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My beloved Mt. Tam Church,

Last Sunday, as SPRC chair Ann Mary Belek read Superintendent Staci Current’s letter to our congregation sharing the news about your next pastor, I was filled with tears—tears of joy that you will be receiving such a gifted pastor and tears of thanksgiving for all that has been in the past eleven years.  I cried buckets as Tricia sang “Amazing Grace,” because God’s grace is amazing and this church is truly blessed.  Below is an introduction to your next pastor, Luke Ham and his family.  Luke and Stephanie, Caleb and Wesley will begin their time with you on July 1.  And I’m still your pastor until then!  So we will continue to work together, pray together, laugh together and worship together, because the church goes on and God is always good.

Peace,

Pastor Kim

Luke and Stephanie Ham with sons Caleb (Age 5) and Wesley (Age 1)

Born in Akron, Ohio (at the same hospital as NBA players Steph Curry and LeBron James), Pastor Luke was raised in the Napa Valley where he grew up attending Lutheran and Catholic schools. In fact, Luke’s Catholic high school (Justin-Siena) was in the Marin County Athletic League for sports so Luke grew up visiting many of the different schools in the Marin area for games and tournaments.

After graduating from high school, Luke went on to attend Chico State University. On the 2^nd week of freshman year, Luke met the love of his life, Stephanie, and they have been together ever since. Luke graduated with a B.A. in Comparative Religious Studies and Stephanie graduated with her degree in Liberal Studies and a CA multiple-subject teaching credential. They were married in 2009 at The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Mill Valley and held their wedding reception at the Mill Valley Community Center.

After graduating from college, Luke immediately began seminary at Pacific School of Religion and took the position of Youth and Outreach minister at Wayside UMC in Vallejo. During that time Luke also completed a 1-year residency as a Chaplain at San Francisco General Hospital. In 2011, Luke took a full-time youth minister position at San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church in Alamo. This position turned into a pastoral appointment after Luke graduated seminary in May 2012. Under his leadership, the youth group grew from engaging 50 different youth per week to engaging 90 youth per week. After teaching in Private Christian Schools, in 2014, Stephanie joined the staff of San Ramon Valley UMC as the full-time children’s minister.

In 2017, Luke was asked to take a new appointment as the Senior Pastor of Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel. It was during his time at this congregation that he invited the people of the church to envision what it might look like to develop partnerships with other UMCs in the area in order to provide a stronger Christian witness to the Monterey Peninsula as a whole. One of the results of this work was that Monterey UMC (in consultation with the Bishop) invited Luke to serve as pastor at their congregation as well. This equipped Monterey UMC to be able to bring an ordained deacon on staff and develop new and vital ministries to the community.

Luke and Stephanie love to be engaged in their local community. Some formal ways Luke has done that in his past appointments has been through serving as a volunteer chaplain in Police Departments, Fire Departments and Nursing Homes. He also has been engaged in numerous civic/nonprofit organizations such as foundation boards and county commissions. Luke finds great joy in being around people and you can often find him chatting with folks at local coffee houses, restaurants, bars or breweries. He also has a passion for being involved in his children’s school. Most recently, Luke served on the safety committee at Carmelo School in Carmel Valley and Stephanie served on the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) at the same school.

Stephanie enjoys being a part of local parents groups and also has been quite active in setting up “learning pods” for elementary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luke and Stephanie root for the Golden State Warriors, SF Giants, SF 49ers, Sacramento Rivercats and San Jose Sharks and enjoy going to as many games as they can!

My beloved Mt. Tam Church,

One of the valentines we all received last Sunday was lay leader Joanna Beck’s powerful prayer as we journey the transition of pastors together. It is a powerful and beautiful prayer for this time. It is my joy to share it with you this week. Join me in praying this prayer daily, as God is doing new things here. My heart is with you.

Peace,

Pastor Kim 

Creator God, Our church family is in flux. Here’s the story. This congregation is entering a time of pastoral transition; our denominational history gives us a clear path, a clear process. We know and accept the itinerant nature of a UMC pastors’ call. We need your blessing in this new time as Mt. Tam Church works with our Bishop, Minerva Carcaño, our District Superintendent, Staci Current, and our own Staff-Parish Relations Committee as we say goodbye to our beloved Pastor Kim Smith and prepare a welcome for a new pastor.

Help us rejoice and be grateful for the 11 years that Kim has served us. We can celebrate the new life and vitality she shepherded us into as a congregation. We have a healthy, vibrant, and thriving church, thanks to Kim and the lay leadership she has long nurtured. Remind us to be joyous that she and Lindy are heading into their new stage of life, a well-earned retirement. 

We don’t know today who our new pastor will be. As we wait to meet our new pastor, as we prepare to enter a new era in our church’s life, be with us, Lord. I stood here 11 years ago, facing a confused and anxious congregation, not prepared for a pastoral transition. I said to the 2010 congregation: You may be unsure now, sad, even a little angry. But soon you will have learned to love our new pastor and wonder how we ever lived without her. 

Today we are a more healthy and prepared church family. And with your help, God, we will come to love our new pastor as this church learned to love Kim Smith all those years ago. And someday that person will leave us, as the Methodist cycle turns yet again. And we will wonder how we ever lived without that pastor and what they planted and grew in our congregation. We ask for your steadfast love and guidance, Lord, as we take a big, scary, but necessary leap into the future. Change is scary. Change is exhilarating. Help us recall that “we are the church together.” And together let’s take that leap of faith. Hear what The Spirit is saying to the Church. AMEN.

My beloved Mt. Tam Church,

It’s time for a bit more “Methodist 101!” Below is the paper I adapted from an article by a colleague of mine to help explain to her congregation how a new pastor comes to serve a United Methodist Church. Our Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) has met with District Superintendent Rev. Staci Current to share with her their vision for our church and the characteristics of the next appointed pastor that will enable the church to enact that vision. This is an exciting time! For as bittersweet as it is to say good-bye to one pastor (who loves you very much!) and welcome another, it is that transformational time that is the stuff of being the church. 

My prayers are with our congregation, our Bishop and D.S. Staci and the next pastor, my colleague who will become your clergy shepherd and leader. I often say to friends that I am envious of the pastor who comes to this congregation, in this time and place–what a splendid and loving church! Please read below so that all of us are informed and aware of the appointment process. This helps us prepare for what is happening right now, for “if we embrace the future, we can shape it.”

Peace,

Pastor Kim

The United Methodist Church, as a denomination, consists of a structure of governance that is divided into geographic and organizational units called the Annual Conference that is headed by a Bishop.  Thus, we have an episcopal polity.  As members of the Annual Conference, pastors are under the supervision of the Bishop and pastors are appointed by the Bishop and are not called by individual churches (making them an employee of the church). People who are called into ministry are seminary educated and are vetted through a vigorous process by the Board of Ordained Ministry and local District Committees of Ministry.  Candidates are required to submit background checks, sexual conduct and history checks and a psychological evaluation.  This process can take between four-eight years as the pastor works with the Board on preaching, pastoral leadership and other performance markers, as evaluated by the local church, the Board and other clergy.  The culmination of the process is the pastor’s ordination, a celebration always conducted at the annual meeting of the Annual Conference, presided by the Bishop. In the United Methodist Church, pastors called to local church ministry are most often in the order of elders.  (Another order is deacons, people called to service ministries rather than the local church.)  Elders serve under the supervision of the Bishop and take a vow to be itinerant, meaning that they will move to churches to which the Bishop wishes them to serve.  Elders are also guaranteed an appointment under United Methodist polity. It becomes a bit of a trade-off:  pastors are guaranteed a church but also agree to move where the Bishop wishes them to go!  Appointments are made for one year at a time.   Clergy are selected to serve a particular congregation by the Bishop and the Cabinet of District Superintendents.  With input from the congregation and with conversation with the current pastor, the Cabinet will discuss individual pastors who may be a good match for a particular congregation.  This is a consultative process and not a congregational decision.   The selection of our next pastor is made by the Bishop and Cabinet after careful consideration of missional and pastoral needs to the church and the assessment of the appropriate clergy.  The factors used to determine the match of pastor and church are the gifts, grace, experiences and skills of the pastor and the needs and vision of the church.  When the time comes for the presentation of the pastor the Bishop intends to appoint, the District Superintendent arranges a meeting with the SPRC to introduce the pastor and for a time of conversation.  Following this process, the new pastor is introduced to the congregation by the SPRC chair.    This process takes place between January-June, with each pastor beginning their new appointment on July 1.  

My beloved Mt. Tam Church, Last week brought a most extraordinary gift—a full rainbow, bright with all the colors, clear from one end to another, outside the parsonage backyard. Only briefly did it stay. Yet, for those few seconds (video above) we were transfixed by the wonder and beauty it brought to our day. Just as the rainbow was fading, a red-tail hawk swooped down into the trees just within our sight then rocketed away. What a gift! If Lindy and I had not been looking up and out, we might have missed the show. Which points out a deep truth: sometimes you have to seek the rainbow. By now you know that I will be retiring from the appointed ministry on July 1st, 2021. July 1st is the “new years day” of the movement for United Methodist pastors. With rare exceptions, that is when all pastors begin a new year of ministry, whether remaining in their current congregation or moving to a new location.

I guess you could say I have been your pastor for one year, eleven times! For many of you, this will be a first—the appointment of a next pastor. For long-term Methodists, this might be old hat. For all of us, here is a brief explanation of the process: In the United Methodist Church, pastors are not called (employed) by individual churches. Rather, we have an appointment system, where the Bishop (Bishop Minerva Carcaño) sends pastors, working with District Superintendents (in our case, Bay District Superintendent Rev. Staci Current) to discern and select what the Bishop and D.S. feel are a good match for a congregation. When they settle on the person, they believe will serve the church next (let’s call him/her “Pastor Chris”), then the Bishop and/or D.S. will let Pastor Chris know that they would like him/her to move to Mt. Tam Church and serve there beginning July 1.

Let’s say Pastor Chris says, “Groovy! Let’s go!” Then our Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) chairperson, Ann Mary Belek, will get a call from the D.S. to schedule a SPRC meeting to meet with the incoming candidate. This year, that will probably be a virtual meeting. The SPRC meets Pastor Chris and has an in-take conversation with her/him. Most likely, the Committee will think Pastor Chris is a perfect match and say, “YES!” to the next pastor.

However, if the SPRC has questions or concerns, they can ask for time to respond and speak with the D.S. about any issues. When the SPRC, the D.S. and Pastor Chris agree that Pastor Chris is moving to Mill Valley in July, then the new appointment will be announced in worship and through a letter by Ann Mary.  

By now, you are thinking, “She said a brief explanation.” My sisters and brothers, that is brief! And it’s very important that we all understand the process. The key committee here is the SPRC. You are welcome to speak with any SPRC member about your questions, visions, and ideas for the next pastor. SPRC members include Ann Mary, Nicole Collman, Chris Hubbard, Franck Tchekado, Joanna Beck, Karen Jernstedt, Sue Ernst, Kim Larson, and Audrey Levernier. You are welcome to speak to me about information and issues. However, I am not a direct part of the process for appointing the next pastor.

And I’m still your pastor until June 30^th! I love this congregation beyond what words can say—this has been a marvelous eleven years of serving God with you. I am leaving because Lindy and I are ready to retire and start the next great adventure of our lives. I am so grateful that we have been together in this time, always seeking the rainbows even in the worst of storms. For that is where we look—to the rainbows, the sign of the eternal presence of God who is always with us. 

Peace,

Pastor Kim

My beloved Mt. Tam Church, 

What a great way to ring in a new year! On the day before the inauguration, Mt. Tam Church, organized by Winnie and Eike Konopath and Sue Ernst, participated in the one-minute of bell ringing at 2:30 PST for healing and remembrance. The video illustrates how the bells rung and the winds blew! For new winds of justice and hope blow in our nation and our world. Now President Biden (at the time of the ceremony, President-elect) called for this ceremony, noting that “in order to heal we must remember.” So, we remember the more than 400,000 Americans who have died of the Covid-19 virus. We remember those who are infected and recovering. And we remember all those who continue to work and serve so that we all might live.

President Biden’s remarks are deeply rooted in his Roman Catholic faith. He understands that Jesus taught us to remember, not to hold onto the past and glorify it and try to return, but so that we can heal and move toward wholeness. For this witness, thanks be to God! Let us continue to pray for our nation, our former president , and new president and vice-president. Let us pray from God’s will that the allure of greed and power by individuals be set aside for God’s intention for wholeness and justice for all.

Peace,

Pastor Kim