Congregation Extends Call to Rev. Paul Burns as Pastor

After a diligent discernment process conducted by the Pastor Nominating Committee, the congregation of FPC Garland met on Sunday November 16 and elected the Rev. Paul Burns to be pastor effective January 5, 2015. 

 

The Pastor Nominating Committee will now begin functioning as the Transition Team to welcome Paul and his family. They prepared this short biography to introduce him to the congregation:

Paul is the son of a Presbyterian pastor. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Musical Arts and pursued a career as an investment consultant in Dallas and then New York City. Feeling called to ministry, he returned to Texas to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

 
Currently, he serves Priest Lake Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been at Priest Lake for seven years and has helped that church grow not only in faith, but in mission outreach, membership, racial diversity, and stewardship funds during his tenure.

Beyond service to his local church, Paul has authored two books with one more on the way. He is a certified Christian coach and is currently working to complete his Doctorate of Ministry.

Paul and his wife, Jennifer, and their 2-year-old son, Nelson, are excited to be moving back to Texas. He will begin January 5 with his first Sunday in the pulpit being January 11. The Pastor Nominating Committee will now serve as the transition team, and we ask for your help as we begin the process of preparing to welcome the Burns family into our fold. Pray for them as they go through this time of transition, and pray for Rev. Ivie and his family as well. Praise be to God for these times of change and renewal!

The Pastor Nominating Committee / Transition Team

Session Calls Special Congregational Meeting for November 16

The session of First Presbyterian Church of Garland, Texas hereby issues a call for a special meeting of the congregation. The meeting will be held Sunday November 16^th, 2014 in the church sanctuary immediately following the 10:50 am worship service.  The purpose of the meeting is to hear and act upon a report from the Pastor Nominating Committee. All details will be released at that meeting. Voting will be by paper ballot. Signed, Ty Bailey, Clerk of Session and the Rev. David Ivie, Interim Pastor

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At this meeting, the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) Moderator Rhonda Bush will motion that the congregation extend a call to the candidate to become your next pastor. The PNC will introduce the candidate and relate how they discerned this candidate to be the one whom God is calling here. They will also present the terms of call (salary, benefits, etc) for the pastor as well as the start date.

Everyone is invited to attend. All active members of the congregation are allowed to vote, and voting will be done by paper ballot.

 

This means the congregation will meet two Sundays in a row. The session had previously set Sunday November 9th as the day to hear and act upon a report from the Congregational Nominating Committee (followed by chili cook-off!). So the congregational will be asked to elect ruling elders and deacons one Sunday and have the option to extend a call to a new pastor on the following Sunday. In our polity, the congregation does not have very many opportunities to vote on items of business (see Book of Order G-1.0503). But now you are exercising two of your main responsibilities in the same month!

 

I know that we are all very excited to be at this place in the process. The PNC was elected just over one year ago (October 13, 2013) and has worked prayerfully and carefully to discern God's leading. Anticipate both meetings with a sense of wonder and joy about the steadfast love of the Lord. It never ceases.

 

Excitedly, David 

 

 

Call to Elect Ruling Elders and Deacons

The session of First Presbyterian Church of Garland, Texas hereby issues a call for a special meeting of the congregation. The meeting will be held Sunday November 9^th, 2014 in the church sanctuary immediately following the 10:50 am worship service.  The purpose of the meeting is to hear and act upon two (2) motions from the Congregational Nominating Committee (CNC).  First, the nominating committee will present the ruling elder and deacon classes of 2017.  Secondly, the nominating committee will present four (4) at-large members to represent the congregation on the 2015 Congregational Nominating Committee (CNC).  Nominations may be taken from the floor for either of these motions with the consent of the person you wish to nominate.  Signed, Ty Bailey, Clerk of Session and the Rev. David Ivie, Interim Pastor

I wish to thank the Congregational Nominating Committee for their faithful work in identifying these candidates for office. They worked well together—and faithfully.

The nominated officers, once elected, will undergo a series of training classes with me to prepare them for their examination, ordination/installation, and their service as spiritual leaders. Pray for them as they prepare to serve Christ in this church.

The meeting on Sunday November 9^th is expected to last approximately 15 minutes. We will then proceed to the Fellowship Hall in the Ed Center for the annual Chili Cook-off.. And I’m determined to beat Louis Gold this year. See you all there!

A Word from Nancy our AA

This week Pastor David is on a well-deserved vacation so instead of the usual Pastor's Corner, he has asked me to give you an update on the transition in the church office.

It's been two months and counting since I became a part of the FPC staff. Change is a constant in life, and it is no different here. The office has been in transition, first with Kat's departure after a whirlwind, in-depth two-week orientation. When that was done, my training wheels came off,

and I began to solo. Ron, who came and out almost every day doing something to make the church run more economically and smoothly, retired. Then within weeks his wife Ardyce, a gentle presence in the office and an authority on everyone and everything in the church I am trying to familiarize myself with, resigned. I'm grateful to have had the chance to work alongside both Ardyce and Ron. I miss their comings and goings and their interest and advice. Dana has come on board as Receiving Secretary. I am looking forward to working with Dana, even though will often have different work schedules.

 

Another new development around here is that a volunteer comes in each day between 11 and 1:00 to hand out sack lunches. This has given me an opportunity to know some of you better.

 

Through these transitions, I've been learning many things I need to know about the procedures for running the office, from Acolytes through Youth. Have you seen that HUGE notebook of info Kat left me? It's a volume with almost as many chapters as the Bible has books!

 

The best part of my job is keeping up with members and your activities and ministries and the groups you kindly share your facilities with. I've visited the Community Breakfast and both worship services, and it was an eye-opener to me to realize I like contemporary service. That was really unexpected for this old-time traditionalist. It's an on-going process, particularly some of the technological aspects. The technology thing is no secret to some of you! Kat performed magic, keeping all the balls up in the air here. She has been a resource for me; Barbara, too, as well as the many volunteers that have come through doing different tasks.

In my home church of NorthPark Presbyterian, I am a participant currently in a book study of We Make the Road by Walking. I've been reading about walking on faith journeys. The author,

Brian McLaren, made a point in this week's study that when people receive blessings they can spread their joy by becoming a blessing to others. From the day I began work here, I've shared with many friends how blessed I felt when I had the opportunity to join your staff, and it is my hope that I can become a blessing to the family of FPC Garland.

Love and peace to you!

Ardyce Retires from Receiving Treasurer Position

On Monday September 15, the session received--with great appreciation for her years of service--the retirement of Ardyce as Receiving Treasurer. Ardyce has been in this position since January 1998. When the Personnel Ministry Team conducted her annual review this summer, Ardyce said she planned to continue her work at the church. Due to her health those plans have changed. She knows that now is the time.

Plans are in the works to have a reception for Ardyce in the near future. It is likely we will recognize Ron and Ardyce together. Look for more details soon. In the meantime, join me in your prayers of thanksgiving and healing for Ron and Ardyce. They know that you all love them and care for them!

This past Sunday, the session held a special meeting and approved an offer to Dana to serve as Temporary Receiving Treasurer for a period of 90 days, from September 28^th through December 28^th. This action allows for Ardyce to retire as soon as possible (the end of this month). This action also gives the session time to search for a permanent Receiving Treasurer. We are beginning that search now. Preference will be given to non-members of this church. The position information is posted on our church website. Please help us spread the word.

In our discussion, the session acknowledged the cumulative effect of changes within our congregation. You are in an interim period. Kat and Ron have retired. And now Ardyce. We acknowledge that this is a lot to deal with. But just because things are changing doesn’t mean something is wrong. Nancy is doing very well in the office. You have received her with grace. Ron’s duties are being handled by the elected leaders of Buildings & Grounds and Worship (Damon and Andy). Now Dana, who has accounting experience and works at Southminster with the same software program, will be able to process receipts and deposits efficiently and in the strictest of confidence. The ruling elders are leading with prudence. So while there is a lot going on, you also can know that the mission of the church has not been compromised. You can have confidence in those who are leading. Most of all I ask you to have confidence in God. This is Christ’s church, and that is enough.

Interim periods are tough. No one really likes them. But the changes can often be very productive. I believe this is true for you. Your next pastor will be in an excellent position to come in and focus on ministry without being unduly burdened by administrative tasks. So hang in there. You haven’t entered the Promised Land. But you can still believe in it!

Can You Spare a Square?

As we continue to adjust to the transition with Ron’s retirement, please remember that we have capable leaders and committees already in place. So if you have a question regarding the building, please ask ruling elder Damon. He is the chair of Buildings & Grounds. He will either help you directly or get the right person to you. If you have a question about worship or the sanctuary, please see ruling elder Andy. He is the chair of Worship Ministry Team and is aware of all that needs to be attended to. Of course I am also available to help or to point you in the right direction.

There will be things that go wrong. Like last Sunday morning when there was no toilet paper in the women’s bathroom in the Ed Building. This is not the tragedy that it might first appear to be! After the initial frustration of the moment subsides (“can you spare a square?”) we all realize that we all have a “roll” (pun intended) to make our church run soft and smooth like Charmin. The toilet paper is not hidden, nor is it the sole domain of the chosen few. It is kept in the closet (a.k.a. “Ron’s closet”) in the corner of the Ed Building, next to the Outreach Classroom and the sound equipment. Grab what you need to restock your stall, and maybe grab an extra for your neighbor. Given the choice of “why isn’t this done for me?” and “how can I be a part of the solution?” I ask you to choose the latter.

In other news, Grace Presbytery has reached a settlement in the lawsuit that Highland Park Presbyterian Church initiated against the presbytery last fall. The settlement states that HPPC will pay the presbytery $7.8 million dollars. This allows them to be released from the trust clause and to be released from the denomination. So the departing congregation is paying the presbytery so they may keep their property and assets. However, as the lawsuit is being settled and even while a trial has been avoided, the pain is still present. There remains some within that congregation who wish to remain affiliated with the PC(USA). I ask you to continue in prayer for all those who suffer the pain of division.

We are a connectional church. This means we laugh with each other when we realize we just sat down in a stall without toilet paper. It also means we stick with each other in our differing opinions. It also means we love and support each other in times of sorrow, loss and stress. You do that well.

Thanks be to God!

Ron is Retiring

Last week I informed the session of Ron S’s intention to step down from his volunteer duties here at the church. Ron, Ardyce and I spoke several times about this in August, and Ron has decided to “retire again” by November 30 of this year.

Over 20 years ago, Ron volunteered to take on the duties of the church custodian when that position became vacant. Ron had already retired from his own career at Kraft and had already been a key member of the church, holding several leadership positions with a particular focus in worship and music. Now in 1994 he also added another hat, and became a volunteer custodian and has continued this for the past 20 plus years. These additional duties saved the church at least $400,000 over the years since we didn’t have to replace that staff custodial position.

Some of you are wondering “who will replace Ron”? In one sense no one in particular will replace him, as this position is being eliminated. The duties will be divided up to the worship and buildings/grounds teams. As a result, these duties will be picked up by lots of different people. So the other answer to who will replace Ron is “we will”, since we all will be responsible to take care of things that Ron used to do for us. The church is blessed with strong teams with effective leaders who are capable to make this transition go as smooth as possible.

Ron is now retiring his “volunteer hat” but of course will continue to wear his “member hat.” He will remain a significant resource, being a phone call away to answer questions about building maintenance and the history of our congregation. This transition comes at the right time, allowing committees and people to take on parts of what Ron has been doing and to make any adjustments for 2015. This transition also comes at the right time, opening a new space for the new pastor when he/she arrives. Until then it is the right time to offer our sincere appreciation to Ron (and to Ardyce and their family) for such dedication. Ron did all this out of his love for the church. It has been his way of being faithful, doing what he felt was right and good. Surely we can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done!”

With respect and admiration!