January 27, 2012

Dear Friends,

Please join me in welcoming back the Rev. Amy Forte to our church family this Sunday, January 22, at 10AM! Amy returns to the staff of Green's Farms Church in a part-time capacity serving as Minister of Pastoral Care. Come hear about what Amy's been up to over the past year and a half, her new responsibilities at GFC, and some ideas she has for providing spiritual care in times of illness, grief, transition and joy.

Amy and I will be leading worship together and my message, "A Life of Influence: No Strings Attached" takes a look at the crucial role adults play in helping young people mature in life and faith. Based on the familiar story of the Prodigal Son and a new book by Daniel Heischman about the theological meaning of adulthood, I'll share some thoughts about our hopes for a new Youth Minister and the challenge we all face in figuring out what it means to finally grow up.

With Joy,

Jeffrey Rider
Senior Minister

Friends

You should come to church this Sunday.  Get your New Year off to a resolute start in the Spiritual Gym this Sunday at 8:45 a.m., it is the only gym in town where you can sit down while you get in shape.
Following the Spiritual Gym, I will be leading worship in the Meetinghouse at 10 a.m.  No good going on about Freedom of Religion -- now freshly blessed by our own dear Supreme Court -- if you're not going to partake in this potentially subversive activity.  This week we'll take a look at aging and ages and how to become free of the "I'm 37, I should have made my first billion by now" thinking that possesses so many in this neck of the woods.  We'll look at this whole business of being young, middle aged and "getting on a bit" from the perspective of faith.  We'll even sing "Rock of Ages" which you probably haven't sung since the tent meeting in '46.  Rock of Ages, get it?  But they'll be good stuff too.  

Dan England

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January 6, 2012

Dear Friends—

Happy New Year! As 2012 begins, a number of positive developments are underway at Green’s Farms Church. These initiatives have arisen out of the efforts of the church’s staff and lay leadership to respond to two priorities—first, aligning the church’s staffing with the needs of the congregation, and second, continuing our strong youth programs.

She’s Back!

The first exciting development is the return of Amy Forte, our talented former Associate Minister, to a position of spiritual leadership at Green’s Farms Church. Amy left the church two years ago in response to a spiritual call she felt to pastoral care ministry. Since she departed, Amy has engaged in coursework at the Westchester Psychoanalytic Institute, begun to build a private counseling practice, and led a women’s ministry at Talmadge Hill Community Church in Darien.

Effective January 15, Amy will be rejoining the staff of Green’s Farms Church on a part-time basis, with the title of Minister of Pastoral Care. In this role, Amy will coordinate all pastoral care for the church’s congregation, as well as provide pastoral care herself. By managing the work of the church’s clergy, including Jeff Rider and John Twiname, as the staff visits church members in hospitals and nursing homes and counsels church members with family, career, and other challenges and in performing such work herself, Amy will expand the church’s resources “in the field” to ensure provision of the pastoral care needed by our congregation. Jeff Rider welcomes Amy’s return to our staff in this capacity, which will free him to spend more time in direct visitation and less indirect time managing.

Amy felt a strong call to change direction to pastoral ministry two years ago and is also developing her own private counseling practice outside the church. As a result, she returns to us only on a part-time basis and will not be involved in leadership of the church’s youth programs in the future.

Youth Ministry Team Grows!

Karen Kosinski graciously volunteered to lead the church’s youth program on an interim basis after Amy Forte left the church and has now done so successfully for over a year. Recognizing the heavy load that Karen has been carrying, the church has asked Rev. Todd Shipley, a chaplain at Bridgeport Hospital, to support Karen’s work with our youth and confirmation programs on a temporary basis. Todd’s contagious faith and enthusiasm are already known to some parents through his part-time work with younger children in the church’s Sunday School program.

Todd comes to us upon the recommendation of UCC Regional Minister, Rev. Sarah Verasco. An ordained pastor with full standing in the Connecticut Conference, he was raised and ordained in the Disciples of Christ tradition and graduated from Brite Divinity School (Texas Christian University) in Fort Worth, Texas. Todd has served congregations in Texas and Connecticut, preaching and working directly with youth and young adults. He is currently serving the oncology, bariatric and addictive behaviors units of Bridgeport and Griffin Hospitals where he is pursuing board certification in hospital chaplaincy.

Working with Karen, Todd will help to provide strong pastoral support for the church’s youth programs while the search for a permanent Youth Minister continues.

The Search Goes On!

As Matt Smith explained in his all-church e-mail before Christmas, the work of the Youth Minister Search Committee continues in 2012. Two highly qualified final candidates were identified for the Youth Minister position by early December, but one finalist eventually decided not to move from his current position, and the other accepted a position as a solo pastor at another church.

The work of reviewing, evaluating and interviewing candidates is very time-consuming. Our church’s long search process is not unusual: each candidate must be reviewed carefully to find the right “fit,” since we are essentially inviting such candidate to become a member of our church family. We owe our Search Committee members (Matt Smith, Nancy DeKraker, Lori Redmer, Eric Chiang, Anthony Laudico, Judy Hlawitschka, Will Haskell and Drew Berman) a huge debt of gratitude for their continuing efforts to identify the right person for this position.

The Search Committee continues to believe that the Youth Minister position at Green’s Farms Church is an attractive opportunity. Given the continuing flow of additional candidates for evaluation, the Search Committee remains confident that a great fit will be found in the months ahead.

An informational meeting on these initiatives will be held this Sunday, January 8, immediately following worship. All are invited to attend.

Green’s Farms Church remains a vibrant community of faith. We are deeply blessed by the church’s ability to attract talented staff and by the hard work of our congregation’s members. Please join me in welcoming Amy and Todd, and in thanking Karen Kosinski and our Search Committee for their efforts!

With Joy,

Mark Kammert, Moderator
Steve Parrish, Personnel
Jeffrey Rider, Senior Minister

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Dear Friends,