Grace and Peace to You from Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Hi, I’m Pastor Linda your interim pastor. I will be with you during this time between Pastor Amy and your next regular called pastor. I’ve agreed to be with you for the year and am open to staying longer if needed. After church on the 14th, I gave a little bit of my background and how I got here. I have been divorced for many years now and have a very good relationship with my ex-husband as we have parented our two children now grown. So, the parsonage seems really large for just me and my small dog, Nahla. One son lives in St. Cloud and the other in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. I recently served a parish of 3 churches in Portland, North Dakota. They were blessed with finding a good pastor within one year. I’m what is known as a second career pastor. I have a lot of life experience and worked outside the church before going to seminary. I’m open to sharing more about myself if you are interested. However, I’m actually more interested in getting to hear your stories.
Interims play an important role in the church. They bring stability to a church or parish during a time of transition which is very stressful. It also allows them the space they need to carefully consider who their next pastor will be. My goal is not to shake things up but to honor your normal cycle and traditions as much as possible. Obviously, I’m not Amy so there will definitely be some difference in how I approach things.
Another advantage that I bring is that I’ve been in different churches, so I have seen a variety of ways to approach things. I ask questions, make observations and share insights. This can be very helpful as you put together the profile shared with prospective pastors considering coming to Hector. Looking for the right pastor can feel like dating as you look for whether or not you share a vision and approach.
September has been a month of settling in for me and getting my bearings so to speak. One observation I have is how impressive it is to see the technology investment you have made to make sure it is easier for people to follow in worship and you can have great quality in what you broadcast to those who watch online. It is also great to have multiple people taking part in worship such as reading, acolyte, setting up and assisting with communion. Worship is about coming together in praise as a community. It is meant to be participatory more than just sitting in the pew. How you worship together says a lot about you as a congregation to others.
I look forward to getting to know you and my time serving here!
In Christ,
Pastor Linda Molitor
