Sunday May 17 at 3 p.m.
Join us for a service of celebration, special music and liturgy. A service of installation is a formal event that recognizes the covenant between a congregation and a settled pastor. The service includes several speakers from the area clergy and from the life of the pastor. It also includes a gathering of clergy from other churches who witness and bless this covenant with their presence.
Reception to follow.
You are invited to the Service of Installation May 17th at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. We don’t rush into installation when a minister arrives in a church. We wait six months to a year to affirm the decision of the church to call a new pastor. On May 7 it will be one year since we moved to the Valley. and on June 7 we celebrate one year as the settled minister of South Church. It has been a busy year, learning new names, visiting new people, attending meetings and committees, and learning about your journey of faith before I arrived. It has also been a time of growth, of welcoming people who are seeking a community of faith like ours.
In the midst of all these changes and adjustments, it has been a time of getting acquainted, trying to please, laughing at life’s foibles, and feeling the solid kindness of this congregation. Its been a time for me of letting you know who I am, of sharing my own vulnerabilities, in sermons, and also in conversations about the challenges Peggy and I face as a family. You have made us feel at home with thoughtful messages of word and deed. When we do a Service of Installation it is always a significant moment in the life of a pastor and people. This Service of Installation will be particularly poignant because in many ways we need each other. I am always grateful to serve in a church, but I feel especially grateful to this church. For the opportunity to serve here, now.
– Rev. Susan
Installation Q and A
What is an installation?
A service of installation is a formal event that recognizes the covenant between a congregation and a settled pastor. The service includes several speakers from the area clergy or from the life of the pastor. It also includes a gathering of clergy from other churches who witness and bless this covenant with their presence.
Who is invited to speak at this Installation?
Rev. Nancy Elder-Wilfred – Opening Prayers
Rev. Scott Barton – Charge to the Congregation
Rev. Elka Carrier–Ladd – Charge to the Minister
Rev. Peggy O’Connor – Sermon
Rev. Charlotte Wright – Prayer of Installation
Rev. Randy Calvo
Why so many clergy from the Hampshire Association and the Southern New England conference?
Installations are celebrations of a new beginning at a church. It is a way of blessing the church as it begins a new chapter of ministry. It reminds us all that we do not stand alone when we serve the church as lay and ordained faith leaders. We need one another and we support one another.
Why do it now?
Installations usually happen after a minister has been settled for at least half a year. It is more than a ceremony of welcome, and it signifies true commitment on the part of the minister and the people. It is a little like a wedding after a courtship, a service that seals the relationship and sets it on a more formal footing.
Will there be special music?
Yes! Minister of Music Marilyn Brayne is planning to make this service a musical celebration as well.