A Short Note

I am pleased to be serving as the Interim-pastor of First United Methodist Church of Lakeland. This is the thirteenth time I have been asked to come out of retirement to serve in such a role. Of course, this is very different from the other times. This is a church I have been a part of for over thirty years, and the church is not in trouble. We are in sorrow at the retirement of Pastor David, but we also rejoice in a job very well done.

This is a time of change and a time of waiting for the unknown. We will be getting a new pastor in July, but we do not know who that person might be. There is anxiousness and even concern about the change. Who will it be, what will they be like, what will they bring, and how will they lead us? It is our job to keep the faith and to pray for this person we do not even know. Let us have a joyful expectation of our new pastor. Let us love them even before we know them. And let us love one another in the midst of this time of anticipation.

Let me assure you the Bishop and the District Superintendant are prayerfully seeking that person and want them to succeed as our spiritual leader.

Now is the time to pray for the Holy Spirit to come into the midst of our church concerns. And I certainly want you to pray for me and our ministry together. This may be an Interim, but it also means we have almost six months to do Kingdom work. We are a happy family church, and we want it to stay that way.

And that’s the truth.

Rev. Riley P. Short (Interim Senior Pastor)