United Church of Idaho Springs


	*United Church of Idaho Springs*


	Whole in Heart, Three-Quarter Time in Contract

	I'm about to be on my third contract this year.

	I went from a standard minimum contract for a full-time pastor without a parsonage, to a marginally-legal minimum contract for a full-time pastor with a parsonage (which United does not have), and now to a three-quarter time contract for a pastor without a parsonage, effective May 1. The church has little savings yet, and it's important that we be able to pay our bills even when offerings are lower than expenditures, as is normal in the summer months.

	My move to three-quarter time does not mean I'm leaving. It does not mean that I'm cross or that I don't love you. It means that our community does not currently want a full-service church in United. Perhaps the community will decide it does value a full-service church and wants to support it. Perhaps not.

	In the meanwhile, here's what it means for me, and for the community:
	For me and my family, it means that I will have and use more time for writing-and for getting moved into our Arvada house, and for gardening. It means that I will have much less income, because not only does direct payment to me decrease substantially, but now we'll be paying for my health insurance.

	For the church, it means lower expenditures, which is why we're doing it. It means that I will be nearly completely unavailable on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays-feel free to leave phone messages and send email, and I'll listen to them and read them, but I won't respond that day unless I view the matter as an emergency. So I won't be just around so much for the people of the church and community to see, consult, talk with, and get to know. That's probably the principle way you'll directly perceive the difference.

	I have priorities for what a pastor most needs to deal with. First, planning, coordinating, and offering worship, which includes time taken in reading, praying, and pondering. Tied for second, pastoral care when I am called or when I have some standing arrangement to visit, and the administrative work we no longer pay staff for. (You remember that scheduling now occurs through me or through the church calendar and no longer through Debbie, right? Also, please remember that the more time I have to spend on coordination and communication for ordinary church functions, the less time I have for community outreach. Thank you!) Thirdly, attending the meetings of the church. And after that, work in which I coordinate with our two denominations, local and area clergy, county agencies, and extend the cooperative arrangements of the church through further local and regional associations.

	There will be weeks when I only manage the first three priorities, and that will be life. I'll do the best I can for you on three-quarter time, which should be forty hours a week.

	Here's the other, probably the most important, thing that this change means for the church: this is a time for the people of United to understand their priorities, and to make more use of the church as a place for closer relationship with God and for service to our community and world. If the people of the church decide that this is a change that means decline, it will mean decline. If we know that our church is a lively, active, interesting family, this can be a step toward renewal.

God Bless, Mary Ann Dimand