Dear Church Family,
Like many of you, I am still trying to make peace with the fact that our Executive Pastor, Rev. Don Pellikan will be leaving soon to take on a new appointment. Don has been a faithful servant of this church, a valuable member of our team, and a trusted partner in ministry for me. We will miss him. He will not easily be replaced.
It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child. In the case of our church, we have discovered that it will take a village to do the work of one Executive Pastor. In that spirit, on behalf of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, I want to share some news about how our church staff will be structured following Rev. Don Pellikan’s departure next month.
Rather than ask the District Superintendent to appoint another ordained pastor to replace Don’s position, we have determined that the various elements of Don’s job will be divided and assigned to some current staff and some new staff positions. As you are probably aware, the scope of Don’s responsibilities is vast. This situation creates a challenge both in finding that special person who could do all that Don has been doing, but also in managing one’s time to adequately allocate time and attention to each task. We are using this opportunity to reorganize the staff structure.
The following is a summary of the staff reorganization:
Rev. Georgia Harrison’s title will change from Discipleship Pastor to Associate Pastor. She will serve as the church’s primary point of contact for pastoral/congregational care, adult education, and missions.
Olivia Zamora will continue in her role as Communications Director while adding media and technology responsibilities.
Caitlin McNeely’s title will change from Office Assistant to Office Administrator. She will serve as the primary administrator for the daily operations in the church office.
Brent Lamberth will continue in his role as Youth Director, while also serving as the church’s point of contact for the scouting ministries.
In addition to current staff, two part-time staff positions will also be added to replace some of Don’s responsibilities:
A part-time Business Manager will oversee the finance and administration of the church, including managing finances, human resources, insurance, facilities, and other aspects of church operations. The SPRC is pleased to introduce Lloyd Lovely to this role. Lloyd moved to WF a few years ago after retiring from the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City as Director of Finance and Administration. Lloyd has already begun to shadow Don in order to help us make a smooth transition.
A part-time Connections Director will serve to help people engage with discipleship and serving opportunities. This person will also serve as the primary point of contact for first-time guests, helping them to get more familiar with the church. In addition, this person will oversee our church’s hospitality ministries and interface with our online/remote worshipping community. The SPRC and I have asked Jessie Smith to help us get this role established. Jessie most recently served on the staff at Floral Heights UMC. Jessie will begin this work on July 1.
I am pleased to share that the financial impact of these changes will result in a net reduction in expenses. In addition, I believe that this reconfiguration puts our church in a healthy position for the future. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Anne Aaron, our SPRC chair.
I will miss working with Don and having him as a partner in ministry at our church. I hope you will join me as we pray for Don and our church during this time of transition. I also hope you will plan to help us express our love and appreciation to Don and Lydia by participating in the gift we plan to give them and by celebrating them on Sunday, June 18.