Sabbatical Pastor – Associate Pastor for Youth & Families.
We have great news to share – Pastor Amy will be taking a sabbatical and Rev. Matt Carriker will step in to A common piece in the terms of call for pastors is the inclusion of sabbatical time. Pastor Amy is overdue for a well-earned sabbatical this fall. Kathy Malone representing Christian Ed., Brita Gill-Austern representing the Human Relations Team and Pastor Wendy served as a team to identify needs to cover Pastor Amy’s time away August 8th – October 11th (inclusive of a vacation week). The team determined that six weeks of coverage was manageable, created a job description and engaged Rev. Matt Carriker as a potential Sabbatical Pastor. We are so pleased to announce that Rev. Matt Carriker will join Union Church in ministry from September 1st – October 10th. Pastor Matt comes to UCW with great experience in youth and young adult ministry. It is a calling he has sensed on his life since teaching high school in Belize, graduating from Andover Newton Theological School and practicing ministry in a variety of settings. Pastor Matt leads a new church start, Agape Spiritual Community, which meets Sunday afternoons twice a month in Waltham and Weston. He has also led retreats for youth through the United Church of Christ in Southern New England. His resume includes rich experience in faith formation for all ages. The team resonated strongly with his motto for ministry “kids want to know how much you care before they care how much you know.” While it is a short time frame for ministry, the team believes his call expresses the commitment of UCW to the importance of our younger generation by calling such a practiced leader. The team hopes it signals to youth and families that they matter greatly in the church’s ministry. |
