~ by the Pastor and guest writers ~
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From the Interim Pastor's Desk, (August 31, 2005) Out of the past come our preconceived notions and understandings of life. For example, what is the role of the pastor's spouse? Traditionally the "pastor's wife" sings in the choir, plays the organ, and teaches Sunday school. In her spare time she raises her family and hosts the women of the church monthly meetings. Just kidding, you have to fill in the blanks and change the duties of the "pastor's wife." Every church is different but most believe they are hiring two for the price of one when they call a pastor. The reason I share this information is to alert you to a trend developing in clergy families. You don't get two for the price of one!! For example, in my family, my wife attends the Church of Christ. So only rarely will you see her. The need to be free of congregational expectations and to have a pastor can only be found outside of the church which called her husband. When you search for a pastor, can you be free of historically conditioned expectations and think outside of the box? Might you even consider a woman candidate to fill the role of pastor? This past Sunday we talked about the response to Jesus' question, "Who do the people say that I am?" they didn't know who he was but their response was historically grounded and fit their expectations. Mankind didn't have the correct answer as to who Jesus was. Only God could supply the correct answer. This Sunday, we will talk about Jesus' rebuke of Peter. Peter couldn't accept that the cross was needed for Jesus to fulfill his role in the great plans of God. That plan of salvation for all creations needed the Cross. Peter reacted to God's plan with his own human expectation. Peter reacted out of what he wanted. The role of the human creature is to die to our human nature and be slowly reborn in the will of God. Every day we truly need to stop thinking about what we want or what makes us comfortable or what we need. There is a need to rise above our preconceived ideas and be open to the voice of God in the events of life. Or Jesus might rebuke us as though we were Simon Peter. See you in church. O'Quin
 Coming to Terms with Our History (August 19, 2005) By O’Quin Kelly In the brief time that I have been here at FPC, McAllen, we have been informally coming to terms with our history. Now I am suggesting that we do it in a formal process. It is formal in the sense that we allow everyone the opportunity to share their perception of our past and how it has affected their lives. Remember that just as individuals are shaped by their past, so it is with churches. “What happened to us back when…….?” “Who are we apart from our past ministers?” I hope we can fill in the blanks and find the answers in the next few months. Before we can consider calling a new pastor, we need to have an idea what are our strengths and weaknesses. Then the Spirit of GOD can match us with the pastor we need. That is the process. We do our part and the Spirit of GOD does the rest Several weeks ago, I presented a program on grief and the grieving process. The reason I mention this is to share the thought that grief is a part of all the dynamics of relationships. Remember that grief and grieving is not a negative experience unless we stop before completing the process. So let us share our feelings and experiences in a non-judgmental way and begin to understand how we feel as a church. We can celebrate the good and admit the things that we need to change or stop doing. Now doesn’t that sound like real fun! Life in faith is fun and extremely enjoyable because we see everything as an opportunity to serve Christ’s kingdom Life is what you allow it to be.
Temporary Shepherds (August 4, 2005) By O’Quin Kelly, Interim Pastor “For everything there is a season.” This is Scripture’s way of telling us that there is constant change in all things. Nothing stays the same especially relationships and the persons who make up those relationships. FPC in McAllen is a good illustration. Before I accepted the interim pastor position at FPC, I did a lot of listening to folks who had a history with your congregation. I went back over the minutes of the Committee of Ministry which I chaired several years back. Then during the meetings with your interim search committee, I was able to increase my knowledge of your congregation. All of the listening produced within me a sense of interest and anticipation of the opportunities as I accepted the interim pastor position. When a pastor leaves, for whatever the reason, that leaving changes the congregation. The variety of responses to a pastor’s leaving can vary from fear, anger, confusion, to relief. Not all people are affected in the same way, but the change in one person affects everyone else. This is because the congregation can be seen as a family system and not some impersonal corporate structure. Anyway, suddenly the congregation is quite different. Our denomination has realized that it is at this time that special attention is needed. That special attention is precisely what an interim pastor/transitional specialist provides. For the brief time in which you search for a pastor, I will fill that role in the life of FPC McAllen. I am told that your last pastoral search lasted some 18 months which is probably on the high side of the average time. So we have a short time to do many things in preparation for welcoming your selection of a new called pastor. From this conversation, I hope you understand that the interim pastor/transitional specialist is very different from an installed pastor in many ways. Although it is in the job contract that I will provide most, if not all, the pastoral services of an installed pastor, my primary task is to shepherd you through the in-between times. There are five tasks specifically assigned the interim pastor/transitional specialist in the contract with your session. The Mission Presbytery Committee on Ministry will be expecting quarterly if not monthly updates on our progress in each of the five tasks. These updates are not evaluations but rather progress reports. The five tasks which we will cover in greater detail in later conversations are:
Let me close with this thought. An effective interim ministry is dependent on a strong partnership between the interim pastor/transitional specialist and the congregation. See you in worship.
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