Having sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit
and believing that God has called us to share in
mutual and common ministry,
with great excitement and anticipation,
we introduce
Rev. Deborah Tate Breault
as our new pastor.
Pastoral Search Committee Journey
4/26/10 - PSC conducts Second Interviews
Late April and early May finds the Pastoral Search Committee inviting select candidates for second interviews. These interviews are designed to deepen both the committee’s and candidates’ understanding of each other. We will gather for a shared meal to provide an opportunity for more informal dialogue before engaging in a conversation designed to more deeply explore the opportunity of working together. In preparation for these interviews the committees has diligently prepared a set of questions that will best inform our discernment process. It is hoped that with these second interviews we will be graced with a clearer understanding of the direction of our work. We remain grounded in prayer and find insight in the study of scripture as we strive to listen to God’s voice amongst our own.
-
Parsonage Preparation Begins
The PSC and Ministry of Stewardship have begun work to prepare the parsonage for what may lie ahead. After several visits to evaluate its condition, representative of both committees agreed that significant work needs to be done before the parsonage will be ready for its next occupant. To that end three work lists were made and presented to the Council of Ministries: items that need immediate attention before showing the property to prospective candidates, items that need attention before it can be occupied, and long range projects that need to be addressed. The Ministry of Stewardship, with significant efforts made by Andy Jones, and John and Eunice Wilcox, immediately got to work to attend to the items needing immediate attention. Much work lies ahead, though, with a need for many hands to help. If you are interested, please let a member of either committee know. Thank you!
- A Special ‘Thank You!’
….to the member(s) of the congregation who offered such a beautiful bouquet of flowers in our honor earlier this year. To all our fellow FCCers: we are blessed by your continued support, encouragement and prayers. Our task is made that much easier because of you all.
3/24/10 - The PSC Prepares for Interviews
In preparation for beginning the next set of face to face interviews, the Pastoral Search Committee has returned to resources provided by the UCC to ground their decision-making. In ‘A Pilgrimage through Transitions and New Beginnings,’ the reading of I Samuel 16:1-13 provides insight into God’s expectation of each committee member, as well as each member of the congregation, as we approach meeting, selecting, calling and welcoming our next settled pastor. Here are some excerpts:
“Samuel was instructed by God to seek out the man named Jesse, a resident of Bethlehem, and to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be King of Israel. As the sons of Jesse paraded in front of Samuel, the prophet assumed that God would want him to anoint the tallest, the most handsome of the sons. But God said, “Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I have chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.” Each is rejected. Eventually Samuel asks Jesse to send for his last remaining son, a young boy who is taking care of the sheep. And he, David, is the one God chooses to be the new King.”
“One of the most difficult challenges during the interview process is treating candidates fairly. Sometimes it is difficult to determine what is in the heart of a person because we stumble over the person’s age, or gender, or race, or sexual orientation, or weight, or disability, or outer appearance. Each of us has a mental picture of the candidate we had imagined; then we are faced with the reality of interviewing individuals (or clergy couples) who may be quite different. Judging—not by outer appearance but by what is in the heart—is a great challenge and can only be done with wisdom and insight that comes from honest sharing with one another and prayerful time with God.”
This resource reminds us to balance our desire to move ahead with the selection process with careful thought, discussion and prayer. With this in mind, we continue to meet weekly and share great excitement and anticipation for the next phase of work as we more deeply explore specific candidacies.
I Samuel 16:1, 3-12
The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." ...Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."
2/22/10
The Pastoral Search Committee has been meeting weekly to complete the work of reviewing the 55 Ministerial Profiles received to date. Currently, the committee has placed a hold on receiving additional profiles to place their full focus on selecting and reviewing candidates of strong interest. In February, the next phase began when those candidates were invited to submit additional materials to help gain a better understand of their ministries. Preliminary telephone interviews and face to face meetings were also held. The operative word is ‘preliminary,’ but the committee is thrilled to move from discussing candidates on paper to getting to know them as people. We remain blessed in our work with a strong commitment to a God-centered, collaborative process with all committee members remaining actively involved in each stage of the process.
2/1/10
The Pastoral Search Committee has been maintaining a rigorous meeting schedule that includes a full committee meeting, as well as, small group gatherings each week. To date, 54 ministerial profiles have been forwarded to the committee for consideration by the Maine Conference office. Each Ministerial Profile provides a comprehensive look at the experience and expertise of a prospective candidate. Currently, the committee has selected several of these profiles for more detailed review and has requested additional materials to further its understanding of those candidates. January also found the PSC inviting select candidates to participate in exploratory telephone interviews. The search process remains open and fluid, however, with new profiles arriving weekly and many retained candidates emerging as candidates of interest.
The focus of the Pastoral Search Committee remains with God at the center. Each meeting opens and closes with scripture and prayer. Patience and a commitment to a collaborative process have become unifying priorities that ground the committee. Of equal grounding is the support and input offered by the congregation. The insights gathered last spring at numerous congregational gatherings, discussions with Ministries and the results of the Hartford Inventory have clearly defined the direction of our work. It has been a blessing to gain such a deep understanding and appreciation of the church which we serve.
Hartford Inventory Survey
A Small Sampling of the Results:
Overall, which one task does your congregation do best?
For the sake of your own personal involvement in your congregation,
which one task would you most like to see strengthened?
More Discussion About The Survey Results
Members of the Pastoral Search Committee lead discussion and entertained questions at an informational session November 8 on the findings of the Hartford Inventory. This survey, completed by 104 members of our congregation earlier this year, has been significant in informing the PSC’s work. Highlights of the materials covered follow. A copy of the survey results is available for in-house viewing in the church office.
FUNCTIONS OF THE SENIOR MINISTER:
Members were asked to rate how high or low a priority should each of the following tasks be for the Senior Minister of the church.
The following percentages show how our congregation responded to these task questions. The percentages (read across) may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Very
High High Moderate Low
1. Providing administrative leadership for the congregation's ministry. |
23% |
34% |
35% |
8% |
2. Actively and visibly supporting the church’s stewardship program. |
9 |
34 |
48 |
10 |
3. Directly involving laity in planning and leadership of church programs and events. |
25 |
50 |
23 |
2 |
4. Planning and leading a program of new member recruitment. |
12 |
44 |
40 |
4 |
5. Participating in local community activities, issues and problems. |
4 |
37 |
46 |
14 |
6. Holding social justice issues before members. |
6 |
27 |
45 |
23 |
7. Planning and leading worship sensitive to the needs of the congregation. |
65 |
26 |
9 |
0 |
8. Emphasizing the spiritual development of members. |
30 |
54 |
15 |
2 |
9. Visiting the sick, shut-ins, and bereaved. |
30 |
45 |
24 |
1 |
10. Visiting members at their homes. |
10 |
14 |
53 |
24 |
11. Pastoral counseling of members having personal, family, and/or work related problems. |
34 |
36 |
29 |
1 |
12. Developing and supporting religious education program for children and youth. |
33 |
42 |
21 |
4 |
13. Developing and leading adult education programs. |
10 |
50 |
39 |
2 |
14. Supporting the world mission of the church. |
6 |
31 |
49 |
15 |
15. Participating in denominational activities beyond the local church, that is, at the regional or national level. |
1 |
17 |
49 |
34 |
16. Preparing and preaching inspiring sermons. |
79 |
20 |
1 |
0 |
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Members were asked to what extent they would like to see the following roles embodied in a pastor:
Very Not
Essential Much Moderate Very Not at all
1. Minister of the Word/Teacher of the Congregation |
42% |
41% |
18% |
0% |
0% |
2. Church Administrator |
4 |
39 |
38 |
19 |
1 |
3. Social Activist |
3 |
26 |
44 |
20 |
8 |
4. Group Facilitator |
12 |
34 |
49 |
5 |
0 |
5. Celebrant/Worship Leader |
25 |
43 |
25 |
6 |
1 |
6. Spiritual Guide |
29 |
38 |
28 |
5 |
0 |
7. Witness/Evangelist |
6 |
14 |
35 |
32 |
14 |
8. Counselor/Healer |
9 |
41 |
40 |
9 |
0 |
9. Community Chaplain |
1 |
13 |
45 |
36 |
5 |
10. Friend/Fellow Traveler |
54 |
32 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS & PERSONAL PRACTICES:
1. Members were asked which one of the following best expresses their view of their view of the Bible;
0% (1) The Bible is an ancient book of history, legends and cultural stories recorded by man. It has little
value today except as classic literature
14% (2) The Bible is a valuable book because it was written by wise and good people, but I do not believe it
is really God's Word, but it can teach us many moral precept.
39% (3) The Bible is the record of many different people's response to God and because of this, people and
churches today must interpret for themselves the Bible’s basic moral and religious teachings.
39% (4) The Bible is the inspired Word of God and its basic moral and religious teachings are clear and true,
even if it reflects some human error.
8% (5) The Bible is the actual Word of God and is to be taken literally.
2. Our agreement or disagreement with the following belief statements:
Strongly Neutral or Strongly
Agree Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree
1. There is no other way to salvation but through belief in Jesus Christ. |
19% |
24% |
28% |
16% |
14% |
2. Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. |
38 |
29 |
14 |
12 |
7 |
3. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was an actual event. |
26 |
33 |
33 |
6 |
2 |
4. All religions are equally good ways of helping a person find ultimate truth. |
14 |
29 |
20 |
28 |
9 |
5. The Bible has answers for all of the basic questions of life. |
10 |
33 |
31 |
24 |
2 |
6. Social justice is at the heart of the Gospel. |
16 |
45 |
29 |
6 |
4 |
7. It is often difficult to live out my faith in daily work, leisure and community life. |
6 |
43 |
18 |
24 |
9 |
Pastoral Search Committee
fccpastoralsearchcommittee@yahoo.com
Co–Chairpersons:
Cathy Bowden
Scott McLeod
Chaplains:
Laurie Davis
Paul Theisen
Secretary:
Linda Gouws
Members:
Larry Anderson
Russ Anderson
James Henderson
Jack Horton
David Merrill
Gregg Sands
Maytha Southard
Diana Wescott
Committee email address:
fccpastoralsearchcommittee@yahoo.com
Please feel free to contact a member of the committee with your
thoughts and questions at any time.
