What We've Found: A Report from the Pastoral Nominating Committee
As your Pastoral Nominating Committee, our job is to find the right pastor for First Presbyterian Church. But before we could do that well, we needed to understand, deeply and honestly, who FPC is right now, where we are headed, and what kind of leader will thrive here alongside us.
What we found was encouraging.
The Session recently shared with us the Strategic Transition Team's interim evaluation report, covering the period from November 2025 through April 2026. The STT was charged with tracking FPC's progress toward the goals outlined in our Mission Study Team report, and their findings tell an important story, one we want the whole congregation to hear.
FPC is not a congregation waiting for a pastor to come and show us the way. We are a congregation already on the move, pursuing our vision with energy and purpose. The pastor we are seeking will not be arriving to launch a new mission. They will be joining one already well underway.
Here is some of what is happening across our community of faith.
Worship and Music
Rev. Marcus Brooks and the Worship and Music Team continue to provide meaningful, inspiring worship leadership during this transitional period.
We are especially excited to share that Paul Summers LaRoche has joined our staff as Director of Contemporary Music. Paul is the founder and producer of Brulé, the award-winning Native American music group celebrated for its thrilling merger of cultural rock and theatrical instrumentation. His arrival represents a significant and inspired investment in the musical life of our congregation, and we believe his gifts will enrich our worship for years to come.
Dan Graber and our traditional music ensembles continue their excellent contributions as well. A new Worship Technology Team has also been formed to ensure our technical infrastructure keeps pace with our worship vision.
Care for One Another
This congregation takes seriously the call to look after each other. Staff and volunteers identified 27 members in need of regular connection, and every one of them has been matched with a monthly visitor.
The Deacons have expanded their home communion ministry, and our youth have been making visits to homebound members, exactly the kind of intergenerational ministry that is at the heart of who FPC aspires to be.
Children, Youth, and Families
Kathie Douma is leading an 18-month process to develop a sustainable, forward-looking model for children's and youth religious education rooted in PCUSA theology and FPC's mission.
In the meantime, our young people are actively engaged, from a service-learning project designed and led by the children themselves, to fundraising for a Youth Mission Trip, to a thriving Confirmation Class of 2026.
Membership and Welcome
Growing our congregation is a stated priority. A new member class is scheduled for May, and the Membership Ministry Team is refreshing our welcome materials and reviewing the first-time visitor experience.
There is honest acknowledgment that this area deserves continued attention, and people are actively working on it.
Technology and Administration
FPC has contracted with Fishhook Inc. to build a new website from the ground up, with completion anticipated in May 2026. Diane Tucker has joined the staff as a professional office manager, bringing renewed efficiency to our day-to-day operations.
The Session is updating our Ministry Manual and implementing cloud-based archives, the kind of institutional groundwork that positions a new pastor for a smooth and well-supported start.
A Congregation That Puts Its Money Where Its Mission Is
Perhaps nothing speaks more clearly to the health and commitment of a congregation than how it responds when asked to invest in its own future.
In the 2026 stewardship campaign, members were invited to consider a 15 percent increase in annual giving, sustained over five years. This was not a modest ask. And yet this congregation responded with remarkable, humbling generosity: pledged giving came in at 16.9 percent above 2025 levels, exceeding even that ambitious goal.
That number is not just a financial statistic. It is a statement of faith. It says that the people of First Presbyterian Church believe in where this congregation is going, and they are willing to back that belief with real commitment.
Beyond the stewardship campaign, generous individual donors have also stepped forward to fund specific initiatives, including the Director of Contemporary Music position, the website overhaul, and a $201,000 sanctuary chiller replacement authorized by Session. A capital campaign to address longer-term building needs is being planned for once our new Senior Pastor is in place.
Any pastor considering FPC should know: this is a congregation that does not just talk about its vision. It funds it.
What This Means for Our Search
As a PNC, we are grateful to be representing a congregation like this one. FPC is engaged, self-aware, generous, and genuinely excited about its future. The goals in our strategic plan are not aspirations on paper. They are being actively pursued by real people who care deeply about this church and this community.
We are looking for a Senior Pastor who will be energized by that, not intimidated by it. Someone who wants to be a partner in a mission already in motion, and who will find in FPC a congregation ready to go deeper together.
We are praying for that person. We believe God is already at work in this search, just as God is already at work in this congregation. We will keep you updated as our work continues. In the meantime, thank you for your patience, your prayers, and your partnership.