What a joy it was to have twenty-one guests in worship on a summer Sunday! Word of Peace is spreading, thanks to you, thanks to God.
The Leadership Team met last night to do a lot of preparation for chartering. This Sunday we have our first congregational meeting at 10:30. We will elect an elder nominating committee. Two members are selected by the Leadership Team (pseudo-session) and three to five others are elected by the congregation. The Leadership Team has named Kim Adams (moderator) and Troy Ballou. The Leadership Team suggests to you the following names for congregational vote – Mickey Miller, Betty Clough, and Catherine Deibert (youth representative).
You are free to nominate others on the day, if you have asked them about their willingness to serve. This nominating committee should be representative of the congregation. These folks need to know Peace people well and be discerning about character. They will seek your input regarding the nomination of elders for active service on session.
The election of twelve for active service as elders on session will be on August 30. On that day, you will also have the opportunity to vote "yes" or "no" to calling me as pastor of the chartered church. Tricia’s role, as part-time parish associate, would not require a congregational vote.
For those of you newer to Presbyterianism, electing a session of elders and having congregational meetings will feel strange, but we hope it will not feel awkward or officious. Presbyterian polity is aimed at fair representation and due process to guard the health and strength of the congregation. Let’s use our polity for that purpose and follow the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.
The session will serve much like the Leadership Team has, but with a more delineated set of responsibilities, a clear term-length and a deep sense of call to ordained ministry. Presbyterians ordain elders, as well as ministers, and elders serve on par with ministers at every level of presbyterian governance. Whether you’re a "pre-natal Presbyterian" or completely new to this, we are very glad you’re part of Peace and we treasure your perspective.
This week in worship we read the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 with just two fish and five loaves. This is a reminder that, as the epistle lesson from Ephesians 3 says, "God can do abundantly far more than we ever ask or imagine." And is that not true, when we look back and see what God has done with us?
Are you being called to teach this coming year in one of our Lively Learning classes? Pray about it. We have some beautiful and interesting children and youth. When you ask an adult about their childhood faith development in church, they rarely mention pastors. They often mention Sunday school teachers.
May grace and peace abound,
Elizabeth
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