To the Sessions and Members of Longwood and Range Line Presbyterian Churches
First of all, I want to thank all of you. When Gary and I arrived, you took us in and made us family. When my daughter and granddaughter arrived, you became their family as well. As we walked the dark valley of Gary’s illness, and the recognition that he had a terminal illness, you stood by us. And since his death so many of you have given so much to help me move on. You do not know the power of your words of encouragement, gifts from your garden, financial gifts, and prayers. All of them have come at moments when I was most discouraged.
It has now been two years since Gary’s death, and I am ready to move on to a new path, in this case, retirement. The PCUSA benefits fund requires that I terminate my active ministry to congregations in order to do this, so my final date of active ministry will be December 31, 2020. I am asking for a release from my contract as of that date.
My retirement will begin on January 1, 2021.
I hope over the next three months to help you to create a stable base on which to do ministry in the future, and I trust that COM and Presbytery will provide resources as all of you ask yourselves “What is Next?”
While early this year, when the Pandemic hit, all of us wondered if life would ever be the same, we discovered something important. We are resilient! We are committed. We find ways to do ministry when it seems impossible! Best of all, we find new ways to minister to one another.
It is my hope that as you face 2021 that you will continue this process of understanding what it means to be the church to one another. You will face new challenges and have the opportunity to ask yourself the key questions, including what ministry should look like going forward. And, while I will not be with you in person, my prayers will follow each and every one of you.
Respectfully,
Pastor Bobbie Karchner (Rev. Roberta Karchner)
Rev. Karchner to Retire
The sessions of Longwood and Range Line Presbyterian Churches, plus the council members of TCSM, met on September 30, to hear of Pastor Bobbie’s retirement plans and resignation as pastoral leader of TCSM. Her letter that precedes this article was read for all to hear. MUP General Presbyter, Rev. Deborah Boucher-Payne was also present to address any questions and to provide options for the future of the churches’ pastoral leadership. These options ranged from searching for a new full-time ordained pastor for both churches through the TCSM, to pulpit supply with minimal pastoral responsibilities. We very much appreciate Rev. Boucher-Payne’s leadership during that meeting, and look forward to her continued guidance.
Those present at the meeting included: Ricky Alexander, Betty Jane Reid, Betty Jo Minor, Jennifer Alexander, and Kenny Reid all from Range Line. From Longwood, Becky Barnes, Debbie Brown, Sam Barnes (via phone) and J. R. Greer.
Now, our first order of business for each church to is to have a congregational meeting to accept Rev. Karchner’s resignation. Longwood session agreed to have theirs on October 11th, which also happens to be Pastor Appreciation Sunday. Range Line will have their meeting the following Sunday, October 18.
Beyond those two events, each session (followed by the TCSM Council) will need to meet individually to decide on the type of pastoral leadership that is best for each church. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Pastor Karchner for her years of service (especially in 2020), and wish her the very best in her retirement. We now look to the future in a new phase in our church lives. Stay tuned!.—J. R. Greer, TCSM Treas.
Sermon On Line
Worship continues to be available on our Web site under the Communications /Worship Tab
https://tricountyministries.weebly.com/worship-service
LPC Presbyterian Women
This year “2020” will remain in our memories as a very difficult year. Many things this year have tested our patience and thoughts. Of course, the Covid-19 is at top of the list. It has caused us to rethink so many things and find ways to work around this virus. Our Lord’s Acre Sale which has been going on for over 60 years is one of these things. We did not feel that it was a good idea to have our normal lunch and auction at this time. Instead of just cancelling this event, one of the younger adult members of our congregation, Sam Barnes, came up with an alternative way to still celebrate our LAS and still keep everyone safe from the virus. Sam is a fourth generation member of our church and has been an elder for several years. We commend him for thinking outside of the box and coming up with a new plan.
This year we have presented boxes of food items to be presold plus a silent auction of a few items that is going on at this time. If you are interested please check out our Longwood Facebook page for further information. Becky and Lindsay Barnes have been very busy organizing the presale boxes and Lindsay has been so instrumental in using her advertising skills to post flyers, setting up the silent auction despite technical difficulties and writing an article for the Sedalia Democrat. We want to thank the entire Barnes family for all their work to make this a successful event. It is imperative that the church listens to their young adults in their ideas of change. They are the future of our church.
Small churches struggle to keep their doors open, minister to the community and their message true. Another step in our 2020 struggle is that our minister of nine years, Pastor Bobbie Karchner, is retiring at the end of the year. We are happy for her that she is able after many years of putting everyone else first, that she is able to relax and enjoy her retirement. Pastor Bobbie has worked so hard during this pandemic to minister to the two churches she serves. She has gone out of her way to make sure we had alternate ways to participate in worship services such as virtual church, driveway services, zoom meetings, reaching out to all in her congregations. We will certainly miss her and thank her for her service. Sunday, October 11th is Pastor Appreciation Day. Let’s all let her know how much we appreciate her service to our community and churches.
Sharon Greer, PW.
Repeat Notice--Range Line’s Lord’s Acre Sale and Dinner
At its last session (early in September) meeting, extensive discussion was held regarding the feasibility of holding the annual Lord’s Acre Sale and Dinner. Two major concerns were discussed 1) how to incorporate social distancing and other COVID-19 procedures to protect the health and safety of participants and 2) the serious decline in the number of workers available to successfully prepare and serve a large dinner. Many who have contributed to and worked with the dinner & sale in the past had already informed the session they would not be available this year.
The COVID-19 virus is beyond our control, but hopefully, the current pandemic will soon be more manageable, and events and traditions will be easier to resume as usual. However, our dwindling church membership makes it increasingly difficult to provide the workforce necessary to host large events and does not appear to be a situation that will change any time soon. It is our prayer that those who desire the continuation of events such as the Lord’s Acre Sale and Dinner will volunteer their time and energy (and friends!) to help these traditions to continue.
Cares and Concerns
Please keep all of our church families in prayer. Remember, those who are in the nursing homes always enjoy greeting cards:
Concerns from Both LPC & RLPC:
- Esther Brown, at Pilot Grove on comfort care
- Bill & Margaret Schlomer at Golden Oaks
- Helen Coffelt—at Sylvia Thompson
- Georgia Reid, at Cedarhurst, Sedalia
- Elijah Johnson (Delbert & Amy’s son)
- Calvin (and Mary) Kirchhoff at Golden Oaks
- Patricia Broullette, facing back surgery
- Renee Moore
- Scott Moore
- Lee Ann (Paxson), chemo & possible radiation
- Kenny Reid
From the Internet:
Editors’ comment: Thanks to all who have contributed to the following quips and quotes.
Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other--no matter how difficult it is. Life is good when you are happy, but much better when others are happy because of you.
Authentic spirituality is always about changing you. It’s not about trying to change anyone else.—Richard Rohr
Peace is not when everyone agrees. It is when we can respect our disagreements and still play in the sandbox together.
Bedtime is the leading cause of dehydration in children.
The world will never change for the better until we as Christians change for the better.
From Bad Dad Jokes: [GOD CREATING DUCKS]-- Waterproof that chicken and give it a Kazoo.
Good friends help you find important things when you have lost them…things like, your smile, your hope, and courage.—Clergy Coaching Network.
The biggest communication problem is, we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.
How about instead of rushing from Halloween to Christmas, we use November as a month of THANKS to properly prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas for what it is really about—the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Leadership is not about being the best. Leadership is about making everyone else better.—Unknown, found at Clergy Coaching Network.