Dear Friends:
On January 6, 2024 (I’ll have to get used to typing that), First Presbyterian Church will hold a service at 11:00 a.m. for Epiphany, marking the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. After the service we will share a simple soup-and-salad lunch, and after lunch the holiday decorations in the sanctuary will be taken down and put away for the year.
Then, following on the work of last fall’s book group, it will be time to kick this transition process into high gear.
We will be looking to start a ‘transition group’ to engage in the research and follow-up questions arising from that study, for the purpose of putting together the church’s Ministry Development Profile (or MDP, the new name for what was previously called the Ministry Information Form or MIF). Some of the work will involve ‘homework’ or some basic data-gathering on the church and the community; other parts of the work will involve sharing and receiving information from the larger congregation, and some will involve being in touch with representatives of the Presbytery of Southern Kansas about Presbyterian process and development (this will be important as some parts of the process look different now even since I was called as interim here).
It is not necessary to have been a part of the book team to be part of the transition group, nor does being a part of the transition group require you to be on the eventual Pastor Nominating Committee. The point is to get as broad a representation of the church as possible. Meeting times will need to be flexible, and some Zoom meetings with presbytery representatives will probably be necessary. If you care about the future of this church, this is a good opportunity to show up and help develop that future.
Charles
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I will be on vacation the week of January 15-21. It has not yet been determined who will fill the pulpit that Sunday.