The FCC Church Board has been busy working on three main tasks during the month of December. First, we organized a small Transition Hiring Team under the leadership of Martha Pitts. This team is charged with developing a job description for the Intentional Interim Pastor position. The team created a draft copy of the job description at its initial meeting. The board edited and tentatively approved the draft on December 19. We then forwarded the job description to the congregation for review and suggestions.

We received 23 written suggestions from members of the congregation, staff, and Pacific Conference Minister Rev. Tyler Connoley. The diversity of opinion reflected in these suggestions reminded me of the wide range of comments from the All Church Survey. The common thread that binds us together as a congregational church is respect for each other’s opinions, even if we do not fully agree on each and every subject. Martha Pitts and I have reviewed all of the suggestions and attempted to incorporate as many as possible into the final draft. We plan to forward the edited version to the church board for final approval on December 29. The position description will be posted to the Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC) website on January 2, 2023. Rev. Connoley will conduct the initial vetting of candidates to assure they have standing to serve in the UCC. Our small Transition Hiring Team will review all qualified applicants. We will share the detailed process for narrowing the list of applicants, interviewing candidates, and final selection of the Intentional Interim Pastor in the near future.

During our December board meeting we had a heartfelt final meeting with Pastor Jonathan. As we said our goodbyes, there were many fond memories of the past nine years of his and Lisa’s ministry with us. We all wished Jonathan and Lisa the very best as they return to the northeast and immerse themselves with their family. Mark your calendar for Pastor Jonathan’s final worship service at FCC on January 8, and a celebration to follow in Fellowship Hall.

Finally, the church board and the finance committee have been working to organize a “Budget Conversation” with the congregation prior to the congregational meeting in early February. This conversation will take place following worship on January 22. The finance committee will develop simple, clear budget materials so that all interested members of the congregation are informed of the many decisions that go into the creation of the yearly budget. Please plan to attend this budget conversation to learn more about, and to participate in, the FCC budget process. Here’s hoping you have a peaceful and meaningful 2023.

Respectfully submitted,
Dan Close, Board Moderator