A MESSAGE FROM REV. LINDSEY ALTVATER CLIFTON: A SEASON OF CHANGE
Dear ones,
Fall is a season where the natural world around us offers a stunning visual reminder that change is inevitable. And for the most part, many of us welcome the crisp, cool mornings and vibrant color alongside the cozy, quaint traditions that fall brings – apple picking, fall festivals, s’mores around an outdoor fire.
But it’s also a season when we have to let go of the 
long days of summer and prepare to hold on through the gray, cold winter to come. We dig up our gardens with gratitude and perhaps a bit of grief, and we put them to rest, trusting that spring will return in due time.
In a not too dissimilar way, we are in a season of change, learning yet again how to let go and hold on at the very same time – letting go of the way it has “always” been and holding on to the hope of God’s future for us; letting go of what we thought that future might look like and holding on to the promise that God’s future for us, whatever it might hold, is abundant and full of new life.
It is a season to lean into the sure and certain promises of God’s steadfastness to God’s people. God provides daily bread, and we will continue to be faithful stewards of what we’re given. We are reminded in this week’s Scripture readings that such a faith takes work – individual and collective spiritual work. If ever there was a time to deepen our discipleship practices of prayer and worship, of fellowship and mission, of discernment and generosity, it is now.
Speaking of discernment, I want to share again what a couple of our Elders shared in worship on Sunday about which transitional leadership path they’ve gotten clarity about taking. After discussion at both a stated and called meeting, Session has discerned that calling a full-time Transitional Pastor will best serve our leadership needs. The Transitional Pastor will take on all the usual interim ministry roles, working directly with Session (so there will not be any sort of Transition Team formed after all).
While a Transitional Ministry Consultant would have been a more cost-effective path, there were concerns about the demand that such a model would have placed on lay leaders and current clergy, along with a sense that our congregation really needs more on-the-ground leadership and a consistent pastoral presence during this season.
My role will also remain as it is currently configured during the transitional period, and the Session-appointed Strategic Mission Steering Committee will continue its work to discern and present options for our building and campus with input from the Transitional Pastor and in ongoing conversation with the congregation. The Steering Committee will also continue providing updates at Session and Trustee meetings and presenting its recommendations for Session approval at joint meetings with the Trustees, before bringing those recommendations to the congregation for consideration, discussion, and approval.
For folks who may have forgotten, the Steering Committee is a joint Session/Trustee team made up of:
- Three active Elders: Jim Halkins (Finance); Kim Miner (Personnel); Donna Taggart (Co-chair)
- Three active Trustees: George Bickford (Property); Belle Marks (Endowment); Bud Newton (Property)
- One resting Elder: Don Robertson (Co-chair)
- One resting Trustee: Bob Hunsicker (Property)
Our General Presbyter, Rev. Denise Pass, moderated the stated and called Session meetings where these decisions were made and affirmed this as an appropriate path forward. Now, our Transitional Pastor Search Team is taking one more pass at the position description with this Session-provided clarity in mind, and final changes will be approved by Session and the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry (COM). We are hopeful that the position will be open for applicants in the coming weeks!
The Transitional Pastor Search Team will receive and screen applicants, conduct the interviews, and present their recommended candidate to Session for approval. Since this is a time-bound, contractual pastoral relationship (much like Suzanne’s), it does not require congregational approval. In terms of a timeline, it is likely that the very earliest we could expect a Transitional Pastor to join us would be January, though it may be later than that depending on how and when things unfold.
Friends, there are many moving parts and pieces to keep track of in this season, so please keep your prayers and support for FPCB coming! With the Spirit’s help and guidance, we’ll keep following God’s path as faithfully as we can. Forward together.
In Christ,
Lindsey