Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Lotsa Lotsa Stuff

First of all, let me say hello and welcome to Traci, who is the One Hundredth Smithellaneous Follower. I had noticed a couple days ago that the number was at ninety-nine and I thought it would be fun to see who was going to be one hundred. And then Traci very thoughtfully noticed it for me. Thanks, Traci; it's great to have a "self service noticer" out there!

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Someone commented on a post that I had written a while ago and then added to their comment, "I don't know if you'll see this or not."

Just so you know, the way the comments work is that even if you comment on something from several weeks ago, I will always get an email notification about your comment. So new comments, old comments--they're all good! I do see and read and appreciate and love every single one of them!

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Many of you have had helpful advice on trying to get our house sold. Steve and I are taking your comments seriously and will be in contact with our realtor to see what steps we can take towards moving the sale of the house along.

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It's been fun to see some new questions pop up in the
discussion area. I've had two fellow bloggers start discussions that I featured here on the "home page" and I'd love to have at least three more bloggers join in to give the discussion area jump start. Click here for more details.

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And now, on to the subject of Manteo.

First of all, let me address the most important issue of all which is: Yes! Andy Griffith and his wife DO live in Manteo. But since they own a huge estate and have a wee bit more money than we do, I doubt we'll become their next door neighbors or anything! (smile)

Several of you asked the logical question summed up succinctly by a Smithellaneous friend from Canada, "Is the congregation voting for you simply a formality, or is there still a chance this will not work out?"

Here's the deal:

The search committee of the church is made up of the six church board members in addition to two extra people brought "on board" just for the specific job of finding a new pastor. (Their last pastor was there twenty-one years so they don't have to do this real often.)

The eight people on the committee study resumes, contact references, listen to sermon Cd's, and finally decide which of the applicants to invite for an interview.

After the interview, they meet again and discuss whether they want to bring in that interviewee to preach and be voted on. In our case, the eight of them unanimously voted yes. If they had instead voted no, they would have moved down the list to the next candidate and called him in for an interview, starting the process all over again.

To put it simply, we were (thankfully) their first choice.

Some of the people on this committee have been in the church over twenty years and they have an excellent idea of what kind of pastor the church needs and also, what kind of pastor would be a good fit for the congregation. In other words, the search committee is not going to comb through all the resumes and choose someone whom they think the congregation will heartily dislike! :-)

One thing that is especially helpful is that Steve and I bring musical gifts with us, in addition to Steve's pastoral gifts. The church's wonderful pianist of many years recently passed away and they don't have anyone to replace her on a permanent basis; the fact that Steve and I are musical is a very good thing.

I do realize that that was a very long answer to a very short question. As the years go by, I'm obviously becoming more and more like my husband; I always tease him that if someone asks him for the time, he gives them the history of the watch! (smile)

But I guess I took so long to answer the question because there really isn't a simple response. Yes, the congregation does have the final say, but the point is that the committee would not select someone to come in unless they felt quite sure that they would be someone the congregation would like.

We understand that there is always the chance that the majority of the congregation would vote no, but at this point in the process, that seems pretty unlikely.
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The question was also asked if a parsonage would be provided, or if we would have to buy a house.

In years (and decades) gone by, most pastors lived in parsonages as a matter of course; however, that tradition has undergone some changes. The obvious advantage of a parsonage is that the pastor doesn't have to make a house payment. The obvious disadvantage is that when the pastor's family moves to another town, they have no equity. When a pastor gets to be in his fifties and sixties and has no equity built up, that is not a good thing.

So yes, we will be looking for a house to buy which will be a challenge, because houses in Manteo are twice as expensive as they are in Smithfield, mainly due to the cost of land. So we have the double whammy of not being able to sell our current house PLUS facing very pricey homes on the coast. PLUS we're just coming out of nine months of unemployment.

Oh wait. That's a triple whammy.

Hmmm. Sounds like a job for God!
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Someone else asked if we would enroll Sarah in school once the move was made. As far as I can tell right now, probably not. Sarah has some learning issues that may be best addressed by one-on-one attention and plenty of time to go over and over something until she really understands it. However, we'll see how the year progresses and stay open to whatever is best for her.

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Now! Just so that you don't think that in all the excitement of what's been going on, I've forgotten about my favorite son, here is a hint-dropping photo of what my next update will be about.

I'll let you ponder the picture for a while and see if you can figure out what the story line might be. In fact, if you have any guesses, I'd love to hear them! I'm sure you funny folks out there will come up with something quite . . . um . . . interesting.

See ya soon!

21 Had Something To Say (Just click here!):

Chill said...

Ok, here I go.... Steve is already gearing up for his next fashion challnge since he will be moving near the beach. The old Bermuda shorts! A great choice. The only way a man can be appreciated for his strength, his chiseled features, as his knobby knees! OK, the checkered ones may be a little busy, but a good choice, at least for me as it draws attention away from my belly which sad to say could be used for a TV tray.
Wait, back to the post. Becky I have never heard a larger understatement. Musical? Oh, my I know you are just being modest. You guys are amazing. Your music is nothing short of Devinely touched. We have all been blessed by your music, and am glad you guys will only be a State away, cause God willing we want to come see you guys in church in Manteo. Take Care, and Steve, keep those knees shining! :>)

lesley said...

Well, lets see...Steve tried on Nathan's suit jacket and it is too small because he has gained weight. Maybe he and Nathan used to be the same size?
Now, what would this have to do with a 'Nathan' post? Hmmmm...not sure...maybe something about Nathan's appetite picking up and he is feeling better?

Nancybratt said...

Um I think Steve tried on Nathans shorts and put on Nathans suit jacket!!!! So Nathan is picking on him. :-)
Love
Nancy

Sue said...

I think Nathan's getting engaged!!:)

Lyndsay said...

Nathan's getting married so Steve had to try on his suit to make sure it still fit.

Melanie said...

I think Steve is trying out his "candidating outfit"! I am also the wife of an A/G pastor, so I know how important it is to look your best when you're trying out at a new church. It's working for you, Steve!

Pam said...

I can't come up with a punch line, my brain is refusing to be clever today :)

while we are all hoping for you to sell your house, have you tried renting it? You could rent in the new town while you wait for it to sell. Just a thought!

Pam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sue G said...

I thought the exact same thing as Melanie. Steve is working on his "preacher by the sea" wardrobe.

Just makes you wanna slip a boat right under his feet, doesn't it?

MaryH said...

I do not have a got a clue what Steve and Nathan are doing! Can't wait to find out.

MaryH said...

Just re-read my post - hanging my head in shame - didn't proofread - unforgiveable - I still don't have a clue what they are doing!!!

Anonymous said...

Gosh you can't skip a day around here. That's wonderful news & I'll be praying like crazy.
I think the outfit is the uniform for preachers on the coast.

Margie Miller

Beverly said...

My guess is that Steve took Nathan's suit jacket (with tags still on Nathan...so it must be new?) and put it on over is casual wear...to practice for a sermon at the beach?

Lisa from Georgia said...

He is getting engaged!!?!?!

Ann Martin said...

I agree with several others--Steve has on Nathan's suit coat. Would be that the shorts are proper attire for a "beach" pastor in the summer. Not sure about those shorts, though! We'll just wait for the story. I know Nathan has a birthday this month. Lots of answers in the update--thanks bunches. Probably will be a l-o-n-g four weeks before you are at the church in Manteo.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Meland and Sue G - Pastor By The Sea - as long as he stands behind a solid pulpit, only the jacket matters!

Yahoo! The seaside - ocean breezes, crabbing & fishing, storms (they are incredible to view), the smell of salt water the sound of waves, collecting shells (still have a large collection) - all childhood memories & all still loved and done!

Love - Guerrina

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