Gilmore Park United Church is currently in the process of Interim ministry. Late last fall we began a Joint
Needs Assessment and it was from this process that Presbytery decided that an intentional period of self study
would be important for us.
Interim Ministry:
Interim is a special opportunity for congregations to intentionally set aside time for reflection, discernment and study working on specific goals.
The goals identified for Gilmore Park and approved by the Accountable Board in May are:
- Review congregational history and identity towards re-defining our purpose, vision and mission.
- Provide opportunities for sharing of experiences to enable healing and the building of trust.
- Re-examine our governance model and improve financial accountability and communication.
It is hoped that through interim and our work towards our goals that we will gain a renewed sense of purpose,
identity and energy of God's people in this place.
A specially trained Interim minister is appointed to guide a congregation through an interim period (generally
two years). We are very fortunate to have Rev Scott Swanson to provide us with this leadership.
The Transition Team:
The Transition Team is made up of congregation members and members of presbytery who work with the interim minister to guide and lead us all through the period of interim ministry.
Your Transition Team members are Allan Parker, Gail Nichols, Sally Houston, Maggie Wallace, Tanya
Martens, Rev Scott Swanson and Presbytery Representative - Rev Dan Kirkegaard. We also expect to receive
another Presbytery rep.
The Transition Team has committed to this ministry on behalf of the congregation for two years. We recently
met for a 4 hour team building time and currently plan to meet every two weeks. Our main work will be to
plan and evaluate activities to enable us all to work on the interim goals. We will also be responsible for
progress reports to Presbytery, the Accountable Board, Council and the congregation.
We feel called to this work of guidance knowing that Interim work is the work of all of us. You will
be invited to participate in events, discussions and sharing.
In order to gain as much as possible from the Interim process, we are all responsible to:
- Learn about the process of interim
- Take account of differing viewpoints and accept challenges to our own biases as we seek the best
steps for the congregation
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Persist though times might feel uncertain and we have misgivings and personal challenges
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Work together by listening well to each other, give and receive feedback, share risks and learn from mistakes
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Be willing to spend time to attend Interim events and opportunities and share ideas.
The first event to mark on your calendar is the History Event (working towards goal #1) on
Saturday, October 16 from 9am to noon. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend.
More details about what to expect at this event will be coming.
The Transition Team, look forward to working together with you over this Interim time.
