Staff-Parish Relations Committee
Published: January 10th, 2012
Getting To Know Your First Church Staff:
Megan Humphreys-Loving
Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministries Megan was born in Minneapolis, MN and raised in Waukesha, WI with two brothers. Both of her parents are ministers. Her father is the Chaplain at Carroll University and her mother is an associate pastor and teaches introduction to writing. Megan received her BA from Pacific University in English Literature and Feminist studies. She then moved to Boston and worked at Fourth Presbyterian Church in South Boston, in urban and children’s ministries. She also was a member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Or- ganization and participated in training volunteers in advocating for community issues. Megan then came back to Portland. She started her position at First Church starting in May 2008. In her free time Megan enjoys drinking coffee, exploring nature, singing and any kind of aerobics from step class to Zumba.
At First UMC Megan enjoys working with all generations, hearing people’s stories, hearing why they have come to this church. She likes being able to call on the wisdom of all ages, talking and collaborat- ing with the committees and seeing how the commit- tees actively support the church functions.
She has started a weekly email to the parents, children and youth: “What’s Up Wednesday” for the children and “Shout Out” for the youth. She also is pleased about the development the First Church website.
Megan states that she hopes to put more focus on facilitating the parents and committee members to become the leaders of the children and youth education and activities. This would allow her to have more time to facilitate creating connections within the children, youth and parents of the church. Megan also hopes to be free to attend sports games and other extracurricular activities that our kids participate in and to start making personal phone calls on a regular basis.
Her hopes for creating more involvement for the youth are to enable them to participate in the Sunday service such as reading the liturgy and ushering.
Category Staff, Staff-Parish Relations Committee |
Published: January 1st, 2012
Ministry here at First United Methodist Church is active and varied, and we have involved leaders at many levels to keep the church vital and growing. Staff-Parish Relations Committee is in direct conversation with other FUMC church leaders and with our Assistant to the Bishop, the Rev. Lowell Greathouse, as we look at the goals and direction of our ministry and the needs we have for staffing. The normal timing of a new pastor’s appointment is July 1 each year. To assist our Senior Pastor, the Rev. Donna Pritchard, during this in-between time, SPRC, the Lay Leaders and Rev. Donna, have arranged for some interim leadership.
FUMC Lay Leaders, Sonja Connor, Dan Woodward and Cheryl Bittle, and committee chairpersons are being asked to take the lead in some of our program areas – most notably with visitor and new member efforts, some volunteer recruitment for Sunday morning worship, and in some of our short-term classes and Sunday forums. Mark Ohlson, our Outreach Coordinator, will be adding 5 hours of paid work each week (for a total of 20 hours weekly), and will provide staff support for Church & Society, Planet Church, Missions Committee and the Library Committee. He will also be the contact person for community members who come to the church seeking emergency assistance which is not pastoral in nature. Chris Bostick, Church Administrator, will become the staff support for the Travel Committee. Megan Humphreys-Loving, Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries, will work more closely with Rev. Donna in planning Lenten programs for the church, including identifying themes for worship and learning for all ages.
The Rev. Dr. Tom Rannells, a retired United Methodist elder associated with First Church, will be working 5 hours per week as the “interim Adult Ministries Director”. In this role Tom will help the Adult Ministries Committee develop short-term studies, speaker bureaus, and small group ministries. Tom will also collaborate with other program areas in this work. This position will be in place January through April. If you don’t know Tom Rannells. he served churches in Wisconsin and in California before coming to Oregon-Idaho as the Conference Council Director and his picture is in the Church Directory.
Occasional guest preachers will fill our pulpit throughout the winter and spring when Rev. Donna is away doing continuing education or fulfilling responsibilities to the larger church, or taking a little time to rest and be renewed.
The Rev. Tom Foster continues to provide ministries of pastoral care for members of First Church, and the rest of our staff continues to serve us very well. The SPRC is managing the funding of the additional staff through the funds created with the vacancy in the associate pastor role. Please let us know of any unmet needs and, of course, please tell us when you see our staff performing “above and beyond.” Let us continue to be the church that is “Believing-Thinking-Acting” to make God’s love visible in this world.
Category Headlines, Staff-Parish Relations Committee |
Published: November 27th, 2011
Janice Gratton, chair of the Staff Parish Relations Committee, spoke during worship today to affirm the changes to our ministerial staff. Here is the message from the SRPC: All of you who are members and active constituents of First Church should have received a letter from the Reverend Peggy Luckman this week. As you know, Peggy has been on leave of absence since the end of October, tending to some medical difficulties. On Monday of this week, Reverend Donna and I met with Peggy and our Assistant to the Bishop, Lowell Greathouse, to find out how her medical care was progressing and to determine if she would be able to return to her pastoral duties here at First United Methodist Church.
As indicated in her letter, Peggy’s physicians have told her that she will not be able to return to her ministry for some time. Consequently, she (with support from the Bishop and the Cabinet) will apply for an “incapacity leave” which is Methodist terminology for what we laity would call “disability leave”. Her paid leave will continue through the end of November as previously scheduled. Our prayers are with Peggy as she works on returning to good health. She wishes that each of you know that she is healing and expects to be fully recovered, but that may take some time.
On that note, the SPRC is asking that you consider sending Peggy a note expressing your appreciation for her ministry and your hope for her recovery. We have a table located in the Narthex and another one in Collins Hall–there are mailing labels available. If you wish you may take a card home to complete and mail it from there, or you may complete it here, seal it and place it in the baskets provided and the Church Office will mail it. After this morning you will find the basket in the FUMC Office for the weeks preceding Christmas. Peggy continues to express her gratitude for the privilege of serving God through you at FUMC.
Our next steps will be to review the gifts and mission of our congregation and our staff, and determine in concert with the Assistant to the Bishop how to fill our needs. From January through June of 2012, we will be asking for assistance from some retired clergy as well as securing guest preachers from time to time so that Rev Donna will not find her job impossible. We will be examining the possibilities of both lay and clergy leadership in various assignments and restructuring as needed. We are blessed at First Church with a strong lay leadership and an excellent staff. While we must be careful with our talents and not exhaust them, we expect to enter our next year strong and fully functional. Please feel free to let members of the SPRC or your lay leader team know of any suggestions you may have. You may find out contact information on the members of SPRC or the Lay Leader Team by contacting the Church Office.
Blessings to each of you–please keep Peggy in your prayers and let her know of your caring.
Category News, Staff-Parish Relations Committee |
