Interim Minister’s Report

I have been quite busy both with activities at Forest Hill and with my responsibilities for the wider church and I wanted to tell you a bit about some of that.
Last week (at time of writing), I marked the 35th anniversary of my ordination. The responses I get from people vary from, “You can’t be old enough” to “You aren’t re-tired yet?” I spent that evening driving up to Port Elgin for the Annual Meeting of Hamilton Conference. Except for 1978 and the year my daughter was born (1986), I’ve been to at least some part of 36 meetings of Hamilton Conference – every year since my summer internship in Dunnville in 1977. A highlight for me was the privilege, as Chair of Waterloo Presbytery’s Education and Students Committee, of laying hands on one person commissioned to Diaconal Ministry and two people who were Ordained. One of them was a student I supervised, a decade older than I am. He’s not thinking about retirement but, like another minister I know of his age, is engaging the com-munity around the church and reaching out to children, youth, newcomers, young and non-traditional families.
Meanwhile, back at Forest Hill, various teams are working away on the goals for the Interim Time:
1) Identity and 2) Finance: These goals are being informed by Eric Law who says that thriving churches are both missional and sustainable. A team of six selected from the Board have spent 3 days with him learning how to get our resources (“Holy Currencies”) flowing. More, much more, to come!
The Transition Team has “slowed down” to monthly meetings and, since we don’t have a Stewardship Committee, have themselves been discerning what ways we might mine the gems of time, talent and treasure.
3) Governance: A team has been meeting to examine what we need from our structure (what’s working and isn’t) and will be offering work on how we might maximize how we are organized.
4) Youth and Children’s Ministry: Confirmation Class has met monthly since January. Between meetings, confirm-ands have spent time with other confirm-ands at Five Oaks, and with their mentors have been participating in outreach ministries, visiting other worshipping communities, and going to movies, exploring faith and what it means to them.
5) Communication: The Committee has been hard at work, updating the website and policies along with the on-going work of the Messenger and advertising . (I just show up for part of their monthly meeting.)
Forest Hill has many committed, creative, hard-working leaders with whom I consider it a privilege to work.
Thank you to each of you!
Pegi