Dear Wesley Church Members and Friends:
In the United Methodist Church, ordained pastors are considered itinerant in an appointment system; that is, at the discretion of the Bishop and cabinet (and with great care), pastors are appointed to serve any given congregation on a year-to-year basis. Pastor Andy is in the middle of his third year with Wesley Church, but received a call last week that he would be appointed to a new church beginning the new appointment year, July 1. Neither Pastor Andy nor the Staff/Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) requested the move, but as a connectional church, we recognize the hard decisions that must be made to help produce strong churches and strong pastors.
On July 1, Andy will begin his appointment to Hatboro: Lehman Memorial UMC. We pray that God would bless Andy and Lehman as they work together. At this time, another clergy person has not been appointed to Wesley. However, the Bishop and her cabinet have been meeting to identify that individual, and the SPRC has had an opportunity to discuss what gifts and graces are needed in the incoming pastor to continue to move our church forward.
To help you process this news, there is a time set for questions and answers. If you would like to discuss things further with Andy, Dave (chair of the SPRC), and others on the SPRC, please consider joining us in fellowship hall tomorrow (Monday), January 14th, at 7:00 PM. Please pray for Andy, the SPRC, and Wesley Church as we begin these several months of transition. And through it all, may God’s name be praised. Thank you.
The Staff/Parish Relations Committee
