Transition Process
First Presbyterian Church is right now in the transition process of hiring a new pastor. Transition is the “in-between” period that we will go through with an interim pastor. Please see the process below and check back frequently to see the progress toward hiring a new pastor. A word about transition: Transition is God-breathed. Creation has endowed it - dusk before dawn, gestation before birth. God employs and blesses it - wilderness before the Promised Land, judges before kings, John before Jesus. Those periods of “in-between” are holy and sacred, gracious vessels of possibility and promise. Transition, in the hands of its Creator, is the guardian and guide in our journey toward freedom, wholeness and hope. The Latest Developments Got Questions About The Transition Process? Members of the Moving Forward Committee will be available in the Chapel on Sunday, March 21 from 10:00-10:45 am to give an update and answer any questions you may have. Please join us! Dessert and Discernment Groups Meeting Now! We still have open dates for Dessert and Discernment groups! These small groups are an opportunity to gather with other church members and discuss the future of our church. See Harry's Update below for a list of discussion questions. Dates still available include:
All of the meetings above are on the church campus. Childcare is provided. To sign up, pick up an RSVP card from one of the info centers. Or call Ronda Lineback, 723-1621 x221. March 2010: Harry's Update -- Where Are We in the Transition Process? Step 1: The survey is being filled out by ALL of you! We have about 475, but we need 475-500 more. A Pastor Nominating Committee can only be elected after we, as a congregation, have discerned where God is leading First Presbyterian. That means everyone needs to fill out a survey and participate in Step 2. Go online (take the congregational survey now); you can fill out the survey in 15 minutes. This is your opportunity to have an impact on the future of the church. We are all in this process together! Step 2: Participate in a Dessert and Discernment group. They will last for an hour and a half, focusing on answering five questions about First Presbyterian:
There will be 10–12 of you in each group, led by a trained facilitator with a scribe to record the results. Watch for your opportunity to sign up for these groups, which will meet during March and early April. Step 3: The Moving Forward Committee will formulate a Vision Statement, Core Values, and a series of Goals and ask for your input on them. Then session will act upon the revised Vision Statement, Core Values and Goals. Step 4: These documents will be presented to the Committee on Ministry of Salem Presbytery for its approval. Step 5: A congregational meeting will be called to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee. In order to get to Step 5, all church members need to participate in Steps 1, 2, and 3! The more the better!
August 2009: Harry Daniel Joins First Pres as Interim Pastor The Transition Committee is excited to announce a significant milestone in our transition to a new senior pastor. With full support of the Session, we have called Harry Daniel to be our new Interim Pastor. Inviting Harry into our church family has occurred after several months of a prayerful and diligent search. We feel the Holy Spirit has led us to Harry, a pastor with a passion for leading churches in transition. Harry possesses many gifts that will enable us to continue our mission “reach out in Christ's love, grow with God and others, and go into our community and the world.” Harry has extensive experience as an Interim Pastor at churches large and small. After serving Decatur (GA) Presbyterian Church as Senior Pastor for nine years, he discovered a call and purpose to do interim work that has taken him to 12 churches since 1995. As an Interim Pastor, he actively engages in the life of the church and passionately helps churches discover God’s vision for their future. He also loves teaching, preaching, and helping associate pastors grow in their call to serve God, discover their gifts, and develop as church and spiritual leaders. Harry and his wife, Betty, are no strangers to the Carolinas! He received his undergraduate degree from Davidson College and has served as an Interim Pastor in Hilton Head, Spartanburg, Wilmington, and Washington, NC. After Davidson, he received a Bachelor of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, and later studied Language and New Testament at the University of Chicago and Vanderbilt respectively, where he earned a Masters and PhD. Harry and Betty have twin daughters: Elizabeth lives in Raleigh and Sarah lives in Austin, TX. Harry will begin his Interim Ministry at 1st Pres in early September. He will lead us through a journey of transition that will honor our history, examine where we are today, and challenge us as we listen for God’s “gentle whisper” regarding our future. Today, we lift a joyful noise of praise and thanksgiving to an all-knowing and purposeful God who has led us to Harry!
Letter to the Church from Harry Daniel, August 17, 2009 Betty and I are excited and filled with joy about our interim ministry in your midst. We are looking forward to serving with you in the exciting times ahead. You are a strong, multi-talented congregation with a bright future and I have no doubt that you will respond to the call of God leading you into the future and that you will rise to the challenges that call always brings. Your staff is strong and ready to go. I look forward to working with them and you in the coming months. At meetings of the Examinations Committee and the Committee on Ministry of Salem Presbytery last Thursday August 6, I was given permission to sign an interim contract with your session and approved for reception into Salem Presbytery. We are overwhelmed with the kindness and support that we have already received. Wow! Your hospitality has been great! I give thanks to God for your wonderful Transition team. Lisa Britt and Mary Childers have worked very hard to find us a place to live. Thanks to their efforts and pending final agreement we are looking forward to living in our home in Ardmore. Betty and I bring to you the experience of 12 interims. You bring to Betty and me new friends, a great congregation, much grace, hospitality, and love, not to mention the opportunity and blessing to be back in North Carolina. The movers will load us up on August 31st and unload us in Winston-Salem at the house on September 2nd. We look forward to getting to know all of you. Take care Shalom Harry Daniel |
