Grace and peace to you! The prophet Isaiah shares some great words for us during this time of transition…

“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” — Isaiah 43:19

We are on a familiar journey together — again! And with God’s constant loving presence and guidance, we can do this. A time of transition is also called a liminal space: a spiritual place of transition where we have left one place but not yet arrived at the next. The Bible portrays a liminal space as a threshold between the “no longer” and the “not yet.” This is a sacred place — and an uncomfortable place — of transition. I would say that is a perfect description of St. Matthew right now. So many changes for us, and God’s presence in all of them:

Three things to know about our transition

1. Council affirmed my appointment as your part-time Vice Pastor — same as an Interim — for 20–25 hours a week. Some things will change as a result of being part-time, but some things will stay the same. We will begin our two services Sunday, September 13th. My main areas of emphasis include worship planning, sermon prep, and pastoral care. Please keep me in the loop! As a volunteer, I will co-chair the CLF Ministry Team with Heather Lerch. It has been without a chair for two years. Education is my love, and Children’s Christian Education my passion. I will keep in touch with all ministry teams as we go forward. If my office door is open — stop in to chat — I look forward to it.
2. Kim Bohley has agreed to be our Interim Secretary until we call a new pastor. Thank you so much, Kim, and welcome back. We will have fun. Her job is 20 hours a week — thus part-time, whereas Mary was full-time — and Kim’s responsibilities will be clearly laid out by Mutual Ministry.
3. Dave Rulon is now part-time and we have hired a cleaning firm which will clean our building on Fridays for a cost of $460.00 a month. Thank you, Dave, for all your years of faithfully cleaning our building. Did you know that we have ten bathrooms to clean?

So, we have gone from full-time to part-time. I am so grateful for how everyone is so graciously stepping up to help fill the gaps. In September’s Messenger, you can read about the new security steps Council has taken to secure our building — we have Moorestown Police here every Sunday just to check in — and an article about the Transition Process. Enough for now!

With joy,
Pastor Peggy