Lead/Senior Pastor Transition

It was announced last month that Pastor Al will be retiring at the end of June.  He has served at Church of the Good Shepherd since 2011 as the lead pastor.  The congregation is preparing to welcome its new pastor, the Rev. Janet Saddel, who will begin officially serving as the Lead Pastor as of July 1, 2021.  Janet currently serves on the Pastoral Staff and leadership team at First United Methodist Church in Lancaster, PA.  She brings a passion for Jesus Christ and His church, has a history of serving with love and  compassion not only those within the church family but also those in the community.  We look forward to opportunities to welcome Pastor Saddel, to share with her the passions for ministry of the people of the congregation, and hear of her heart for ministry to and with God’s people at events set up by the Staff Parish Relations Committee  following her arrival in Summer and Fall.

Open House and Celebration of Pastor Al

“Open House” gatherings to share with Pastor Al are set for June 5 and 6 from 3-5PM in the Pavilion. 

A Note from Steve Hassinger, co-chair of Staff-Parish Relations:
In appreciation and to honor Pastor Al’s ministry, we will be collecting free will contributions which will be converted into a single check and presented to him upon his retirement.  There are three (3) ways to give from now until May 23:

1. Drop a check in the offering plate payable to “Church of the Good Shepherd” with a footnote–Pastor Al Retirement.
2. Mail a check to Church of the Good Shepherd, 1500 Quentin Road, Lebanon, PA 17042   Attention: Steve Hassinger.
3. Personally hand deliver to Steve Hassinger in the church gathering area.

Thank you for recognizing Pastor Al for being our “Good Shepherd” and a job well done.

Is Pastor Al really retiring?

Yes, Pastor Al is retiring as of June 30, 2021.  He chose this as an important year to make the transition to give the congregation and incoming pastor a season to build trust and relationships to provide direction in the next several years as the denomination faces changes and challenges in its structure and ministries.  Church of the Good Shepherd has a tremendous history of ministry impact internally as a congregation, socially in the community, and missionally beyond our local setting spanning decades.  The relationships and heart of the church is its best resource and making this transition now will help it best preserve its culture of ministry with the teamwork of its dedicated pastoral staff, lay leadership, and committed members in a position of strength. 

Sooooo, what is this we hear of Pastor Al serving another church as of July 1??  After requesting retirement status in the beginning of the year and being granted the retirement status, and after the appointment of Janet, the Bishop requested that he serve a church in retirement due to a shortage of available pastors to serve a number of church openings.  This is not unusual, even if unanticipated, given the ebb and flow of available pastors. 

Is Mary also retiring from the Coordinator of Contemporary Worship at the end of June?

At this point, Mary will continue as Coordinator of Contemporary Worship during the transition when Pastor Saddel will have the opportunity to experience the culture and the ministry and worship at Good Shepherd and be included in the search and selection of Mary’s successor.  This is a temporary transitional arrangement that will hopefully give opportunity for gradual transitions in our congregational leadership.

Another Staff Transition in the last few months!

As if these changes were not enough (and of course we all love lots of change… or not), we recently also saw a change in the leadership of our Director of Media Production Ministry in our Contemporary Worship from John Roberts to Jacy Seltzer.  Many of you have already been blessed to see the work that Jacy has been able to step almost seamlessly into during our worship service.  John helped Jacy become familiar with the ministry in such a way that many people may not even be aware that we have made this new leadership shift.

Director of Children and Family Ministries Transition

Finally, hopefully, the last leadership transition is with Abbie Burton making the decision to step down from the Director of Children and Family Ministries position.  Abbie prayerfully sought God’s direction to know God’s leading for herself, her family, and the ministry and believes that this is where God is leading.  The Staff Parish Relations Team is currently accepting applications for this position and will be conducting interviews over the next month.  Abbie has served this area with faithfulness and passion over the last several years and hopes to continue to serve in more limited ways as a part of the Good Shepherd Congregation.  We are so grateful for her service and example in faith.