Tabernacle Baptist Church of Fiskeville

Pastor’s Report ~ October 2006

  My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

  Luke 1:46-47

These words from the Song of Mary help keep us focused on who we are as the Lord’s servant and what we are called to do – to glorify the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior.  We are called together as a people in ministry.  Together we seek to become more Centered In Christ.  I am humbled and honored to serve as your pastor.

As I reflect back on the happenings in the life of the church and in my own life since our meeting in April, I am struck with the number of life transitions we have experienced.  In April we rejoiced with Carrie Pimentel on the birth of her daughter Katarina Comeau.  In May the wedding of Suzanne Soprano and Warren Hill took place in our church sanctuary.  In October we were shocked and saddened with the death of our beloved Pastor Emeritus David Picciano.  In my own family we celebrated the birth of great grandchildren, and the wedding of my granddaughter.  In the season of transitions we also experienced the deaths of a nephew and my brother.  We recognize that there is a time to be born and a time to die.  It is with the voice of a child that we are reminded that death brings our loved ones into a new life in the presence of God.

We continue to experience transitions in the lives of our church family as several of our older members find it increasingly difficult to be out and about or to join us for worship.  Our caring ministry as a people of God is to continue to reach out and connect with these people through prayer cards, phone calls and pastoral visits.  I recently was privileged to attend a timely conference on End of Life Issues sponsored by the Rhode Island State Council of Churches and the Office of the Attorney General.  This opportunity provided a variety of practical resources for the pastoral care of those facing the end stages of living on earth.

In May I concluded my term of office as President of the Andover Newton Alumni/ae Association and am in my final year as a member of the Board of Directors.  I continue to serve on the Standing Committee for Ordained Ministry for the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island and serve as mentor for Seminarian Toni DiPina.  We have been pleased to have Toni serve as pulpit supply from time to time.  This is an essential component of her seminary experience.  Thanks to our church family for providing her with this opportunity.

With the support and encouragement of the Deacons, we continue to seek to hold worship services that bring each of us closer to God and challenge us in our daily living for Christ.  This, too, has been a time of transition as Hazel Hawkins found it necessary to retire from her position as organist.  Many avenues have been pursued to find someone to play the organ.  We give thanks for Sue Bissell who is assisting us at the piano.

Appreciation is expressed for the members of the Pastoral Relations Committee who continue to provide encouragement for my own self care and appreciation for the work of pastoral ministry.  I continue to be nurtured in my own spiritual journey through participation in the Pastoral Leadership Institute with the ABC of Connecticut, the Spiritual Growth Conference at Green Lake, and time for retreat at the Holy Cross Monastery. 

Together, let our souls glorify the Lord and our spirits rejoice in God our Savior.

Joyously in Ministry,

Joyce B. Duerr, Pastor