Dear members and friends of the Covenant Church of Thomaston:
I have enjoyed serving as your interim pastor and have appreciated the affirmation and acceptance which I have received from many of you as I seek to do my best to serve our Lord Jesus in this capacity.
I have served as a pastor in this church for 12 years. I stepped up last November and again when chosen by most of the congregation as it’s full-time interim pastor. As this interim period continues, I want to help us have a better understanding of my expected role here.
The role of an interim pastor is to prepare the local church for long-term settled leadership. I have not been hired as the “settled pastor,” and do not have the extensive education that the Covenant Church of Thomaston, development or future search committee is expecting of its next pastor. What I do pledge to you, for as long as the congregation sees fit for me to be interim pastor, is to seek – by prayer, conversation, and diligent service – to help you grow into a thriving congregation that serves God and our community through worship, study, fellowship, service, and witness. Upon completion of my interim duties, I will of course be moving on to the next step in my pastoral journey.
By constant prayer, let us seriously pursue God’s goal for this church, that we be a church where the Spirit of Jesus is alive and evident in all that we do. In a world that seems less and less able to have whole and healthy relationships, let us remember the new commandment that Jesus gave us at the Last Supper: “That you love one another, as I have loved you.” There is room for lifetime members and newcomers, young people and old, at the corner of Clay and Grove. Jesus prayed that we all would be one. Let’s make it our goal to serve one another as we serve Him together!
Yours in Christian Fellowship, Pastor Gary
