This past month has been a whirlwind as we interviewed our ministerial candidate, checked his references, arranged for him to deliver a sermon and, finally held a congregational vote. All was going well, including initial contract negotiations. Then we received the news that he was withdrawing his application to Eastrose and taking another offer. This is sad news for our church, and those of us who have been involved in the process these past few months will need some time to process this new reality.

Eastrose demonstrated our resiliency with the way we handled changes forced upon us by the COVID shutdown, so we must remain confident and positive about the future now.

The Eastrose board had already scheduled a retreat for the end of July to plan and determine priority actions for the church for the next 12 months. Now moving forward without a minister will be part of the planning. One thing is certain, the board will assume responsibility for some tasks normally handled by the minister.

I promise to keep you informed what we decide.

Cynthia Hopkins
President, Eastrose Board of Trustees