PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

February 2007

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

            It’s a new year and in Rod Clark’s words, “the train is leaving the tracks” regarding our Transition tasks.  Please see Gordon Leach’s article regarding our History Night and a calendar of coming events.  This time of transition between the retirement of your former pastor and the coming of a new settled pastor is a critical time in the life of the church.  It is a time of introspection, assessment and redefinition.  In the same way that a spouse must reframe their identity after the death of a partner, the church needs to reframe her identity when a long term pastor exits.  In the case of the Pilgrim Church of Duxbury, it wasn’t only a Senior Pastor of 17 years; but a Church Administrator of 18 years and now a beloved Pastoral Associate of 4 years.  One of the roles of the Intentional Interim Minister is to lead you in tasks that tease apart a differentiated identity from those that have gone before. The purpose is to help you prepare for a new settled pastor. To that end, I invite you to look into a mirror with me.  I am going to describe 4 church sizes and how they function.  Ask the question “where does the Pilgrim Church of Duxbury fit into these scenarios?”

 

Alice Mann, in her groundbreaking book, The In-Between Church describes 4 church sizes based on Arlin Rothauge’s book Sizing Up a Congregation: family size, pastoral size, program size and corporate size. 

Here’s the unique ethos of each one.

 

  1. The Family Size Church  has 0-50 active members and is so called because it functions like a family with appropriate parental figures.  The patriarch and matriarch control the church’s leadership needs.  Their key role is to make major decisions and to make sure that the pastor doesn’t change what the church is doing or where the church is going.  The key role of clergy is to be chaplain to this small family and to provide pastoral care, period. 

 

 

 

 

  1. The Pastoral Size Church is 50-150 active members.  Unlike the Family Church, clergy are at the center of the Pastoral Church.  A small leadership circle made up of a cadre of lay leaders replaces the matriarch and patriarch model.  A key feature of the Pastoral Church is that lay persons experience having their spiritual needs met through their personal relationship with a pastor. To that end, it is rare that a Bible Study or Committee Meeting would occur without the pastor’s presence.  Visiting and caregiving are also done by seminary-trained people because care giving by lay people is seen as “something less.”   Growth in the Pastoral Church depends mainly on the popularity and the effectiveness of the pastor. For all of these reasons, pastors can become overworked and easily burned out because of heavy time demands. 

 

Church consultants consider the transition from Pastoral to Program (150-350) size one of the most difficult.  One can expect enormous resistance on the part of a Pastoral Church as it flirts with becoming a Program Church. The reason for this is the resistance to growth on the part of the pastor and also on the part of the congregation.  That resistance becomes visible when church attendance plateaus for periods of years.  The reason for recalcitrant resistance lies both with the clergy and with the congregation.  Clergy hold on to the need to be connected to all the congregants, and congregants are unwilling to have their spiritual needs met by anyone other than ordained clergy. 

 

Another barrier to movement from a Pastoral to Program- size church is a fear from the congregation that growth will compromise connection, not only with the pastor but with the people in the parish.  They reason that when church services get bigger, meaningful connection gets smaller.

 

  1. The Program Size Church is 150-350 active members.  In the Program Church, the high-quality relationship with the pastor is replaced by high-quality programs led by lay folk.  As you can see, this becomes necessary since a pastor is unable to relate so personally to increasing numbers of people.  Spiritual growth is less dependent on connection to the clergy and more dependent on lay- led small groups that cultivate fellowship, Bible study, prayer and outreach.  In other words, people begin to grow spiritually through sharing in small groups and these groups begin to function as a church within a church.  Rather than ordained clergy meeting all the ministerial needs of the church, lay people begin to minister to one another. This is a basic tenet of all Reformation theology, that all the members are ministers.

      In this model, the pastor is not chaplain as in the Family Size Church.  He is not the        CEO as in a Pastoral Size Church.  But she is a coach whose role has shifted   dramatically.  In essence the pastor must step back from much of the direct ministry         to people and instead coordinate staff, equip lay people and empower committees         to do the work of the church.  The Program Size Church requires a very different       model of ministry which most seminaries do not prepare ordained          pastors for.

 

  1. The Corporate Size Church is 350 or more active members.  The high quality of Sunday morning worship is the first thing that you notice in a Corporate Church.  Often they have the finest organ and one of the best choirs in town.  The head of staff spends more time than other clergy preparing for preaching and worship.  When members are in hospital or crisis it is taken for granted that they will be visited by an Associate or Lay Minister.  Very often the head pastor is so prominent that they acquire a legendary quality in the community and church.  This pastor becomes a symbol of unity and stability in a very complicated congregational life.  Interestingly, the patriarch and matriarch return.  But now they are on the same page with the pastor and they chair the governing boards that control the church’s  life and future.  Laity lead on many levels and the Corporate Church provides opportunity to move up the ladder of influence. 

 

In summary, the most difficult transitions in size are from Pastoral to Program;  or downsizing from Program to Pastoral.  These are two very different ways to be a church.  And much more is needed than just a theoretical vision of this shift. A shift in size at these levels seems foreign and not familiar.  Something deep inside signals that this doesn’t feel much like church anymore.  To that end, Church Consultant and Author William Bridges makes the observation “to cross over the line into the transition you need to ask yourself what inner relinquishments you’ll need to make because of the change.”

 

So, I’ve lifted up a mirror for you to look into.  Who has Pilgrim Church of Duxbury been?  Who would Pilgrim Church of Duxbury want to become?  Discerning this answer is a large part of the Transition Time and it will have a seismic impact on who you call as your next Settled Pastor. 

 

                                                Serving Together With You,

                                                The Reverend Beverly Weinhold

 

 

 

 

 

 

On February 11th, the Senior Choir will observe Black History month by featuring Spirituals as our Anthems and Introit.   There is a vast library of this beautiful, heart-felt music some of which we have in our church library.  Spirituals and gospel music are two of several different kinds of music that originated in the experiences of African American people.  Spirituals rose out of the experience of enslaved Africans in Colonial America and were sung unaccompanied.  Gospel music developed in the early twentieth century in cities and often included drums and other instruments. 

 

Many Spirituals have been arranged for choirs.  The important composers of these are John Work II, William Dawson (our library contains many of his arrangements) Nathaniel Dett, John Work III and Undine Moore.  This may be just the time for you to consider joining us in the choir!!

 

Silver Burdett "Making Music" is the source for this information. You may find additional information on this subject by searching "spirituals and gospel music" and clicking on Silver Burdett.

       February Schedule for Junior Choir

   

 February 4: Rehearsal 11:15 - 12:00

  February 11 Rehearsal 9:00 sing at service 10:00

       February 18 NO REHEARSAL - VACATION WEEK

                  February 24 Rehearsal 11:15 - 12:00

 Junior Choir Notes:

 

Our Junior Choir is small but mighty. Help make it large and mighty! Rehearsals are after church on Sundays, except on the days when we sing in the service. We're having fun learning to sing in harmony.

                                                                        See you there!

                                                                        Mrs. Cybulska

 

 

The Duxbury Interfaith Council is sponsoring a symposium on Becoming a Global Citizen.  It will be held on February 10 at St. John’s starting with registration at 12:30PM and continuing until 5:30PM.  Cost is $12 which includes light refreshments.  For more information, call Phyllis Erickson at 781-934-5659; or go to www.pachamama.org (click on “Awakening the Dreamer”; then “Upcoming Events”) for information and registration.

 

As folks are aware, the Parish Nurse Committee is not functioning this year. Any such project is an experiment in its early going and what was found by the Committee was this: that the services of consultation and referral available from a Parish Nurse were well covered by church members' present contacts with the medical community. Another possible service-- information and support during medical crises-- turned out to be already well supplied by the Stephen Ministry. (As a matter of interest, no instance was found in the UCC in which a Stephen Ministry and a Parish Nurse program were able to co-exist in a meaningful fashion).

The remaining service requested by the Congregation... health education... was carried on by the Committee; but scheduling realities yielded too low an attendance at informational forums to warrant the labors of individuals with good hearts but who were overextended in other Church activities. The PNC was an example of a good idea that may work well sometime in the future of Pilgrim Church, but not at this time.

It was a valiant effort, however, and it is particularly important to acknowledge the good efforts of the Parish Nurse, Lisa Williams, who spent a year traveling to central MA to attain training. Lisa gave her time unselfishly in the effort to establish Parish Nursing services at Pilgrim Church. The Committee is also grateful for the support of other Church groups, notably the Deacons and Trustees who approved monies to cover many of the

Committee's initial costs.

We all know that expressions of faith do not always yield readily obvious success, but triumph is always there in the expression of love for God and his people. In that sense, the PNC was a resounding success, and may be again.

 

 

 

The UCC in Abington is hosting a Celebration of Mission luncheon on Saturday, February 10 from noon until 2:30 PM.  The mission work being done by the people of the UCC’s Pilgrim Association will be shared through stories, formal presentations and informal conversations.  Cost is $10/person.  Register with the Abington UCC at 10 Bedford St., P.O. Box 2025, Abington, MA  02351.  For more info. contact Rev. Stan Duncan at StanDuncan@post.harvard.edu.

 

 

 

PILGRIM WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP

 

 

Pilgrim Women’s Fellowship is a women’s group of Pilgrim Church.  We welcome all women of our church to come to our activities and our monthly meetings.  Yes, we do a lot of behind-the- scenes jobs.    But more importantly we try to provide all women fun and meaningful activities that connect us to our church.  Please come to our next social occasion – the Valentines luncheon.  It will be held on Thursday, February 8 at the church, starting at 10:30 AM.  The program is a talk by Rev. Beverly Weinhold on Friendship followed by a delicious luncheon.  Cost is $6.00 at the door.  For a reservation, sign up in the vestry, call Heidi Hadley (781/934-4692), or call the church office (781/934-6591).

Our next monthly meeting will be on February 1, 2007 starting at 9:15 AM.   The March meeting will be on March 1at 9:15 AM.  These meetings are open to all who want to be a part of our women’s church community.  

           

Everyone should mark down March 28 on their calendars for Part II of Linda Gray Kelly’s wonderful, funny and eye-opening comedic interpretation of the “Bad Girls of the New Testament.”  It will be a Dessert Night event for everyone who would like to come together in laughter and wisdom. This is a great opportunity for inviting a family member or friend. Look for signups in the future.

 

A special thank you is extended to all who contributed to PWF for the church directory.  This is a significant project for us in terms of time and expense, so your support is very much appreciated.  For those who haven’t, well, there’s still time!!  The suggested contribution, $4.00, can be placed in the Sunday offering (just be sure it’s in an envelope labeled “PWF”).  Many, many thanks.

 

 The next meeting of Koinonia is Monday, February 12 at 7:00 PM.  Bring your spirit of love to the home of Elaine Guilfoyle, whose phone number is 781-934-9648.

 

 

 

Bookworms

 

Bookworms will be meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month in the church library, which in February is the 27th at 1:30 PM.  The book will be announced at the January meeting.  All are welcome.

 

The next PWF Lunch Out will be Thursday, February 22 @ noon.  Location has yet to be decided; so if you have any suggestions, please call Colleen Brayer at 934-6474.  Let Colleen know if you’d like to be included in reservations, or if you just plan to “show up.”

 

Saturday Night 5 

 

After much discussion and prayerful consideration, some changes have come about with the Saturday Night 5 Worship service.  Rather than alternate Saturdays, the services will be held on select dates.  The schedule for upcoming services is:

            February 3rd – our traditional “Souper Bowl” service – remember to bring         contributions of canned goods!  Chili supper after service.

            April 7th – Easter service – potluck dinner after service.

            May 12th – Confirmation service

Please plan to join us for these contemporary worship experiences.

 

 

Volunteer Opportunities at the Duxbury Senior Center

Join the Respite Program       It takes just one day a month – if you can volunteer one                                                             Monday or Thursday a month from 9AM – 3PM, please call                                         the Senior Center.  The Respite program is for caregivers,                                                         providing them a safe place to bring their loved ones who                                                      have memory issues.  Training is provided.

Home-Delivered Meals           Deliver nutritious meals to home-bound seniors.  Please                                                             contact Karen at 781-934-5774, Ext. 16.

Community Helper                  Help a community elder that needs assistance with simple                                                          home maintenance and repairs, yard work, shoveling, etc.

 

If you can help or would like us to mail you an application, please call the Center at 781-934-5774, Becky Ford, Ext. 20.

 

 

Transition Team News

 

In a continuing effort to provide information concerning the ministerial transition process, the Transition Team provides the following update:

 

Sunday February 11th.  We are asking the entire congregation to spend a few minutes during the Worship Service completing a congregational self-assessment survey.  The Worship Service will be adjusted to allow time for your participation in this important task; individuals may leave for fellowship in the vestry as soon as their surveys are complete.  This survey is to be completed anonymously, in quick response format (no written answers). Over 2,000 congregations have used this survey.  It focuses on Spirituality/Faith development; Involvement in groups and Leadership roles; Community involvement;  and Congregational Priorities.  In the event you will be unable to attend Worship on Feb. 11, we still value your input and will provide a questionnaire to you.  Please notify the Church Office (781 934 6591), Gordon Leach (781 834 4909), or Lynne Devnew Wolfe (781 934 0901) so your questionnaire can be completed between Feb. 5th and 12th.

 

Sunday, March 4th..  You are invited to our third “all church event” at 3:00PM. During this time together, we will explore collectively what are believed to be the Core Values for our congregation.  This is intended to be a free exchange of ideas as to what we mutually envision to be at the heart of Pilgrim Church. A few possible core values are Inner Peace, Continuity, Honesty, Community, Children’s Education, and Creativity.  Child care will be provided.

 

Thoughts from the History Event on January 21st.

Thanks to each of you who attended, and for the invaluable assistance provided as the group openly shared their cumulative knowledge of our corporate history.  It was an enlightening time for the Transition Team, and hopefully for those attending.  Briefly, here are some early observations from our time together.

 

Since Pilgrim Church began 162 years ago, there have been 28 full time ministers. The most recent four (Rev. Estes, Rev. Turrell, Rev. Hussing, and Rev. Landall) plus two Interim ministers served us during the past 40+ years.  These ministers were the focus for the History Event.

The times of joy and celebration as well as the times of sorrow and turmoil which have woven through this period of our church history were openly discussed.  We all need to think about which of the experiences from each ministerial era should be embraced and which we would like to leave behind.  The flip charts created during the meeting are available in the vestry for you to read.  Please add your notes to them so the evolving record of our history will be enriched.

 

Looking at Church membership and Worship attendance on an average basis from the time of Rev. Hussing’s ministry to Rev. Landall’s retirement (nearly 20 years) there is NO change in either number.  The Transition Team will evaluate all the information gathered and keep you informed of progress as we all travel along this road of transition.  Again thank you for your support and candidness, and please continue your support by participating in the upcoming events.

                                                                        Gordon Leach         

                                                                        Member, Transition Team

                                                                                   

Human Resource Experience Needed:

Our church is seeking a volunteer with personnel/human resource experience to help with a short term project.   If you have a background in human resources and can commit some time towards this effort, please contact either Ron Schultz (781-934-0683) or Jill Bostder (781-582-2266) for more information.

and

Computer “Angel(s)” Sought:

Computer questions frequently come up at the church, and our office staff is not always able to answer them.   Pilgrim Church is looking for someone in our congregation who is knowledgeable in the area of computers, and who might be willing to offer their expertise when we have a question we cannot answer.  You don’t have to be a computer “expert,” but someone who is familiar with computer problem solving, and who would be able to make themselves available if needed.   If you feel you might have something to offer in this much-needed area, please contact Cathy in the Church Office (781-934-6591), or Linda Shropshire (781-934-6720).

In a related subject, we are also looking for anyone who has perhaps upgraded their own computer and now has a computer or laptop they no longer need and would be willing to donate to the church.  If you do, please contact Cathy or Linda.

 

 

 

                  

PARISH POST

Prayers of Healing

 Bill Poellmitz - Grace Poellmitz -  Ruth Whitcomb  -Kiki Houghton - Priscilla Sangster

 

Prayers of Joy

For the baptism of Benjamin Richard Wood, son of Kate and Ernest Wood.

 

Prayers of Comfort and Solace

For the family and friends of Gertrude Bicknell.

For the family and friends of Trudy Myrbeck.

For the family and friends of Beatrice Peck, Rosalie Peck’s mother.

For the family and friends of Janet Auld, Sally Miller’s mother.

For the family and friends of Alice Hoyt, Lorrie Hall’s mother.

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