A letter from Allan Poole
Dear Blacknall family,
Almost every Tuesday morning our Blacknall staff gathers for our weekly time to study Scripture, go over calendars, talk through challenges, share joys, and pray for the needs of the congregation. If you have walked down the hallway during that hour from 9.30 to 10.30 you might wonder, “What in the world…”, because of the laughter that is emanating from the parlor. It is one of the deep joys of our work together, to share it with others whom the Lord has brought alongside. One staff member confessed that in leaving our staff Christmas party each year, there are often tears of gratitude. Imagine that. Crying in gratitude after a staff party! But such are the folks with whom I have the privilege of serving.
I dare to believe that such a grace makes a significant mark on the larger congregation. So, when there is a change, we will all feel it. As we should. This year we are being asked to prepare for the retirement of two beloved staff members.
Margaret Frothingham has been around Blacknall for a long time. But when she joined the staff just over fifteen years ago, we became a much stronger, better place. Now she and Rich have determined that it is time to focus on their children’s children, to practice with her own family the hospitality that she has so generously shown so many of us. She will step down from her Blacknall responsibilities mid-year, at the end of June.
David Stuntz first came to Blacknall in the 1970’s, when he provided worship leadership and administrative assistance alongside Ed Henegar. He then returned in 1998, leaving a university teaching position in Erie, PA, to take up his post as Blacknall’s Director of Music and Worship. He has also served as a de facto pastor to the choir and to the LCs. Now, after more than twenty years, he and Ann have decided that the time is right to step into the next phase of their lives. Dave’s last Sunday at Blacknall will be the last Sunday of 2020.
I simply don’t want to think about these impending departures. I am having a difficult time imagining our life together without Margaret and Dave in their respective roles. But the Session (our elders) has wisely seen in these announcements the need and opportunity to step back and take a broad look at the personnel needs for Blacknall, thinking not just about replacing these two but taking advantage of the moment to consider how best to structure job descriptions across the board in order most faithfully to serve this part of Christ’s body over the next five years.
Toward that end, last November the Session formed a temporary working group called the Personnel Planning Team. Chaired by Michael Whisenhunt, the group consists of representatives from our Personnel Committee, including that committee’s chair, Ann Talton Lee, elder Charlie Schaefer, and me. Those four are joined by Alexa Gerend, Melissa Hartemink, Maggie Holland, Tanya Moore, Mark Paulson, and Betsy Poole. The group has two particular charges: 1) to take a look at the current job descriptions, defining current ministries and tasks addressed by staff, paying attention as well to ministry opportunities not currently in focus, and 2) to prioritize those tasks and ministries and match them with possible future staff positions. The team’s work will then be submitted to the Session as guidance for future hires. (It is important to note here that the Personnel Planning Team is not a search committee; the responsibility for forming search committees remains with the Session, supported by the Personnel Committee according to our hiring policies and practices.)
I would like to invite you to channel your sorrow at this news into prayer, giving thanks first of all for Margaret and Dave and their families and for their contributions to Blacknall’s life and ministry. While you are at it, pray for them as they enter this time of planning and transition, and for us as a congregation, that we would have the ability to hear and respond to the Holy Spirit’s voice as we look toward a season of change and the welcome of new staff. Of course, you are welcome to speak to anyone on the Personnel Planning Team or the Session with your thoughts; as we have sometimes done in the past, we have established a dedicated email address for input (PPT@blacknall.org). Your suggestions will be seen by the team listed above.
We hope that as we gain clarity about positions and job descriptions, you all might serve as a “committee of the whole” in identifying folks who might be surprised by the Lord’s invitation to step into service at Blacknall. It is a daunting prospect, but the Lord is faithful. Change brings out all kinds of things in people; let us encourage each other with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and as we seek to honor him, he will lead.
Gratefully,
Allan