs how we lead corporately. Faith is a process that begins at the cradle and ends at the grave. This process needs to be intentionally tended and developed and we, as a Session, are committed to nurturing it. Our prayer is that we can find a pastor who will help us to continue to grow in the Spirit. Our openness to growing is our gift to the pastor who covenants to walk with us.

Moving forward we will be guided by these words from Hebrews 12:1-3: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.