Welcoming Pastor Amy Cooley Higgs

Hello Hope,

As you saw from our SPC President, Amy Finley’s message last week, Amy Cooley Higgs has accepted our call to serve as our next associate pastor!  We are excited to welcome her to our staff team starting on March 1.  Her first official Sunday at Hope will be on March 3.  I hope you will join us for worship that day as we welcome her to our community.  

As Amy is a first-call candidate for Ministry of Word and Sacrament, she is not yet ordained as a pastor, but she will begin serving with us in this capacity on March 1, and she will be having a Service of Ordination sometime soon in the coming weeks.  We will share more information about her ordination date and location once known, and I hope that many of us from Hope will be able to attend as we show our support for her as our new pastor.  After she is ordained, will also be holding an installation rite for her during Sunday worship here at Hope, and we will share that date with you as soon as it is planned.  

Special thanks again to all the members of the Call Committee, SPC, and all who helped with the welcoming events for her over the weekend of Feb 3-4.  Please continue to keep Amy and our staff in your prayers as we bring her on board, and please join me in welcoming her into our Hope community and our ministries in the coming weeks and months.  We have much to look forward to in this next chapter in the life of Hope Lutheran Church, as God continues to fill us with Hope for the Future!  

Peace,

Pastor Kristin

Call Process Update & Thank You

Thank you to all who participated in a wonderful weekend hosting Associate Pastor for Faith Formation candidate Amy Cooley Higgs. It was terrific to have congregational support at the meet and greet on Saturday, as well as the services and reception on Sunday.  We provided a welcome environment and showed her what Hope is all about, and she was impressed!  Subsequent to her visit, during our special congregational meeting, we voted to extend a formal call to Amy as our Associate Pastor.  

I am incredibly pleased to share that Amy has accepted this call and looks forward to joining the team at Hope Lutheran Church in March.  As a congregation, we've continued to show our commitment and Hope for the Future. To be sure, this is an exciting time for our community! 

I hope to see you Sunday!

God's Peace,

Amy Finley, SPC President

Hello Hope,

The Call Committee and Strategic Planning Council are pleased to announce that we have identified a candidate for the position of Associate Pastor of Faith Formation.  The Call Committee unanimously nominated, and SPC unanimously approved, Amy Cooley Higgs, a recent Luther Seminary graduate and approved candidate for ordination, for your consideration to call as our next Associate Pastor.  Amy has a background in elementary education, over ten years of youth and family ministry experience at congregations in Southeast Michigan, and recently served as intern pastor at Antioch Lutheran Church.  She holds a Master of Divinity with a specialty in Youth and Family Ministry, and she has strong gifts and passion for ministering to youth and families.

A Special Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 4^th at 11:45am in the sanctuary at Hope, following the 10:30am Modern Service with the purpose of calling Amy as our next associate pastor.  Amy will be present to preach and assist in leading worship for both 8:30am and 10:30am services that day, and a reception will be held during fellowship hour from 9:30-10:30am to meet and greet with her.  An additional Meet & Greet opportunity will be scheduled for Saturday, February 3 from 3:00pm-5:00pm at Hope.  More information and details about these events will be forthcoming.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the office or send a direct inquiry to SPC on our website.

Kellie McKibbon, Call Committee Chair

Amy Finley, SPC President

The interview process is currently underway with the Call Committee in search for an Associate Pastor. We’ve had discussions with a promising candidate and are making positive strides in the selection process. We hope to have more information for you soon.

Kellie McKibbon

Call Committee Chair

The Call Committee is making good progress with the search for our next Associate Pastor.  The MSP, Ministry Site Profile, is published to the Synod’s site so that all potential candidates can assess our information regarding Hope and the job description.  The team is beginning to review and talk to candidates; initial meetings are scheduled.  Please continue to pray for the committee and candidates throughout this process.

Kellie McKibbon

Call Committee Chair

Hello Hope Community,

Thank you to all who expressed interest in serving on the Call Committee, and for your prayers and support as we begin this process.  Through consideration of the candidates, discernment, and prayer, SPC has appointed a Call Committee comprised of members to represent the congregation as we search for our next Associate Pastor.  The Call Committee members are: Kellie McKibbon, Amy Finley, Kelley Parish, Mike Petix, Melissa Findlay-Stevenson, Jennifer Berkemeier and Maris Efrusy.

Now that the Call Committee has been formed, the search for an Associate Pastor is underway.  Next, WE WANT YOUR INPUT!   Please join us for a listening session on October 22^nd between services at 9:30 am in the Studio meeting room at Hope to discuss the focus of this call.  We need the voice of the Congregation to guide the candidate selection.  What is most important to you for the skills, qualities and focus or our next Associate Pastor? Please join us in this discussion.

During this process please feel free to reach out to any of the members of the Call Committee.  We welcome your calls, thoughts and opinions.  Please keep Hope and the Call Committee in prayer as we enter this search.  We will continue to provide updates as we have them via announcements, enews, and the Call Process page on our website.  

Kellie McKibbon

Call Committee Chair