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Pastor's Note | Saturday, October 4th

Fall is in the air.

Did you notice how the summer-like weather gave way to that crisp, fall-like nip in the air last weekend? Okay, it’s about 90 degrees today and seems like we are right back in summer. But it is fall - a new season is upon us.

The same is true for Good Shepherd. We are in a new season having been dismissed from the PC(USA) in order to affiliate with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. This new season offers the opportunity for a new, refreshed vision of what our unique ministry in this community should be. A new season that is introducing us to a change in pastoral leadership. New denominational context. New clarity about our ministry focus. New pastoral leadership.

Our pastoral leadership transition was initiated at my request. I was sensing that July 2016 would be a good date to step into a new chapter of life. Our culture calls it "retirement" but I think of it as "re-wirement" and an opportunity to invest my life in new ministry endeavors. So we embarked on an effort to see whether a transition of pastoral leadership to Curtis and Paul continuing might make good sense for Good Shepherd.

We sought an outside resource, as you know, and invited Don Goehner to assist in this process. This past September 21st Don gave his report to us. He had a number of recommendations including my stepping out a year earlier than previously planned, if we were to make the pastoral transition to Curtis and Paul.

You need to know something important about this. Last spring when Don was working with us, I met with Paul and Curtis and shared with them my growing sense that if we were to move forward this way, I should retire a year earlier. I saw the importance of having a transition drag out for over two years. A week later, Don was with us. He carefully said that he and his associates thought that if we were to make this transition I should step out a year earlier than planned.

I believe God was speaking to me about shortening the timeframe for retiring. I also believe that Don’s insight affirmed what I had already concluded.

A new denominational context. Seeking new clarity about our ministry focus. Processing a transition to new pastoral leadership. This is a season of new opportunities for us to be faithful to our call to make new disciples of Jesus Christ and help his disciples mature in their faith. This is a new season of stepping into the future God has for Good Shepherd. Please continue to pray for our Lord’s leadership.

With gratitude,
Pastor Jim

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