When Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ voted to call Laura Jean Torgerson to serve as our Pastor of Family Life and Youth we became a new congregation.  After nearly one hundred years as a Single Pastor church we are now embarking on a new Team Ministry.  The Team is not simply my self as Pastor and Teacher (my actual title when called twelve years ago last May) and Laura Jean as Pastor of Family Life and Youth.  Nor is it  Kimberly, our Administrator, Dan our Music Director, our soloists and Allen and Claudina, our cleaning crew.

The team ministry is everyone in the church.  Our role as Pastors is to “equip the Saints for ministry”, to lead, support, guide, mentor and assist our Congregation in fulfilling its various missions and witnesses and each individual member exercise his or her life mission.  

 

As a congregation we will be exploring in the next year how we are to live this new ministry vision together.   We will be exploring each others strengths and gifts.  We will be seeking God’s way and will.  We will be welcoming those whom Christ will be calling to join us in His work.  

 

Laura Jean will be bringing a very special set of skills talents and gifts to us all children, youth and adults.  Her knowledge of the Biblical Languages will enlighten us.  Her unique sense of scripture and her passion for teaching will enrich us.  Her experience and enthousiasm will guide us all.  She will need all our prayers, our support, our thoughts and our love if she is to lead us closer to Jesus.  Let us be her team mates in ministry.  We have called her to exercise the Pastoral office in our midst.  May the spirit of Christ be in our New Church as the Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ enters a new day.

 

Ken Fuller