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Congregational Gathering
to shed light on Remi's departure and begin our listening circle work
Sunday, March 22
after worship in Marion Hall
Light lunch served
Note: this meeting will be in-person only-
no Zoom access

 

Dear Beloved Congregation,
We hope this letter finds you enjoying the signs of Spring around us.

 It is also a time of change and growth in our community.  

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We are excited to invite you to a special gathering on Sunday, March 22nd, following our worship service. Our church will host our first Reflection and Reimagining Circles event—a time for us to come together, reflect on our experiences and listen deeply to each other.

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We will be presenting a short synopsis of what led to Pastor Remi and LCC parting ways. We want to offer clarity in the hope that this will help us move forward. We plan to do deep and important work together as we ask for God’s guidance. 

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All are welcome, and we look forward to sharing this meaningful time together as we map out further steps towards healing and renewal.  A simple lunch will be provided.

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With much love and hope,
Nancy Martin and Jeffrey Ishmael
Co-Chairs, Reflection and Reimagining Circles Group
 

A Time to Heal
In the aftermath of Remi’s sudden departure as our pastor, Faye Orton Snyder—with the support of the Board—asked Nancy Martin and I to form Listening Circles to help foster healing and growth within our congregation. We felt it was important to invite a wider group into shaping this process. In my sermon on January 8th, I asked for volunteers, and we received a wonderful, heartfelt response from a diverse cross-section of our community.


Our first meeting took place via Zoom on Valentine’s Day morning. The depth of care, concern, and honesty shared about who we are and where we find ourselves as a congregation was deeply encouraging. I left that meeting feeling hopeful.


Members of the group include:
Nancy Martin and Jeffrey Ishmael, Co-chairs; Robyn Van de Cater; Gerd and Kim Pannke; Steve Reilly; Diane McNally; Kelley Lawton; Anne James; Carol Somerton; Norman Bardsley; and Dana Fraticelli.


What We Decided

  • We have named ourselves the Reflection and Reimagining Circles Group.

 

  • We are a task group, formed for a time-limited process intended to prepare the church for its next steps.

 

  • Our work includes forming Listening Circles to hear from the congregation about: 

  •     who we are now,

  •     who we believed we were when we called Remi, and

  •     what we need now and going forward.

 

  • We are not a Search Committee. Our process comes before the search for new pastoral leadership.

 

  • Our work is confidential but not secret. We are transparent about our purpose and our process, while holding in confidence the personal sharing that takes place—modeling the same confidentiality expected within the Listening Circles.​

 

Addressing Questions About Remi’s Departure
We recognize that many people still have questions about what happened, why events unfolded so quickly, and what we can learn from this difficult situation.


 

To support clarity and understanding, our first major task will be to hold an in-person meeting for anyone who wishes to hear the story.


Date and time will be shared soon.


Moving Forward
We are not here to do the congregation’s work for it—we are here to help design a process through which the congregation can do its own work of self reflection and reimagining.


The group will meet biweekly throughout this process.


We will share updates and next steps regularly through Sunday announcements and in Grace Notes.


If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to Nancy or me.


In Peace,


Jeffrey Ishmael and Nancy Martin

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