What the Presbyterian Church (USA) says about Interim Ministry  (click for link)

Welcome to our Interim Congregation

We are an Interim Congregation right now.  Take joy!  God is changing us!  God is the potter, and we are the clay.  We have a past that has shaped us.  We remember with humility the places of darkness and doubt that contained us, but we have learned that the Divine Presence shines in any darkness.  We look back with gratitude, remembering the many leaders who have gifted us and who have helped us to run with perseverance the race that is always before us.  We have a holy future which is still unfolding.  We look ahead with eagerness to that future unknown to us but known to God.  Meanwhile, we live in the present, in faith and in love, not knowing where we go, only knowing that God goes before us and will never let us go.  We join hands and hearts in hope, knowing that hope grounded in God never disappoints.  Though we are without an Installed Pastor, we will not be without forever.  We are not without guidance.  We have the Sacred Presence of Word and Spirit to guide us.  As Moses brought the children of Israel safely to the banks of the Jordan, so we will be brought safely to where we need to be.  As congregations of old found blessing in the arrival of the itinerant Apostle Paul, so we will find blessing with the arrival one day of our Installed Pastor.  May eternal love enfold you.  May divine power sustain you.  May everlasting faith uplift you.  May the touch of the Great Physician heal you.  Do not be anxious.  Do not be afraid.  Live in love.  Practice patience.  Remember the power of prayer.  Be gentle with each other.  Receive the kindness of others.  Encourage one another.  And don’t forget to smile, because God isn’t finished with us yet!

Paul F. Soderquist, 2005