Dear Friends,
Sunday morning worship was awesome. Now the Feast and Celebration, our liturgy for the summer, was sung with great enthusiasm and the hymns were sung with great joy. Attendance growth during the month of June is encouraging; members are returning to their normal worship pattern.
Our pastoral candidate and his family worshiped with us for the first time. After worship, the pastor spoke a few moments to the congregation and then we adjourned to the fellowship hall for cookies, coffee and cold drinks. Both he and his wife moved from table to table, giving us an opportunity to greet both of them in person.
Since I made an agreement with him that we would not give his name or the church he serves on any platform of the internet (social media) until he receives and accepts the call, I won’t be listing his name or congregation that he serves on this E-Blast. However, I would love for you to open his congregation’s webpage and listen to several of his sermons and watch several Bible studies before our congregation meeting on Sunday.
Therefore, for those who attended the Meet and Greet, you already heard the name of his congregation, but for those who were not able to come, please feel free to call the church office this week and ask Linda for the name of the church he currently serves or you may text me at 480-980-0397 and I’ll send you the webpage info.
It is normal synodical protocol that a calling congregation protects the name and church of a prospective candidate so that the candidate is the one to share with his/her congregation that he/she has accepted a new call.
I can report to you that both the call committee and the congregation council approved the pastor for call unanimously and with great enthusiasm. My sense is that the members who met the pastor on Sunday were also touched by his kind, gentle and affirming spirit. I met him for the first time and I am encouraged and excited about calling him to serve Bethlehem.
On Sunday, June 27, that’s next Sunday, the congregation will meet after worship to receive the report of the call committee, telling us why they chose this candidate to recommend for call. After a time for questions from the congregation, all Members and Seasonal Members will be asked to vote on whether or not to call him as our next pastor. If there is a 2/3 majority vote affirming the call, then a separate vote on the Compensation Package will be presented, this time only needing a simple majority.
Are you ready? After a year-long process to write our Mission Site Profile and the hard work of our Call committee, we will be taking the most important vote in the life of a congregation, to call a new pastor.
I am praying for a turnout even greater than this past Sunday. Let’s all come together and make this important decision.
If you haven’t heard, let me review with you the newly adopted Covid-19 protocols for our congregation. If you are “fully vaccinated” the wearing of a mask is not required, but recommended. The same is true for those who have immunity due to contracting Covid-19. For those not vaccinated we ask that you wear, for you safety, a mask.
Today, make a decision to come and join your fellow members in this precious moment, the calling of our next pastor.
Peace,
Pastor John
