Stated Clerk's Notes - 2025/04/23

Rev. Laurie Palmer, Stated Clerk

Greetings, Easter People!

I pray you have been blessed by the season.

I pray that all church workers are getting some well-earned rest.

We in the office have been preparing for Bobby Musengwa’s arrival. His office

has been painted. We’ll clean it. We’ll clear out some stuff (ahem) from the

storage room next to the conference room, and generally get everything ready. It

sounds like spring cleaning, doesn’t it? Someone do that at my house!

I've heard from friends in Tampa Bay Presbytery who can't believe that Bobby

and I will work together–and they’re not happy he’s leaving! Before he arrives,

Maximo PC in St. Petersburg, FL, will celebrate Bobby’s 20th anniversary in May.

Bobby will preach at the June 20-21 presbytery meeting at St. Mark, Boerne. I

hope you’ll be able to attend the meeting as a commissioner or visitor to meet

him, if you didn’t have the opportunity to do so at the March meeting.

Speaking of the June meeting…..

One of the things I include in the packet in June is a spreadsheet with the current

terms of call and contracts. These have been in the Commission on Ministry

(COM) report all along, but they are now consolidated in one place on the

spreadsheet. Many of you have found this helpful as you seek to call a pastor. I

receive numerous requests for this.

I haven’t received all the terms of call and contracts. Please send them to

me soon if you haven’t already, so I can add them to the June 2 COM

meeting agenda and the spreadsheet.

Thank you for your help if you’ve sent them in or are about to.

I appreciate your forbearance and grace during this transitional period. The office

has run smoothly, all thanks to Melody and Jeanne, who make working here a

joy. They are pros!

From my Facebook post on April 23:

If your friends and colleagues (Melody and Jeanne) have never made you ice from a tooth mold, well, I don’t know what to say about that. (They’ve endured my year on Invisalign.)

How would we live life without a sense of humor??

Do not let this scare you off from asking us for any help you may need these

days. 🙂

Holy God,

For all of it, thank You.

For the things that don’t make sense, give us patience.

For unjust things, give us a voice.

For those in grief, give us ears to listen–and a silent mouth.

For those in need of healing–mind, body, and spirit–give us love to share.

We lift Mission Presbytery as we welcome new leadership, and for Bobby as he

walks in the door.

We pray for Veronique Musengwa as she also begins a new life in San Antonio.

For struggling churches, breathe Your Spirit for wisdom.

For thriving churches, breathe Your Spirit for wisdom.

For those who’ve lived, worked, and died in the faith, give rest.

We hold our Catholic brothers and sisters as they and we grieve the death of

Pope Francis. Give Your Way to those who will select the next Pope.

In every season and in every way, we are Your children; Your little children. Let

us not see ourselves any more than that.

Hear our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord.

Amen.