Change? Breathe deeply.
Edith Guffey, Conference Minister
You know how once you have a certain kind of car, you seem to see a lot more of them on the road? I wonder if things are more in flux than usual or if I am just more aware of them because my life is in such a state of change. I also wonder how many times I have written an eNEWS article about change. Since I keep them ALL, I did a search in my eNEWS files. The answer is that I have written a lot of articles about change in nine years! The only thing that doesn’t change is that change keeps happening - we can count on it! Some of this change we can anticipate and plan for, and some of it is a complete surprise. The only thing in our control is how we respond to that change.
I generally put myself in the category of being a person open to change. Haven’t you heard me, over and over again, implore you (all of us) to be open to change, to embrace it, to not be afraid? Of course you have! And yet, I love being in control. I love knowing what’s ahead. I am not much of a risk taker. Those things are pretty incompatible with change. But I push myself because that’s who I WANT to be. I want to be my BEST self as a person of faith. I want to be a person who trusts more, who lets go more, who is able to say, change happens! … and it’s going to be okay.
So, I am breathing deeply, I am excited. Change happens, and it’s going to be okay…
The thing about community is that a personal change for a pastor doesn’t happen in isolation; it affects the entire congregation and everyone deals with change differently. So, lots of people may be taking deep breaths these days!
With that said, here’s a list of where things stand. Some have just happened, so read carefully!
Pastor Mike Munz has been serving at First Congregational Church in Great Bend for several years. When the pastor at Immanuel UCC in Ellinwood retired (again) they decided they were now ready to move on to a recommendation that was made several years ago. That recommendation was to share a pastor with the UCC Church in Great Bend that is 10 miles down the road! They weren’t ready five years ago, but they called their sister congregation, and this time it worked! As of July, Mike Munz is licensed to serve Immanuel UCC in Ellinwood AND First Congregational Church in Great Bend. Mike has deep roots in the KO Conference and probably knows more UCC polity than many. Remarkably, Mike actually served as a lay leader at Immanuel and filled the pulpit many times when they were “between pastors,” so Mike is at home and Immanuel is pleased to welcome him back. Congratulations Mike, Immanuel and First Congregational; this kind of flexibility is so important for the future of the church.
Congratulations to Rev. David Wheeler who has accepted a call to serve New Covenant Christian Church in Oklahoma City. Federated Church in Weatherford, OK and First Congregational Church of Norman have shared David’s pastoral leadership for the last 4 years (although David has served at Federated for 5 years.) Federated worshiped in the morning and First Congregational in Norman worshipped in the late afternoon. David put a few miles on the car, but both congregations grew in both numbers, depth, and sprit with his leadership and guidance. We send David to our partner church, The Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) with words of thanks and prayers.
Rev. Ron DeVore will leave Friedens Church in Bern, KS at the end of the year. Ron was called to serve Friends UCC in Bern in October of 2020 so his entire ministry at Bern has been during the pandemic, and it has been a challenging time. Ron lives in Lyons, and Bern is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Lyons. Friedens has made the decision to move to part-time leadership. When congregations make these difficult but necessary decisions, they impact pastors. In this situation, the change simply was not workable. Consequently Ron made the difficult decision to end his service at the end of the year. Our thanks to Ron for his leadership and our prayers that he will discern God’s call to serve in a new place, preferably closer to Lyons!
Additional Updates
Accepting Profiles and Interviewing Candidates
Wichita UCC
Community UCC in Carbondale UCC
Profiles on Hold
Colonial UCC
In Transition and Determining the Future
St. Paul UCC, Eudora; Rev. Mauri Peaco serving as Stated Supply