June 3, 2024
Dear Grace Church Family,
I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ and pray God’s blessing on you.
I’m following up on the exciting announcement made on Sunday, June 2: Grace’s soon-to-be Lead Minister, the Rev. Dr. Chris Joiner, and his wife, Kim, are on their way to Calgary. We anticipate they’ll arrive within the next two weeks. As we move toward that day, I am writing to provide information about what to expect in the weeks ahead.
We are all eager to welcome and celebrate the arrival of Chris and Kim. We’ve been working toward this day for a long time, and its arrival brings great joy and excitement.
One of the first and most significant opportunities we’ll have to gather as a congregation and celebrate will be the Induction Service, where Presbytery will officially install the Rev. Dr. Chris Joiner as our new minister.
Please mark June 23 at 7:00 p.m. on your calendar to attend the service and stay for fellowship with Chris, Kim, and each other afterward.
Beyond the Induction Service, as you welcome Chris and Kim, I know you will extend Grace and Calgary’s hospitality with patience and grace. This day carries a lot of hope and excitement. However, I want you to be ready for the process to be slower than you might be expecting.
As a congregation and a community, Grace has navigated several years of searching for a lead minister. The process has brought a lot of self-reflection and growth, but there have been losses, too. Even as we celebrate, it’s good to be gentle with ourselves and each other and acknowledge some of the weariness we may feel as we begin to shape our journey from here.
Chris and Kim have also had a long journey. Not just in packing up their lives and leaving behind friends and family as they travelled north from Tennessee but also through discerning the Call and navigating church and government processes. They will need time to move in, unpack, and settle in a new city, country, and environment.
There are also essential changes still to navigate at Grace. We’ve engaged a consultant to work with Chris and Jake van Pernis, Associate Minister, to develop a solid foundation for their team ministry. The consultant will also guide Chris and Alan Facey, Support Services Director, as they shape new working relationships. These processes will take time but are crucial to establishing the relationships that will allow Grace’s leadership to work well together.
As Grace’s congregation, you have a similar task in the months ahead. Many ideas and opportunities have all been waiting for the arrival of a new minister, but what’s needed now are relationships. Making connections and getting to know each other are the first steps toward everything that may follow. And it will take months, not weeks.
When Chris and Kim arrive, it will be a day that has been a long time coming. Let’s not rush through so quickly that we miss it or focus so much on tomorrow’s opportunities that we miss the people standing with us. Let’s savour the moment, revel in God’s blessing, and be joyful.
As I close this letter, I want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Rev. Dr. Jean Morris for her hard work and diligence as our Interim Moderator and for her steadfast commitment to the life and work of Grace.
Peace,
Shirley Philips, Clerk of Session
