On the move: 2 pastor searches

From October 25 Tidings

Members decisively approved a plan to provide pastoral leadership at Holladay UCC for the immediate future and years to come.

At a Congregational Meeting, voters passed a set of resolutions proposed by the Church Council.  Fifty-four congregants turned out for the October 20 gathering, including the requisite 25 members to form a quorum.

Taken together, the actions would:

• Place an ordained, temporary, minister at the church promptly to avert a “pastor gap” as Pastor Fred departs.
• Set two search committees in motion, one to call a bridge pastor and the other to call a settled pastor.

Sunday’s presentation opened with a timeline.

To accomplish this timetable, Interim Moderator Carl Adams presented a series of motions from Church Council. Here are the motions and votes:

Motion 1

Empower the Executive Committee to contract with an ordained Pastor to fulfill the needs of the church until a Bridge Pastor is called. (Vote: 50 in favor, one against, no abstentions.)

Motion 2

Empower Church Council to appoint 7 of its members to serve as the Search Committee for a Bridge Pastor who would not be a candidate for Settled Pastor.  The 7 members of Council will present their recommendation to the Congregation at a duly called Congregational Meeting. (Vote: unanimous approval.)

Motion 3

Form a Pastoral Search Committee for a Settled Pastor. (Vote: unanimous approval.)

Motion 4

Approve 7 members of Pastoral Search Committee as presented by the Nominating Committee. (Vote: unanimous approval, with stipulation that the search would be for a settled pastor, not an interim.) 

The Settled Pastor Search Committee will be: Steve Schneider, Trent Parkhill, Amy Spratling, Teri Jewell, Ruby Hammel, Martha Bale, Linda Hilton.

Moderator Adams said Council was considering the idea of engaging a qualified counselor to meet with members who feel the need to reconcile emotional fallout from the current transition — or past transitions.  Pastor Fred Evenson is leaving to serve a Rhode Island church.  His final sermon at HUCC will be November 3. No schedule was announced for the counseling sessions, but the concept received a favorable reception.