News on our search for a new minister!
In case you don’t know where we are up to in the process, let me bring you up to speed on what we have done:
- We’ve had a visioning evening, where we talked about what kind of a church we are and what kind of a minister we think we might like, and God might like us to have!
- We wrote a profile together and we’ve agreed it together.
- The deacon’s have met as a ‘search committee’ and received a number of ‘lists’ of possible ministers.
- The search committee has met some of these ministers and heard some of them preach, but either we hadn’t felt that they were right for us, or they hadn’t felt that TH was the right place for them.
Now we have some good news to share!
Gill Isterling came on to the list and she has been to preach (you can listen to a recording of the service here). The search committee has met with her and believe that she might be the right minister for us now, so we have invited Gill to come and preach with a view. Furthermore Gill has accepted, which means that she is coming again to preach and meet us as a church. The aim being to discern whether both parties think this would be a good idea for Gill to become our minister. It is worth mentioning at this point that Gill is a minister in training, which means that she couldn’t start with us until after she qualifies next summer. Although that sounds a long way off, it is unlikely (with Christmas not that far away) that we would have been able to get a minister much quicker than that even if they were already ordained.
Gill is coming to preach on Sunday 11 November in the morning and evening, and the church will have an opportunity to meet with her and ask questions (also a chance for her to ask questions of the church) over a bring and share lunch after the morning service. So please do come!
There will be a vote about whether we should ask Gill to consider becoming our minister at the church meeting the following Wednesday 14 November, where all will be able to take part in the discussion.
More details on these events will be announced at church as they become available. But please put the 11th and 14th of November in your calendar now!
And don’t forget to keep praying: for Gill, for the deacons and for everybody in the church as we consider this.