As you are aware by now, Sarah and Andrew Dickinson’s last day will be April 26, 2026. We will celebrate them after worship with a reception. Please come to say goodbye and wish them well. We are sad for them to leave. At the same time, we recognize Andrew’s gifting for pastoral care and know he will flourish in this new role. And we can’t help but be thankful for the thirteen years we’ve enjoyed their family.

What’s next for the church is a question many have asked. I’m very pleased with the way God has raised up people to take on the roles that Andrew and Sarah currently fill. To explain the path forward, let me remind you of the responsibilities of Andrew and Sarah. Andrew leads the mission and pastoral care ministry. The pastoral care work has two parts: hands -on care, like hospital visits and funerals, and managing an extensive system of care teams. Sarah does many things, but the big pieces are adult discipleship, digital media, church events, hospitality, and the women’s ministry. We fully plan to continue those ministries, and we have a staffing plan to do so. The plan involves several people that God had raised up from the church.

First, Scott York will become the Pastor of Mission and Discipleship. It’s a natural transition for him. We will hire student ministry staff to replace him. However, because we want to keep up the momentum of the student ministry, he will continue to run it until we can execute a careful and

successful transition.

Second, we created a new part -time position called Director of Congregational Life. This position will be responsible for digital media, church events, and hospitality. One of the volunteers under Sarah’s ministry, Melissa Cordle, will fill that role.

Third, we created a second part -time position called Director of Congregational Care. This person will be responsible for managing the extensive system of the pastoral care team. One of the volunteers under Andrew’s leadership, Amanda Roberts, will step into this role. I’m excited about both joining the staff and am confident that they will be a great addition to our church’s ministry.

We are creating a third position called a Commission Lay Pastor. This is a position unique to our denomination. It was developed to encourage creativity and innovation in meeting the ministry needs of churches.

Here’s the description in our Constitution:

“In order to better facilitate the mission and ministry of a presbytery

and its congregations, as well as to maximize the gifts of the totality

of the body of Christ, it is often advantageous to commission elders

and deacons to more extensive levels of service than ordinarily

afforded these offices. There are two general ways in which officers

may be commissioned to provide pastoral leadership and administer

the sacraments. First, they may serve in various ways within a

congregation under the supervision of the session and a pastor/head of

staff or transitional pastor. Second, an elder or deacon may be

commissioned to serve in the role of pastor/head of staff for a

congregation or a church plant. It is appropriate to refer to individuals

serving in either capacity as ‘lay pastor. ’ The session shall pre -authorize

the administration of the sacraments and also determine the process

by which pre -authorization occurs. (ECO Constitution: 2.0501)

I am happy to share that Melanie Gibbs has agreed to be commissioned as a Commissioned Lay Pastor and has received authorization from the Session to administer the Sacraments. She will be commissioned on the first Sunday of May. She will assist in worship, which is important since we need three pastors to cover our services. She will also lead the spiritual formation component of

the women’s ministry. She will be a tremendous asset as well.

Finally, we have one more person to add to the staffing plan. While Scott is still doing student ministry, I anticipate we will need extra support in the hands-on work of pastoral care. Thankfully, we already have an ordained ECO pastor in our congregation who has agreed to assist during this transition. Her name is Rev. Jan Warren -Taylor. Some may remember that she was an associate pastor here before I came. I’m happy to add her to our team.

So that’s the plan moving forward. This is all new, but I am excited and think it will work out well. Please keep both the Dickinsons and the church in your prayers for this transition period.

Blessings,

James Harper