Last Saturday, First Baptist Church installed K Elizabeth Scarry, one of our own, as senior pastor. I hope you were able to attend in person or watch online. It was wonderful to see so many members of our church and the community come together to celebrate her on this joyous day. I have to admit, I felt a touch of paternal pride as she became senior pastor. I’ve been at First Baptist since 1994. K was three at the time, and I’ve watched her grow up, though I didn’t interact with her much until she was a young woman.

When she felt called to ministry, I served on the council that interviewed her and was impressed by her gentle fierceness and her heart for God and others. She wanted so much to help people in need, both locally and worldwide, and I sensed God would do great things through her. I was so impressed that I wrote a letter to her mom, Laurel Scarry, to tell her how admirable her daughter was and how well she and her husband had raised such a godly woman. A week later, Laurel wrote back to thank me for my kind words. Sound familiar? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The scary thing (no pun intended) is that I jokingly—and half-seriously—predicted this. I remember that after Sean Roberds announced his retirement, I went up to K and said, “Hey K, now’s your chance! You can become pastor of this church when Pastor Sean leaves!” To her credit, K smiled, shook her head, and told me she wasn’t really interested in taking over. She briefly shared her plans, which at the time did not include becoming a pastor. After hearing her out, I didn’t press the matter; I respected her wishes. Apparently, though, God had other plans for her—and thank God He did!

We at First Baptist are fortunate to have K as our new senior pastor. She has bold ideas for our church and community and needs our prayers and support. Let’s commit to praying for her, the church, and the community, and to helping her however we can.

Let’s also get excited. The transition after a pastor leaves can be difficult, and some members leave and don’t return. Now we have an enthusiastic pastor devoted to God and others. Tell former members about K and her work, and invite others to join us. By welcoming new people, we can rebuild our church. My wife and I joined because of the loving spirit we felt here, and we can help others find it, too.

Now that we have a senior pastor again, let’s continue, as a church, to shine our light and reach out to those around us who need to see and experience God’s love in action.

Take care,

Bill R.