Special e-News—From the Bishop re: Staff Updates

From the bishop...

December 19, 2022

Staff Updates

Dear North Carolina Synod,

You may recall that last year at this time we rolled out a staff reorganization that was guided by our core values and the realities of ministry during COVID. What we didn’t count on was three of our full-time staff transitioning away during 2022: Deacon Tammy Jones West (early 2022) with Leadership and Youth Events, Holly Zemke (early November) in administration, and Carissa Abraham (end of the year) with Social Justice and Youth & Children Events. With those three voids, plus in response to listening posts of post-COVID needs with about 60 of our rostered ministers, we realized that further staff revisions were called for. We give thanks for the blessings of Tammy, Holly, and Carissa, and their ministry among us!

As we move into a new year of ministry in 2023, I'm excited to announce the following additions to our synod staff:

Pastor Alfredo Oviedo will be Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership which will include both lay and clergy leaders, cohort groups, continuing education, pastoral care, and spiritual development. He currently serves at Grace, Hendersonville, and was called by Synod Council on December 2. He has blessedly accepted. He will begin working half time beginning January 16 and will transition to full time around Easter.

Lexi Barnhill will be our new, full time Administrator for Events starting in February. Lexi has been working with an Episcopal camp in Virginia and holds an M.Div. from Duke Divinity. She will help with a variety of administrative responsibilities but will especially focus on registrations for synod events.

Michael Dickson will assume leadership of our Social Justice and Advocacy Ministry, working half time and beginning in January. Michael is an approved candidate for ordination and we are working with him in the call process in hopes that he might be called by a congregation for the other half time of his ministry.

Pastor Sara Yoos will help us develop a more comprehensive program focused on children’s ministries for congregations. She has graciously contracted with us for five hours/week—though, granted, not in the summer while busy as program director of Lutheridge which she shares with her husband, Pastor Drew Yoos.

Two additional items of note:

We are imagining a quarter-time Youth Events position to help coordinate things like the annual Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) Assembly. Carissa has graciously agreed to contract with us to contine her leadship role through the 2023 LYO Assembly in Greensboro. We will continue our search for this staff person.
Lutheran Disaster Response recently gave $200,000 to the North and South Carolina Synods together in order to create a three-year called position to work in disaster preparedness. We have filled that position but cannot yet announce it until they have been able to inform their current call.

In early 2023, once we have contact information in place for our new staff, we will provide you with a comprehensive synod staff list complete with major responsibilities and pictures. Stay tuned for that listing.

Blessings to you all in this holy season!

Walking with you,

The Rev. Timothy M. Smith

Bishop

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