From the Penn Central Conference Board of Directors
The Penn Central Conference Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to formally end the term of the Rev. Dr. Monica Dawkins-Smith as our Conference Minister and President. The Board felt there were irreconcilable differences of thought regarding the best way for our Conference to move forward. This is effective immediately. We want to express our gratitude to Monica for her ministry and work among us for these past two and a half years and wish her all the best for her future.
I know that this announcement will come as a shock to many, and we are in the process of determining what our immediate steps must be. We will be looking for an Interim Conference Minister and hope this will bear fruit in the near future. Meanwhile, the Search Committee for the Associate Conference Minister that was put on hold in the late fall, will be reconvening very soon. We will also be reassessing the duties of the Conference Minister and the Associate Conference Minister for Congregational Discernment.
We are blessed with a wonderful conference staff who are doing great things on behalf of all of us. We thank them for their continued diligence and hard work as we experience this time of change and transition. Wendy Hepler, Stephanie Rader-Titzel, Laura Dalton, Scott Watts, the Rev. Patty Dodds and the Rev. Nora Foust are exceptional folks for whom we are grateful. Please do not hesitate to contact them for whatever help you may need.
Until we can put the pieces in place for an Interim Conference Minister and ACM for Congregational Discernment, I will be doing all that I can to be sure that things continue as smoothly as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns and questions that you may have.
As we work through this process in the next few months, I have a deep conviction that God is with us, moving, guiding and leading us in the way we will go. I am very hopeful about the future of our Conference and know how blessed we are with all the talented and deeply committed members of our Board of Directors. They are working and meeting above and beyond the usual expectations to work through the situation in which we find ourselves. We ask for your continued prayers and support as we go through this time of transition.
