From Your Interim Pastor...Rev. Kathy  Vineyard

PRAYERS OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN AVAILETH MUCH…Paul’s words have guided my life since seminary days when future direction was uncertain, Greek was, well, “all Greek to me” and a bewildering world of possibilities awaited us upon graduation from the Master of Divinity  program. The more difficult perspective was the loss of close friends with whom we spent every waking moment eating “hockey pucks” in the refectory, worshipping every morning in the chapel, attending that 8 am Greek class and   other proscribed courses of study and studying in Erdman Library until it closed at midnight. The Princeton Seminary class of 1977 was our family and about to be separated.

 The same is true of every call we PTS alumni would encounter in the past 34 years since graduation. My last Sunday in the pulpit of Grace Presbyterian Church is, ironically, the 34th anniversary of my ordination. Another departure is on the horizon and you will all be very much missed. Grace has been my family and, in a very real sense continues to be as we have “tied the knot.” The Pastoral Courtesy Guidelines of Grace Presbytery provide wise counsel on the separation of pastors from their congregation. Those guidelines are available at gracepresbytery.org/forms. Thank you for being the warmest and most loving church family God has provided. Thank you for engaging faithfully in ministry shared this past 18 months since my arrival. Thank you for being an authentic witness to Jesus Christ in this community.

 Our family will soon be seeking a different congregation with whom to worship and to work. The Vineyards leave this particular church with prayers for your future as well as our own to provide the new pastor with a clear field for creating bonds. Prayers have brought Grace Presbyterian Church and the Rev. Thom Lamb into a new relationship.  God has blessed this congregation with a joyful new connection with the Lamb family. Welcome to the new pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church! Prayers availeth much…thanks be to God!
 

 Report of the Moderator

December 11, 2011

Kathy Vineyard

Grace Presbyterian Church

Temple, Tx

November and December are usually busy months but this year have been exceptional with outstanding events and several challenges. The end of January/beginning of February signals my conclusion as Interim of this congregation, admittedly a challenge for our family and this church family as old relationships transition into fresh friendships. The only way I can properly finish my time here is with profound thanks for what began as a temporary assignment to help a sister congregation in this presbytery move toward a new future. Only God could have known the unforeseeable events of the past year and a half. Thank you for your support, hard work, prayers, consistent attendance at meetings, programs, Sunday School and worship. Thank you for the use of the Annex as a temporary home. Most of all, thank you for the love you shared with us as Bruce and I became a blended, new family and for your continuing friendship.

 Grace Presbytery has a policy called “Pastoral Courtesy Guidelines.” Departing pastors are advised to do just that-depart to leave the field clear for the new pastor. Churches are asked to understand that is it not just protocol but policy and polity which request  pastors to move on as pastors but remain as friends with congregations, not acting as though still in office. To that end, please know we remain in this community until God calls us elsewhere to minister, as your friends,  but after February 1, 2012, I am not able or willing to conduct funerals, weddings or other offices of the church. The new pastor will be better served and more able to serve as I withdraw from the life of the congregation. You soon will know him as well as you knew and loved  of his predecessors. I believe God has called Mr. Thom Lamb to this congregation to be your pastor and is a strong choice. Please join us in praying for his closing weeks in his present call as he makes a welcome but challenging journey from Ohio to Texas—I know you will welcome Mr. Lamb and his family as you have us.

 The work of the ministry does not end with a new call issued however as may be obvious. The past weeks have been filled with gracious opportunities to minister with our members walking through the valleys of life –death and loss of loved ones, illnesses and injuries, surgeries and those wounds not visible on the outside. The work of caring and praying for one another continues to be a major emphasis of my ministry here as in all my calls. It has been and continues to be my joy and privilege to be present and sharing in pastoral visits and related events such as memorial services.  Joyfully, we have also experienced baptisms this year in an unusual number for our Presbyterian demographic—what a cause to praise.

 As I reflect, the joys and concerns are too many to relate in this report so simply remember to be in prayer for Grace Church in these transition months. I am seeking a new congregation with whom to be in relationship and would love for that to be in this Central Texas region and covet your prayers for my next placement. GOD IS GOOD—ALL THE TIME! ALL THE TIME—GOD IS GOOD!!

Logos Registration for the Fall 2011 Semsester  is now open.  Click here to register:

We're located in Temple, right along the "I-35 Corridor" in the "Heart of Texas."   Our church is of the Presbyterian Church, USA branch, and we meet every Sunday for worship at 8:50 and 11:00 a.m.  Sunday School starts at 10:00 a.m. every Sunday.  Rev. Kathy Vineyard provides a great sermo each Sunday.  Need help finding us?  Click here for a map and driving directions.

Surf this site to find out more about us.  Interested in knowing who we are and where we came from?  Then you'll find our Church History well worth reading!  If you're curious about our community, Temple, Texas, check out the What's in Temple? section for some interesting web sites around our town.  Our links page lists of some of our favorite places to visit on the internet.  And finally, if you need to reach us, we've got a page full of contact information here for you, as well as a contact form you can send directly to our church office.

Have fun surfing, and please come to visit us this Sunday at Grace Presbyterian Church in Temple, Texas!