March 02, 2018
Dear Calvary Family and Friends,
It is with great joy that I announce that Rev. Alice Horner-Nelson will be joining Calvary’s pastoral team on April 1, 2018. As a full-time Pastor, Alice will specialize in Communications and Sacred Space (Calvary’s new worship service).
In looking to create a new full-time pastoral position at Calvary, it was important to consider the unique needs of our congregation and staff at this point in time. The crucial need rising to the top was a pastor who would be an expert communicator (in writing, online, and verbally) who could convey our vision with a professional and pastoral lens, ensuring that our message is polished, theologically sound, and community oriented. The other great need was a pastor to provide direction and leadership to our new Sacred Space worship service. This would mean having an individual with both worship leadership capabilities and the ability to lead teams of lay leaders. This newly created pastoral role requires a unique combination of skills and experience, as ideally this person would be a communications specialist (social media, website, on-site advertising of events, newsletters/Enews, etc.) with gifts and experience in creative worship leadership (appealing to those who appreciate a less formal, nontraditional style of worship), and the ability and training to take on additional pastoral responsibilities as needed.
Imagine our excitement, against what we were afraid would be long odds, at finding just such an individual! Alice herself describes the pastoral role that combines both communication and worship leadership as a “dream job” because it integrates her two passions. She has worked as a Communications Director for a large, multi-staff programmatic church, has served in a variety of different pastoral roles, and enjoys working with people of all ages, interests, and diversities. With a pastoral heart and extensive communications training, Alice exhibits open-minded creativity, thoughtful theology, sensitivity to varying congregational needs, approachable humor, and detail-oriented thinking and organization. She has the skills, qualifications, experience, passion, desire, and determination needed to successfully perform the duties of this pastoral job. In addition to getting the Sacred Space service off the ground, she will execute a comprehensive internal and external communications plan for Calvary. By having an in-house communications expert, who is also a trained pastor, we will have enhanced ways of telling Calvary’s story and spreading the good news of God’s love for all people.
Per our bylaws, this Pastor position is a “hired” position, which means the hire is at the discretion of the Senior Pastor and does not require a congregational vote. However, wanting broader expertise and input for this important decision, I utilized the wisdom of a Pastor Search Committee. I am grateful to Rev. Morgan Fletcher for her leadership of this team, and for its members who reviewed over 20 resumes, conducted phone and video interviews, and reviewed portfolio material: Stephan Barry, Nita Brown, Jim Comstock, Amy Derrick, Kevin Jonell, Kay Knight, Kristin Kron, Linnea Nigro, and John Pipe. Should you have questions about this position or process, our Search Committee members would be happy to speak with you. During her candidate weekend, Alice had the opportunity to meet with our staff, the Search Committee, some Council members, and Sacred Space leadership members in a variety of settings. With unanimous support from the Pastor Search Committee and Staff Relations, as well as important feedback from lay leaders, I felt confident in hiring Alice as Calvary’s new Pastor.
You will have the opportunity to meet Alice, and her husband Matt, immediately following worship on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018. Calvary - the Spirit of the Living God is alive and at work in our midst. We have much to celebrate!
~ Anne