March Letter from the Elders

March 1, 2022

Hello from the Elders,

At each bi-monthly meeting (and at other times individually), the Elders pray by name for those among us who need special care.  We receive those names and circumstances primarily from the senior minister.  Those prayer concerns are up-to-the-moment current and correspond to the list shared during Sunday worship.

Until an interim minister arrives, and probably beyond, the Elders will assume the primary responsibility for gathering/receiving information about those who need prayer (and their circumstances).  

If you have an emergency, new or ongoing prayer requests or updates you'd like to share about those already on our prayer list, please direct that information to Jeannette Etheridge.  Jeannette will share with the Elders or others as situations require and with the congregation during Sunday worship prior to a pastoral prayer offered by one of our upcoming visiting ministers.  The Elders are bound by the same discretions about sharing personal information that you would expect from clergy.

Consistent with our call to be the spiritual leaders of the church, the Elders are committed to continuing a deep level of pastoral care and concern during the weeks ahead when ministerial leadership will be absent.  Our ability to fulfill our role depends on the congregation's devotion to identifying and sharing concerns about those who might need care.

As Elders, our responsibility to this congregation is a full-time duty.  However, we are not fully present in the daily traffic that directs the course of each church day.  And we do not hold special pastoral privilege, nor are we privy to the trusted channels of communication that a senior minister cultivates over time.  The seven Elders will depend on you to help us continue to share the love and concern that makes this congregation special.  

On behalf of Todd Brame, Wanda Brown, Jeannette Etheridge, Kathy Sandifer, Tish Scott and Wanda Sutton, and with prayers for peace and good, 

Bob Kendall
Chair of the Elders