Just over one year ago, I completed training to be a Commissioned Ruling Elder with hopes that I was following where God was leading me. I sensed a call that I think is not unlike the one God made to Abram. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”1 I didn’t have to leave my country, but I did need to leave retirement. I didn’t feel that God would make a great nation of me, but I did sense that God would bless me, so that I, in turn, could be a blessing to others. When I finished my training, I had no idea where God would place me. Several opportunities for placement were made known to me, but they did not materialize. Then Jane announced to The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek that she would be leaving at the end of the year to move to California. Shortly after that God brought us together. I can confirm that I have felt, and continue to feel God’s blessing as I serve as your pastor. I sense that you too feel blessed by our relationship. God has blessed our time together and I know that He is not finished with either of us. So, it is time for us to look forward into our future.

We all know that nothing ever remains the same. A motto of our reformed faith is “reformed and always reforming.” Part of our reformation is in response to changing conditions on the ground. For example, in addition to hiring me, Ian Kist completed his first year as our Director of Media/Communications. Early in the year we entered into an agreement with Beulah Presbyterian Church to share Carolyn Leah on a 50/50 basis as our Director of Christian Formation. With my background in Information Technology, we have made a lot of progress in getting our Internet, web site, and email addresses under control of employees of the church and presenting a branded interface to the community. We upgraded the lighting in our parking lot and invited AA and Al Anon to meet in our Fellowship Hall. All these new things while continuing to support our ongoing ministry.

Kathy Kirk has decided to retire after 22 years of dedicated and faithful service. She will work through the end of February and take March as her vacation before she launches into what I hope is a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement. I hope that she is able to retire better than I have. I am certainly not a good role model for retirement!

These changes represent a solid foundation from which we can continue to grow in learning, worship, and service to God. In November, I presented a structure for a new member orientation/class to Session that I hope to kick off in February. My goal is to offer inquirers an opportunity to receive an overview of what it means to be Presbyterian, what it means to be a member of The Presbyterian Church of Plum Creek and what the steps are for joining the church. I have already had one person inquire about this class!

I intend to work with the staff and Session to lay out a plan for articulating the church vision. It doesn’t necessarily mean that things need to or will change, but they may. Development of this vision needs to involve the entire congregation and frequent visitors, to lay out a multi-year vision for our congregation. We can then use the vision to shape the ministries we do and the programs we offer. One result of this visioning process may be to simply affirm what we are currently doing and yield clear language to describe our vision to both ourselves and to the community around us.

2023 is a new year and God will be doing new things around us and with us. I, for one am excited about the possibilities! I hope that you are too.

To God be the Glory!

Pastor Frank Hancock

Email: pastor@plumcreekpc.com

Office: (412) 793-4525

Cell Phone: (412) 860-3719 – Please feel free to leave a message

1 The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ge 12:1–3.