REPORT OF THE SENIOR PASTOR 

On the morning of our final day in our California home, Jean and I found a white dove in our backyard. Knocking on some neighbor doors soon produced the dove’s owner, an amateur magician, who retrieved the dove from us without incident. We had occasion to recall the experience with the dove often in the weeks following, and particularly to cling to the symbolic associations of the dove with the Spirit, with blessing and comfort, as our relocation from California to Ohio seemed anything but blessed, fraught with far more anxiety than comfort.

The moving company we engaged to transport our belongings repeatedly failed to meet contractual obligations, so much so that we finally engaged an attorney to assist our negotiations with them. And our timing in placing our California home on the market resulted in a drawn-out process of waiting for the house to sell so that we could move forward with purchasing a home in Granville.

Such complications in the relocation process resulted in my being distracted and not fully present during my first weeks of beginning this new ministry at First Baptist. It seemed to me often that the church had only half a pastor, since so much of my attention and energy was still caught in the ongoing challenges of home-buying, home-selling, and arm-wrestling with the moving company. When my frustration over this state of affairs mounted, I found it helpful to recall the white dove that appeared to bless our journey: no matter what complications arose, God was still present, calling me to First Baptist, calling this congregation to me.

Distractions notwithstanding, our first months together in ministry have been fruitful, a time of new ideas, burgeoning creativity, tantalizing possibilities. Though new pastors are advised to spend the initial year with a congregation simply listening and learning the lay of the land and the identities of the players, your impatience following a protracted and challenging interim period meant that some action needed to happen.

In selecting the most productive places to focus energy and attention, pastors often look for areas in congregational life where great passion, or great pain, can be found. My initial conversations with many members pointed to the Christian Education program as perhaps the most obvious such area: congregational visioning had identified Christian Education as a primary focus for commitment of resources; the difficult departure of the previous program director had left confusion, anger, and hurt in its wake; and anxiety about the future of the congregation seemed particularly directed at the CE program in the form of worry about attrition and the lack of young families coming into the church.

With all these complexities in mind, I encouraged the Board to consider an ongoing focus in the coming year on the CE program, its needs and potential, and how best to grow the program. The Board responded with the formation of a task force which will provide a proposal to the Board to be discussed and shaped into a recommendation to the congregation for presentation at the annual meeting. That the Board and the task force have moved so decisively suggests a readiness to do the work and commit the resources needed not just to revitalize the CE program, but to keep a sustained attention on this area of congregational life which, perhaps more than any other area, draws us into the future.

The broader area of congregational administration has also occupied a significant portion of my energy in these initial months, not simply because it has been neglected for some time, but more significantly because the lack of definition and structure in administrative processes and policies seems to have negative repercussions throughout congregational life. Without clarity in decision-making processes, in personnel policies, and in some financial options, the congregation becomes bogged down and needlessly divided, with momentum being lost and morale hurt. However, as clarity is brought to the administrative dimension of congregational life, energy is freed for more creative work and a greater sense of movement and accomplishment results.

Aside from these particular concerns, my focus overall has been the obvious one of learning this congregation in ways small and large: getting to know the members individually, settling into the rhythms of worship, trying my hand at some adult programs, looking toward a renewed sense of mission and justice work. The challenges I have encountered have not been unexpected ones—which is a credit to the Pastoral Search Committee and its commitment to transparency in the manner in which it portrayed the congregation to me as a candidate. Further, the challenges are predictable ones, typical of a church at this stage of congregational development. I have felt increasingly convinced of the wisdom of this match, that each of us, congregation and pastor, brings to our pairing complementary gifts that bode well for a fruitful ministry together. I look forward to formally marking our match and covenanting with you when we hold my installation ceremony in early March

Three weeks ago I went through the process of taking a written driver’s test and secured my Ohio drivers’ license. I found myself strangely pleased by having accomplished this small task, as though in acquiring the license I had taken an important step in the process of settling in and making this place my home. Perhaps the best summary of my work in these initial months of ministry at First Baptist might be similarly characterized as a process of settling in and making this church my home. Having accepted your call, relocated to Granville, purchased a house, and formally become a member of the congregation, I am delighted to discover, again and again, that this is a wonderful place to call my new spiritual home.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Hurt

Report of the Church Moderator

The church year began with the Pastoral Search Committee (PSC) arduously reviewing the materials of 50+ candidates who each sought to become the next senior pastor at First Baptist Granville. Like the postman, neither rain nor snow nor dark of night… nor long hours, nor long phone calls could keep the committee from their appointed job. By May the committee had whittled down the pool to three candidates and it was time to meet these people face to face, ask questions, discern their positions on issues pertinent to our church, listen and watch them conduct a service and preach a sermon, then choose one. The logistics sometimes seemed insurmountable. In June the PSC chose one person to invite for a candidating weekend to introduce her to the congregation, to meet with several committees and the Church Board, to preach a sermon and to break bread with the congregation. At the end of a long weekend we conducted an all-church meeting in the Chapel where after more discussion the congregation voted unanimously to call the Reverend Doctor Kathy Fuson Hurt to be the next senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Granville. Loud applause greeted Kathy as she graciously accepted our call.

After finally selling their house in California, spending almost two months in an apartment provided by Judith Thomas and Jerry Griffin and a rocky transcontinental moving experience, Kathy and her partner Jean are now settling into their home on Knoll Drive with their two dogs. Kathy has taken the pastorly reins of the church and is leading us in worship, a Wednesday study class and an Advent series. All the while she is getting up to speed as our very competent church staff leader. I believe she cares greatly about our church, the children, the people, the building and on a weekly basis shares herself, her advice, her counsel and her thoughts with us through her sermons, email and informal meetings. Using her patience, wisdom, intellect and her calm delivery, Kathy is putting her stamp upon our congregation. As we begin to unfold a new chapter in the life of the congregation at FBCG, we are surrounded by Kathy’s gentle, caring, strong hands and arms.

I would like to personally thank all of the PSC for giving up big pieces of their lives for 9 months to deliver the new pastoral leadership to our congregation. Those who served us well were Sandy Ellinger, Carol Whitt, Judith Thomas, Julie Reiswig, Karen Graves, Joan Novak, and Patti Burkett. (They were assisted by Jeff Reiswig and Mike Robertson, who were ad hoc members because they served as moderator during the process.) We owe each member a huge debt of gratitude for their hard work, attention to detail, esprit de corps, and persistence to select one person from so many well qualified candidates. Congratulations on a job well done!

This has also been a year of transitions as we bid farewell to our interim pastor, our Pastoral Assistant and our Christian Education Director. Rick Mixon, our interim pastor, led us through an interim period of over 2 years during which we discerned who we are as a congregation, we wrote our church misson, vison and purpose statement and we continued to worship together. He moved to Palo Alto, California to become the senior pastor of a Baptist Church there. After a long affiliation as a member and as Pastoral Associate, Heather Rittenhouse moved on as our new leadership came to us. I was in awe at Heather’s final service as I reflected back nearly 10 years to my initial engagement with Heather. How she had grown into a woman who spoke tender, merciful, heartfelt words in an authoritative, commanding voice. A member of the American Baptist Convention General Board, Heather will continue to be a voice of truth and justice for us all. Finally, through teary eyes we said goodbye to Mary Farmer who served the church as the Director of Christian Education for more than two years. She oversaw the weekly Sunday School program, she directed us through the Summer Vacation Bible School, she was the go to person for the preschool next door and she did all of this while raising three beautiful children with her husband Mike. We will not forget her unswerving service to the children and the church.

During the year many people distinguished themselves with their unselfish service to the church and the church missions. In February, a brigade of a dozen workers (the "dirty dozen") from the church spent a week in Nichinomo, Nicaragua at Rancho Ebenezer painting, wiring houses, counting earthworms, packing bags for plants and helping harvest plants. To support the effort the Dobbelaer family led by Leah, Rachel and Nancy again set up and oversaw the annual rummage sale in June. Pat Forman not only worked at the farm but also brought back many hand-made items for a summer sale and for the winter Bazaar.

For both the summer Maker’s Market and the winter Silent Auction and Bazaar, Carol Whitt and many others organized opportunities for us and for the community to purchase art, ceramics, dinners, baked goods and services. The church treasury was the beneficiary of lots of work and effort. Many other congregants helped by serving on committees, revising our constitution, shaving ice, teaching in Sunday School, helping with second hour, singing in the choir, greeting people at the door, preparing coffee and goodies for after the service fellowship, participating and leading BYF and FunSundays, organizing and preparing our many potlucks, rewriting contracts for the rental of church space, being the church wedding planner, leading summer worship, assisting fall worship as a lay leader, organizing the swags, wreaths and tree for the hanging of the greens and the list goes on and on.

People not usually mentioned in the annual report but who provide many needed services are our church staff. Louise Gemmell, our church administrator, is an unsung hero and the glue that held us together through the interim and the summer before Kathy arrived. From her warm phone greeting, to her reminder emails, to her arduous work schedule and tireless extended time, to her recordkeeping, Louise is a gem who we should each polish as we tell her what a good job she does for the church. Rod Williams, our custodian, works tirelessly even through the night as he serves us by cleaning, mopping, mowing, moving picking up and snow shoveling. When you see him tell him thank you for everything he does for us. Steve Trumbull, Director of Music, serves not only with his own musical talents on the piano and organ but also by singing and directing the choir. He and Jackie Dawson, our wonderful organist, help the music and choir come to life in our services. Steve and Sandy Ellinger were instrumental in booking the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus to come to Granville to present their concert to JOY in a filled sanctuary.

As Rick departed, the Church Board led by a Transition Team made up of Sharon Flynn, Karen Graves, Tom Burkett and Mike Robertson, hired Gini Lohman Bauman as a Minister of Peace and Justice. She ably acted as staff administrator for July then found a job with Sojourner’s as the Ohio director for social justice issues in the state. For the next six weeks we were on our own. We revved up our planning and organizing skills. With the help of Sandy Ellinger and the Worship committee we planned and carried on worship without missing too many beats. A mix of lay people, retired ministers, seminarians, professors and others fed us an eclectic diet of sermons weekly. It was wonderful to watch how everyone pulled together to provide meaningful worship experiences every Sunday as we awaited Kathy Hurt’s arrival in September.

Lest we forget, Ellen Sims, another in a long line of women supported by our church to attend seminary, was ordained as an American Baptist minister in our sanctuary over the summer. Ellen and George Sims moved to Mobile, Alabama where George found a new job and Ellen was called to be the Associate Pastor at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Once she took that leadership position the Southern Baptist regional churches disfellowshipped her church for calling a woman to be in a leadership position. Please keep her and her congregation in your thoughts and prayers as her church chooses a new path to follow.

All in all it has been a busy and rewarding year with many transitions, new leadership and a delightful Church Board with which to work. Next year we will be exploring a double focus for our talents and some of our financial resources as we look at the Christian Education Program and the idea of making our church a green-environmentally friendly-space.

Respectfully submitted,

Mike Robertson

Report of the Director of Music

2006 has certainly been a year of blessing for the musicians at First Baptist Church. We’ve sung, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve consoled one another, we’ve shared fears and longings and we’ve celebrated with one another; much like the family that we are. A great deal of the role and contribution of the musicians of the church during this past year was to provide a much-needed sense of continuity during a time of change and we did it gladly. You see, much of the joy that we as musicians experience is because we are able to share our talents, gifts, time and hard work with the rest of the First Baptist Family. It is that sense of contribution, and the recognition by others of our contribution, that lets us sing and play not only with joy, but also with a sense of purpose and ministry. First Baptist Church is truly blessed to have a dedicated group of people that are able to translate our prayers and worship into song.

I want to make special mention of the extraordinary work and dedication of our organist, Jackie Dawson, and our music librarian, Nancy Reeb. Both spend hours of their time behind the scenes unknown to most everybody, but provide services, skills, expertise and support that makes my job so much easier and affords both choir members and the congregation with untold pleasures. Of course, I cannot even think of the words ‘thank you’ without thinking of our church administrator, Louise Gemmell. Whether she is handling scheduling of facilities, special events, deposits into the choir fund, or decoding music lyrics for the Sunday bulletins, Louise has always been cheerfully efficient and supportive and a pleasure to work with.

This past year did see some major events, some quite noticeable and some behind the scenes. The sanctuary organ underwent some major and absolutely necessary repairs. I do have some concern that we are not being the stewards that we can be for our future with regards to this instrument. When I hear of churches spending hundreds of thousands of dollars (with some approaching or exceeding a million dollars), we have been extremely fortunate (as in lucky!) to be able to sustain this instrument with minor financial support. The ongoing maintenance and the eventual re-voicing or eventual replacement of the organ is going to take considerable financial resources so I would like to see planning start right away.

While we did not have the repeat of 2005’s Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service, there were opportunities for our choir members to join with choir members at St. Luke’s (the Episcopal church) for special services. Scott Hayes (their Organist/Choirmaster) and I have been discussing ways to even further combining our musical resources for special events at both our churches. Of course, the annual Candlelight Walking Tour is always an opportunity to open the church doors to the community. I had several visitors tell me after the evening’s event that they make a special trip to make sure to come to our events because they enjoy the music and the opportunity to sing carols. And then there was the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus Christmas concert! I was thrilled to see our sanctuary filled with familiar and unfamiliar faces especially when some of those unfamiliar faces showed up on subsequent Sunday services. Hopefully, the concert was a reminder to all of us how valuable music events can be to reach out to the community and to introduce First Baptist Church to those who might otherwise never consider coming to our church for Sunday worship.

In looking forward in 2007, it occurred to me that we have never developed a vision statement for music in the life of our church which is something that I sincerely hope the new Board will rectify. So with that in mind, I’d simply like to list some of my desires for this year and the next few years.

Thank you to all of the musicians at First Baptist for your graciousness and dedication and thank you to all of the members and visitors who have been so forthcoming with your appreciation of the musical offerings. We have been blessed by one another and singing to God. So, as J.S. Bach used to sign all of his compositions, Soli Deo Gloria, to God alone be the glory.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen Trumbull