Pastor Catherine’s Transition
Questions and Answers
When is Pastor Catherine's Last Day?
Pastor Catherine's last day will be Sunday, January 31st.
How can we bless Pastor Catherine and Jeremy, and send them off well?
We will have a Send-Off party on Zoom on Saturday, January 30th at 10:30 am. To join, you can CLICK THIS LINK, or copy and paste it into your calendar. If you would like to bless Jeremy and Pastor Catherine with a financial gift as they begin their new life in Michigan, you can give on the Church Center app or go HERE and select Blessing for Pastor Catherine from the dropdown menu. All gifts must be received by January 31st.
Is Tapestry planning to replace Pastor Catherine's position?
Catherine has been a crucial member of our staff and has brought so much to the table. That being said, we believe it's wise not to rush to fill a position, but rather pray, consider, and wait on the Lord to discover how we can most effectively move forward with the resources He has given us.
Is Pastor Catherine seeking another pastoral position?
As explained in the video, Pastor Catherine's transition to Michigan is for family reasons, and she is not seeking another pastoral position at this time. However, she has a clear sense of God's call to pastoral ministry, honed through her time at Tapestry, and will eventually pursue pastoral ministry in the future as the Lord allows.
How can we support the ministry of Tapestry Church in Pastor Catherine's absence?
Pastor Catherine's shoes will not be easily filled. She planned and coordinated our worship services with David. She wrote prayers, planned readings, gathered musicians. She sang beautifully on the worship team. She cared for and pastored many of you in difficult and joyful times. She organized various Ministry Teams at Tapestry. And that's not to mention all the work she did behind the scenes helping our staff team to run smoothly and giving invaluable input in our team meetings. So what can you do?
Keep serving the church with your gifts. If you are already, great! If not, please reach out to Pastor Bernard (Bernard@tapestryoakland.org) and Pastor Kyle (Kyle@tapestryoakland.org) to see how you can help. The biggest service needs initially will be in worship and administrative support.
Pray for the Church. Pray for God to open up opportunities for growth and ministry. Pray for wisdom for Pastor Bernard, Pastor Kyle, and our Advisory Council as we make decisions about how to move forward in our mission.
Intentionally support each other. Pastor Catherine has been a source of support for many of you. But the truth is that caring for each other is the work of the church, not only the pastors. Even as Pastor Bernard and Pastor Kyle continue to care for the needs of the church, we can all double down on our efforts to care for one another. We recommend making a list of 5 people at Tapestry that you will call each month just to check-in and see how they're doing. If you don't know that many people yet, join a Connect Group!
How can we stay in touch with Pastor Catherine after she and Jeremy move to Michigan?
Feel free to email Catherine at catherinemevanssmith@gmail.com. She would love to hear from you!