We are awesome! It has been very busy these past two months. As a result of that busyness, we have been able to accomplish a great deal. During May we had our candidate come here for a bit over a week to get to know us and we her. I know that most of us were able to see her in her professional role as well as her social side.
These meetings were the culmination of many months of very hard work by the Search Committee. There was a lot of support from the various committees and many individuals to plan and organize all the activities. Then on Sunday, May 15th, we had a congregational meeting after Rev. Maria Cristina’s second sermon. We voted unanimously to call Rev. Dr. Maria Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa to be our settled minister.
As we open a new chapter, we must close the old one. We will be sorry to have to say goodbye to Rev. Joy Atkinson. Rev. Joy has been exceptional in her specialized role. She has helped us to prepare for a smooth transition to a new settled minister. Many of us participated in Rev. Joy’s ‘Cottage Meetings’ to help us clarify who we are and where we are in our journey and how that meshes with our relationship in our church. I know that it was very interesting to me that Roy and I were not always in the same place in the continuum. Sometimes not even close. Surprise! Rev. Joy has helped many of us to identify our hopes and goals for ourselves and our church. She will be sorely missed.
Rev. Joy will be here until after the first Sunday in July. We will have a special Coffee Hour after the service to thank her for spending the last two years with us and to bid her adieu. If you have plans for that holiday weekend, please take a few minutes to speak with Rev. Joy the week before.
Thank you all,
Diana Dickerson