April 2024
Greetings from Pastor Scott:
First and most importantly, I want to thank you for the welcome Karen and I received from you at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Easter Sunday. Since I had never worshiped without a hymnal in my hand, this was truly a unique Easter experience. Fortunately, the service turned out much better than I expected. Amazingly, I was mostly able to read the screens to lead worship.
After the service, I realized that I must have been a surprise for many of you as well. So, today, I am writing a brief introduction to the ministry experiences we will share during our time together.
Last month, the Bishop and her assistant asked me to serve as your interim pastor. Since my interim had ended in Charleston in January and also since I live only a few miles from the church, they thought I might be interested. Karen and I have lived in Murrells Inlet since 2022, and the idea of serving in a congregation near our house seemed very appealing.
During nearly 49 years of ordained ministry, I have served in more than a dozen congregations and in calls relating to Newberry College, the ELCA and the South Carolina Synod. Our largest congregation was about 1500 members and our smallest one was around 60. Until Covid and screen worship came along, I thought I had experienced everything that could happen in a congregation. However, what I have learned is that each congregation has unique circumstances and that some of them may present unique issues. My permanent goal as an interim pastor is to lead a seamless transition to a new, longer-term ministry in the congregation. I have also discovered that the duration of an interim is purely in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
Karen and I were able to move to Murrells Inlet near our three grandchildren and our daughter and son-in-law. We have taken on a career as grandparents that we could not have imagined just a few years ago. Two of our grandchildren have attended Waccamaw Elementary and the third is enrolled in the preschool at Belin United Methodist Church.
We look forward to forming relationships with as many of you as we can. And we really appreciate your name tags. Coming into a new congregation and learning names is always a challenge. I will be maintaining office hours in the church on Monday and Wednesday. We will certainly have many opportunities to grow together in faith.
One other thing—I call my style of preaching “Observational Spirituality.” In other words (based on the obvious things in our environments), we work together to answer the question: How is God involved today and every day in our lives and ministries.” I hope you will attend worship regularly. Also, if you feel called, please invite others to come with you. And certainly, we share a common goal of serving as we give thanks together for all the ways that God is calling us to serve in this community and in the world!
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Scott