October 24, 2007

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:3-6

Dear Park Church Family,

What joy there has been in our partnership in the gospel these past nine plus years!  God has done great things in, through and among us.  It is with intense sadness, then, that I bring you news of my decision to accept a call to ministry in a new place.

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Bill and Becky are more than happy to answer questions about this season of change.  Here are the answers to some questions that have already been asked:

Q.  Where are you going?

A.  To  Langhorne Presbyterian Church, in lower Bucks County, north of Philadelphia.

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What happens after Bill leaves?

Alan Adams, our Presbytery Executive, has already met with the Session.  Here are some things we can expect:

• Immediately after Bill and Becky leave, we can expect our pulpit to be supplied by our own elders and/or guest speakers for maybe six to eight weeks.

• The Committee on Ministry of our presbytery will appoint a moderator for our Session, probably a pastor from a neighboring church or perhaps a retired pastor in the area. 
• At the same time the Session will be working to bring an interim pastor who can serve on a full-time basis during the time it takes to call our next pastor. We can expect a person who has been trained in interim ministry and who can help us prepare for our new pastor.
• At some point early in the interim period, our congregational nominating committee will present a slate of candidates to serve on a Pastor Nominating Committee.  The congregation will vote to elect these or other persons to begin the process of calling a new pastor to serve at Park.
• The Pastor Nominating Committee will complete a Church Information Form that describes Park Church and to kind of pastor we will be seeking.  It typically takes three to six months to complete this profile.  Our recent church health consultation and the work of our 2020 Vision Team should be very helpful in this process.
• After the Church Information Form has been completed and approved by our Session and the presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, the Pastor Nominating Committee will begin to solicit and receive Personal Information Forms from pastors interested in filling our position.
• The Pastor Nominating Committee can expect to receive 50-75 Personal Information Forms, screening, interviewing and meeting candidates until they are ready to present a final candidate to the congregation for its vote. 
• It may take six to twelve months to discover the candidate that the Pastor Nominating Committee believes is being called by God to serve at Park Presbyterian Church.

What can we do in the meantime?

• Pray for God’s guidance and wisdom throughout the process.
• Serve the church through one of its many ministries and programs.
• Support the remaining staff who will be called upon to take on extra responsibilities
• Give generously of your financial resources so that our mission and ministry is not hindered during this time.
• Encourage one another with joy in the work we have to do.