Dear ELPC Members, Friends and Staff,
We have had a great response to our advertisements and postings for the Senior Pastor position at ELPC. The Pastoral Nominating Committee continues to meet, pray, and review candidates’ resumés and statements of faith. We have begun interviewing candidates and have asked a few back for second interviews. As of mid-April, we have narrowed down the candidate list and now are preparing for in-person interviews and seeing and hearing these candidates preach in neutral pulpits. Please continue to pray for us.
This process has been a reflective and spiritual journey for me and I suspect for the rest of the committee as well. Reading and listening to each candidate’s spiritual journey has been inspiring. Listening to their life stories was not only entertaining, but also at times heart-wrenching. All those whom we talked with are really good people.
Some of these candidates are not a fit for us, yet they have strong convictions, sound theology, and are filled with God’s love and grace. They will serve congregations and our larger church effectively. I believe we have a good pool of candidates from which to choose, and I am filled with hope for our congregation and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
We will continue to do our work on your behalf diligently and with discernment, looking for the next leader for ELPC. Again, we ask for your prayers and patience.
—Bill Buchanan
ELPC Pastor Nominating Committee: Doug Booth, Bill Buchanan, David Carl, Andrea DeVries, Jim Eng, Linda Lane (Chair), Rebecca McGregor (Secretary), Polly McQueen, Antwone Wright