One of my joys this past year was accompanying the Associate Pastor Nominating Committees in their search for new pastors to call to Bryn Mawr. A pastoral search is a long, and sometimes arduous process, but the overriding sentiment of that good work remains joy. When a group of seven diverse members gets elected to an APNC, they begin as a gathering of acquaintances, church friends with a big task at hand, but also with strong and sometimes divergent opinions about the direction a ministry area should take. Initial debate and even argument ultimately pave the way for consensus to build toward a strong sense of call to an individual.
This Sunday, September 21, at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel, we will celebrate the joyful culmination of the search that led the APNC for Youth and their Families to the Reverend Andy Greenhow. After a year of diligent work: to get input from the congregation, especially our youth; to establish values and priorities; hammer out a position description; networking, identifying potential candidates and hosting multiple interviews from across the country, we came to unanimous consensus and a strong sense that Andy was called by God to serve BMPC as a pastor and with special responsibility for youth ministry. To paraphrase Greek philosopher Aristotle, these committees become greater than the sum of their parts, and the joy in completion is but one gift of the Holy Spirit.
Join us for Andy’s Installation on Sunday afternoon and for the reception following in Congregational Hall. We are delighted to host the Commission of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, to welcome Andy’s good friend, the Reverend Vincent Kolb, as guest preacher, special musicians, and enjoy worshipping God together for this special occasion in the life of our church.