Hello Cedar Ridge:
During our services last Sunday, Patsy Fratanduono announced that she has decided to step down from her role on staff. Below you can read some words from Patsy about this personal decision. I know you will want to join with me in thanking Patsy for all the incredible work and service she has given to this community over the past 8 years while on staff -- Patsy, thank you for all the love, kindness, leadership and prayer you have poured into this church over the years! Patsy will be taking a break from leadership, but remains an active, passionate and committed part of community. Please take opportunity over the next few weeks to thank Patsy for all she has done and let’s all pray for her as she transitions into a new role in our community.
We will miss Patsy greatly and as a leadership team we have been working a good process to ensure a strong and healthy transition into the future. I especially want to thank our Board as well as Bryan Peterson, our pastor for children and youth, who are all working very diligently to lead us forward. We can take great courage and confidence as a whole community that we have a wonderful leadership team who are dedicated to following Jesus, committed to our vision and who love our church. I believe that all of us can look to the future with great excitement. At some point we will most likely bring another pastor onto staff but we will be working a thorough and prayerful process before making any final decisions.
Please let us know if you have any questions. You can contact me or anyone on the Board and I have included contact details below.
Thanks so much and may you enjoy the peace and hope of this Advent season.
With love,
Matthew
Matthew Dyer
Senior Pastor
Board Members:
Shobha Duncan: sduncanrn@aol.com
Colleen Heitkamp: collheit@hotmail.com
Steve Mather: stevemather12@gmail.com
Jennifer Hoffman: jenniferleehoffman@yahoo.com
Tommy Tavenner: deferral@hotmail.com
Todd Becket: toddbeckett@gmail.com
Rephael Houston: rephaelh@yahoo.com
Trish Audi: trishaudi@hotmail.com
A Note from Patsy:
After much discussion with my family, collaboration with our church staff and board, and a great deal of prayer and seeking God’s guidance, I feel that now is the right time for me to step down from my role on the CR pastoral staff. I have come to this decision very thoughtfully and I feel a great sense of peace that not only is it the right decision for me, but will be in the best interest for the future of our community.
I have loved my time here. A little over 8 years ago I was a part of the community, working on the board and serving in prayer ministry when I was asked by the CRCC community to step up to work on the pastoral staff. At the time it felt like quite a remarkable stretch to be called into the role of pastor: I was not sure I had the right experience, the skill set or gifts ---but I was not surprised that God might use an unremarkable person like myself to participate in sometimes remarkable ways in the Kingdom of God—it is just what God does. And it has been such an amazing adventure for me in so many ways!
My time as a member of the staff community pursuing our vision together has spurred me on to a more passionate commitment than ever to following Jesus. While my interactions and relationships with people have made me feel that I have become a better and stronger person in general, at this time I feel that I am no longer meeting the challenges of pastoral ministry in a way that makes me the best fit for what the staff and community need right now.
I want to be an asset and blessing to our leadership and the whole community, and I believe that by stepping down there will be space for others to be able to move forward and use their gifts to serve the community, and to be blessed in doing it. And I believe there will be brand new adventures in store for me as I learn how to just follow well again. I can honestly say that I am truly excited serving here in a different capacity. Since I am stepping down from my pastoral duties, I will be stepping out of all leadership responsibilities within ministry groups and will transition to a new level of community participation. But I am not stepping out of the church. I love you as my friends and hope to be able to be included in the community for a long time.
There is a lot of sadness and grieving that comes at a time like this because it means letting go of some great things, but honestly more than anything I feel deep gratitude to have gotten to participate in something so amazing, and to be a part of such a place that is seeking to love Jesus and to serve others in his name. I am so grateful to you for the love and the grace you have poured out on me in so many ways. You have shown me support and trust, in spite of my limitations, and have forgiven me many weaknesses. I want to thank you so much for the opportunity you have allowed me to serve here as part of the staff for as long as I did, and to be able to share my gifts, and to feel as if I have made a contribution. It has been an unspeakable joy and remarkable blessing.