Pastoral Search Update February 2019—Supplement The First Congregational Church of Washington, Connecticut, An Open and Affirming Congregation of the UCC The Judea Journal The Judea Journal The Judea Journal The Judea Journal By the Rev. Cheryl Anderson, Pastor Farewell… from Pastor Cheryl These days, as I run into people around town, they are sometimes surprised to see me. “Didn’t you retire? I thought you left already!” So, I invite them to the Service of Farewell on February 24 th and tell them that the moving truck won’t be loading until March 18 th . It is getting closer every day and I am feeling a mixture of excitement and grief and often having trouble finishing a thought or remembering why I walked into a room. However, the excitement I feel for this congregation as the pastoral search committee gets close to announcing their candidate for your new Pastor, is unmixed. As the search process draws close to a conclusion, let me review the process so far and what is coming next. It started when I announced my retirement date, with an invitation to the whole congregation to serve on the search committee that was forming. A wonderfully appropriate mix of dedicated members who represent the mix within the congregation stepped forward to serve. Next, you all elected the committee at a quarterly meeting and commissioned them in a Sunday service. The new search committee invited and reminded (I didn’t say “nagged”) you all to participated in a Feb 3 - 10:00 am Worship Svc** Feb 10 - 10:00 am Worship Svc* Feb 17 - 10:00 am Worship Svc* Feb 24 - 10:00 am Worship Svc* Feb 24 - 3:00 pm Service of Farewell for Pastor Cheryl * Sunday School and Childcare Available Worship Schedule February Birthdays 5 Calendar 5 Council’s Corner 3 From the Pastor 1 Memorials—Steeple 7 Pastoral Search 1 Sunday Morning Support 6 Upcoming Events 4 In this issue: For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another… We know love by this, that Christ laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” 1 John 3:11, 16 Dear friends, this is my last Judea Journal message. My final Sunday as your Pastor will be February 24 th . Our morning service on the 24 th will be planned and led by our Youth, and give the young people of our church and me the opportunity to exchange our blessings and farewells. Inaya Shariff will be confirmed at the morning service as well. Our official Service of Farewell, with the whole community invited, and lots of music planned, will be at 3:00pm on the 24 th , followed by a reception in Weresbe Hall. The last few days of February, I will be finishing moving 22 years worth of books and children’s sermon objects out of the pastor’s study to ready it for a new occupant. Years ago, sharing tea with Father Ficks over at St. John’s, he said that we were just conductors “Farewell” cont’d on back page “Update” continued on page 2
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Transcript
Pastoral Search Update
February 2019—Supplement
The First Congregational Church of Washington, Connecticut, An Open and Affirming Congregation of the UCC
The Judea JournalThe Judea JournalThe Judea JournalThe Judea Journal
By the Rev. Cheryl Anderson, Pastor
Farewell… from Pastor Cheryl
These days, as I run into people
around town, they are sometimes
surprised to see me. “Didn’t you
retire? I thought you left already!”
So, I invite them to the Service of
Farewell on February 24th and tell
them that the moving truck won’t be
loading until March 18th. It is
getting closer every day and I am
feeling a mixture of excitement and
grief and often having trouble
finishing a thought or remembering
why I walked into a room.
However, the excitement I feel
for this congregation as the pastoral
search committee gets close to
announcing their candidate for your
new Pastor, is unmixed. As the
search process draws close to a
conclusion, let me review the process
so far and what is coming next.
It started when I announced my
retirement date, with an invitation
to the whole congregation to serve
on the search committee that was
forming. A wonderfully appropriate
mix of dedicated members who
represent the mix within the
congregation stepped forward to
serve.
Next, you all elected the
committee at a quarterly meeting
and commissioned them in a Sunday
service.
The new search committee
invited and reminded (I didn’t say
“nagged”) you all to participated in a
Feb 3 - 10:00 am Worship Svc**
Feb 10 - 10:00 am Worship Svc*
Feb 17 - 10:00 am Worship Svc*
Feb 24 - 10:00 am Worship Svc*
Feb 24 - 3:00 pm Service of
Farewell for Pastor Cheryl
* Sunday School and Childcare Available
Worship Schedule
February
Birthdays 5
Calendar 5
Council’s Corner 3
From the Pastor 1
Memorials—Steeple 7
Pastoral Search 1
Sunday Morning Support 6
Upcoming Events 4
In this issue:
For this is the message you have
heard from the beginning, that we
should love one another… We know
love by this, that Christ laid down
his life for us – and we ought to lay
down our lives for one another.”
1 John 3:11, 16
Dear friends, this is my last
Judea Journal message. My final
Sunday as your Pastor will be
February 24th. Our morning
service on the 24th will be planned
and led by our Youth, and give the
young people of our church and me
the opportunity to exchange our
blessings and farewells. Inaya
Shariff will be confirmed at the
morning service as well.
Our official Service of Farewell,
with the whole community invited,
and lots of music planned, will be
at 3:00pm on the 24th, followed by
a reception in Weresbe Hall. The
last few days of February, I will be
finishing moving 22 years worth of
books and children’s sermon
objects out of the pastor’s study to
ready it for a new occupant.
Years ago, sharing tea with
Father Ficks over at St. John’s, he
said that we were just conductors
“Farewell” cont’d on back page
“Update” continued on page 2
(Continued from page 1) Update (continued from page 1)
Page 2 The Judea Journal
church-wide “Holy Cow”
congregational assessment to help
them get a clear picture of the
congregation’s, personality,
preferences, and theological
stance to help them prepare the
church profile that possible
candidates would see.
Once the profile was drafted,
everyone had an opportunity to
read and comment. Changes
were made and the final profile
was accepted at the next
quarterly meeting.
Once the profile was posted on
the United Church of Christ job
listings, the committee started
receiving profiles and setting up
interviews with possible
candidates. This part of the
process is necessarily confidential
because many of the applicants
would be currently serving a
church and if the church knew
that their pastor was
interviewing at another church, it
could compromise their
relationship unnecessarily.
Once the committee identifies
a candidate they feel best
matches our congregation, if the
candidate feels the same way and
they come to an agreement about
the terms of the call, we will all
receive information about the
background of the candidate and
a notice of a “candidating”
weekend. A gathering will be
planned for everyone to meet the
candidate and that person will
also lead worship on Sunday.
Immediately following worship,
the candidate will be escorted
over to the Parish House and a
special congregational meeting
will be convened in the Meeting
House to discuss and vote on
whether to call this candidate as
your next pastor.
It is highly unusual for a
search committee’s candidate to
be rejected, but it has happened
at other churches. As Dimitri
said at one of the congregational
meetings: “If the candidate they
present doesn’t meet with
congregational approval, then
they haven’t done their job
correctly.”
Once you all call a candidate,
that person will need to give
notice to their current church, if
they are serving one. Letters of
Call usually include the
requirement of a two-or-three-
month termination notice; so
there is likely to be a bit of a gap
between my departure and your
new pastor’s arrival. During that
time, there will either be a
“bridge” pastor hired or the
Deacons will be arranging for
supply preachers to fill in each
Sunday.
So be watching for the two-
week notice required by our by-
laws, and plan to take part in the
candidating weekend. I am as
much in the dark as you all are,
except that every time I ask one
of the search committee members
how it is going; I hear how excited
they are by the candidates they
have met, and that they would be
personally delighted with any of
their final candidates. So, I’m
certain that you and I will be too.
The Light at the End of the Path
I was going to start it with ‘tunnel’ but I thought that was too negative and narrow. We have not
been in a tunnel, rather a lighted path toward the next bright future for this church.
The Search Committee is close to announcing their candidate choice. This is after over a year of
working together to select the best candidate to shepherd our congregation.
We have tried to keep everyone in the loop with the process, through announcements in church, the
bulletin, the Judea Journal (online and print versions) and Quarterly meetings. Some of the process
(candidate particulars) is confidential, but we have tried to keep this entire process as inclusive and
transparent as possible. Most church bulletins have had the smiling faces of the Search committee with
contact information on the back, so that questions and concerns can be heard.
So WATCH for the announcement of the candidate and the candidating Sunday where you will get
You are invited to Celebrate with us ... Sunday, February 24 at 3 pm On Sunday, February 24 at 3 pm, We will host a special service to ‘decommission’ Pastor Cheryl and
allow the other ministers in the area to honor her time with us. There will be a reception afterward in
Wersebe Hall of the Parish House. Church members and the community at large are all cordially
invited to attend this culmination of 22 years of her time with us.
To offer your assistance with the reception, or for more information, please contact Trish Grinnell, our
the March—April Journal is February 21 If you have something to be included in this issue, please send EARLY!
Dedicate flowers or the beautifully Dedicate flowers or the beautifully Dedicate flowers or the beautifully Dedicate flowers or the beautifully lit church steeple in honor of a loved lit church steeple in honor of a loved lit church steeple in honor of a loved lit church steeple in honor of a loved
one this February!one this February!one this February!one this February!
To review safe church policy, find the link in announcements on the home page or in weekly e-news.
Or borrow one of the printed copies that will be available on the left octagonal table in the Parish House
hallway.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact a member of the committee before
February 15. After that date, the committee will work to formulate a revision to be distributed for re-
view and then voted on in the next quarterly congregational meeting on Mar 31.
Committee Members: John Lintner, Carrie Loyd, Emelie Burl, Millie Johnson, and Pastor Cheryl
Safe Church Policy - additional review period prior to revision