Pastor's Report to Charge Conference

I have felt so welcomed and well-received at La Plata UMC. Even before July 1, from the time I met with the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, until the day I started, I was overwhelmed by the openness, generosity, warmth and hospitality of the congregation. I thank them very much and this has contributed to my family and me feeling at home here in La Plata very quickly. I also must thank Rev. Ed Voorhaar for his amazing kindness and care by preparing the congregation so well for this season of transition.
From my perspective, the "honeymoon season" is still on. The members of La Plata UMC continue to be wonderfully supportive, affirming, and kind. We have already shared in a number of innovations and improvements that were offered in a way to upgrade our life together, and almost without exception, all the additions have been well-received.
It has been my first priority to try and get to know the people of the church, particularly those who are regularly active. Trying to learn names, recognize faces, and be able to call people by name even without their name tags has been a challenge. I am very grateful to Lew Buckler and the Hospitality Team for encouraging people to wear their name tags. And I thank the congregation, which for the most part continues to wear name tags. If you’ve given up wearing yours, it would be great if you would keep wearing it. If you’ve lost yours, please let Lew know and he will make you a new one. The name tags are not just for my benefit, though it does help me greatly; they are also invaluable to helping others get to know you, too. I’ve heard a number of folks say things like, "I’ve been a member of this church for several years now, but I didn’t know some of these people’s names. The name tags are a great help."
My second priority has been to try and reveal myself: my heart and my passion for Christ, my life, and my formative experiences. I think it is important for the congregation to begin feeling as though they know me, though obviously it does take years of interaction before you can feel completely confident of who and what I am. It is my intention to be as open and transparent as possible, so that everyone can feel good about our partnership together.
Third, I am learning the systems, habits, practices and organization of the church, so I can better understand how things work. I am grateful to the many who have been patient and helpful as I try to learn the differences between various committees and teams.
One of the challenges we faced right away was the leave of absence of our former church secretary, Sheila Russell. She and I talked many times on the phone, and she would share with me her hope to get well enough to return. Sadly, she found her health was not improving in the ways that she wanted, and in the end she realized she could not come back to work and perform the job fully, by the end of the prescribed leave period. In early August, we were blessed by the efforts and enthusiasm of Christa Bartlett, a member of our church, who began as our Interim Church Secretary, and as of October 3 her status and title was changed permanently to "Church Secretary". I thank Bright Thompson and others who encouraged her to step forward. It has been a good partnership and Christa has brought many invaluable skills. Her greatest asset however, as with any worker, is her positive attitude and her understanding that everything we do is ministry. She greets people who visit the office and speaks to people on the phone with such compassion, respect and enthusiasm that she serves as a perfect hostess and welcomer. People can’t help but have a positive impression of the church after speaking to or meeting Christa. I am grateful to God for sending Christa to our church, and for calling her to be our church secretary.
Bright Thompson is an equal blessing to me. Bright has been a steady hand in the office. He is a blessing because he has been here a while and has been able to advise me and share with me some of the histories of our church. Bright has been very encouraging of the developments we have made in the office and in our operating procedures. He is still adapting to some of our technologies, but he is a full supporter of our moving forward into the 21st Century. That he also teaches DISCIPLE Bible Study, and leads the Program Council, is a great bonus to me as well.
I am of course grateful to all the other staff members for their invaluable contributions and I am especially grateful that all of them have been willing to stay on to provide stability and a sense of comfort for the people. Too many staff changes can be disconcerting to a congregation. I have appreciated the efforts each has made to help us form good relationships and good communications with each of the staff members.
The church is in a very healthy place right now, and is in an ideal place to weather this transition. In fact, Pastor Ed left the church to me in such good shape, that it is now primed for whatever it is that God has in mind for us next. It is important that I share with you all that I do not have an agenda that I am bringing in. I do not have any grand schemes or plans. I have not been given any marching orders from the conference, and there is nothing that I immediately see that needs fixing other than some of our technology levels. I do believe that God has given us this time of stability and health as a season of preparation. I do believe that God has great plans for our church. It is my expectation that together we will discern the directions that God is leading us, and when God has revealed his plans for us, then the leaders, the staff and the whole of the congregation will also be moved by the Holy Spirit to rise up, get involved and enable us to accomplish the next great challenge God sets before us.
Job 1 for me is to become an integrated part of this fellowship and community. Once there is a comfort and a familiarity, and a bond of trust, then I am sure that God will lead us in the path of discipleship, faithfulness and deeper spiritual growth. I am convinced that God always wants us to be drawn closer and closer to him. That is why I have begun with great joy teaching my Monday night classes. All of us are being called to learn and grow. All of us are being called to serve our neighbors, to work for justice, and improve the lots of people all around us. Sometimes people need financial help. Sometimes people need food. Sometimes people need their homes rebuilt, and sometimes people need a friend, or need a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes people need to reckon themselves to God, and sometimes people need to figure out a theological understanding that will form the foundation for their lives, and by which they can live their lives.
So, I feel blessed to be here. I am grateful to God for inspiring the Cabinet to name me as your pastor. I pray that we can have a long and fruitful partnership, and that we can truly intertwine our lives so that God may use us together mightily to advance his kingdom in Charles County and beyond.