During the Adult Forum on Sept. 22, I presented an update on the Pastoral Call Process. The talk first reviewed the overall process, how we did the self-discernment task, and some of what we found. Then I went through the steps we have going forward.
The first of these is drawing together a Call Committee. In June, Council took a first pass at recommending congregation members to serve on the Call Committee. The Ministry Site Profile (MSP) was finalized and submitted in August. Council picked a dozen or so members from across the congregation to poll to see if they would serve. The Call Committee must on one hand reflect the makeup of the congregation, and on the other hand, assure all persons and age groups are represented. We plan to have the Call Committee finalized at or before the October Council meet- ing.
The Council and the Call Committee will jointly meet with The Bishop to review our self-discernment, both as reflected in the MSP and as we ex- perienced it through our events, survey and group interactions. With this understanding of St. Matthew, The Bishop will recommend a candidate to the Call Committee. The Call Committee will make a recommendation to Council. Council will make a recommendation to the Congregation. If at any point the Holy Spirit is telling us this isn’t the right candidate, we go back to The Bishop for another candidate. The final step is presenting the candidate to the Congregation and a vote by the Congregation.
The September Council Meeting also saw the kick-off of the budgeting process for next year. Jack Horton will be leading the Stewardship effort, and we will also be planning a capital appeal so we can progress further with the accessible restrooms, sacristy and access to the gym level.
And in case Fall isn’t busy already, we are upgrading our internet access, which is triggering a change to our email addresses. The addresses will become ‘@stmatthew-lutheran.org’ instead of ‘@verizon.net’. Be sure to update your contact lists and address books so the emails don’t go to your Spam folders
—John O’Meara, president
Next Council Meeting: Mon., Oct. 21, 6:30pm Fellowship/7pm Meeting