Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Remembering & Celebrating

Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Crawford

Happy New Year! I pray in these early days of 2025 you are experiencing a new beginning. There is something about a New Year that allows us to both remember the past and celebrate the future. If you are like me, you may be spending time personally reflecting on 2024 and the year past. You may also be setting goals, sharing hopes or planning for the year ahead, 2025. The same is true for St. Andrew’s as we begin a New Year, maybe especially this year.

The retirement of Rev. Marty in the fall of 2024 has been an opportunity to faithfully remember the past and to look with hope to the future. The process of remembering the past and celebrating the future might be experienced most directly in the process of searching for a new minister. We are intentionally taking time to pause during this transition to learn from the history of the past and to hear voices of hope for the future.

In November the search team was formed and met twice in December as we began this important ministry. The nine-member team, with support from Ian and I as Interim Moderators, have divided into three working groups so we can focus on the primary tasks before us currently: congregational survey, congregational profile, and interview pathway. Each working group will be reporting their progress at our upcoming meeting on January 15th, at which time we hope to finalize the congregational survey. Our goal is to complete the survey and profile this winter, so we can receive applications from potential candidates in the Spring. We will continue to keep you updated.

If you desire to learn additional details about the guidelines and process of ‘Calling a Minster,’ you are welcome to review the following document from The Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Your input is invited as we enter 2025. At the beginning of this New Year we remember the faithfulness of God in the past and celebrate the leading of the Spirit into a new adventure. In the weeks ahead you will receive a brief survey from the search team. This survey will be an opportunity for you to share what is important about St. Andrew’s and the qualities you believe we require in a new minister. As reformed people of faith we believe that we better discern the direction of God and the mind of Christ together – therefore, your input, your perspective, and your voice is necessary. On behalf of the search team thank you in advance for being on the lookout for the survey and taking the time to prayerfully complete it.

May 2025 be filled with both remembering and celebrating as we journey together.

Peace in Christ,

Jeffrey Crawford
Co-Interim Moderator