Nottingham Presbyterian Church

About three years ago Nottingham Presbyterian Church in the Presbytery of Donegal experienced upsetting turmoil.  An administrative commission replaced its session and work was begun to bring the church back to health.  An interim pastor was called to assist that work.  As time went on the congregation would eventually have 5 interim pastors.  Nothing about the congregation daunted these interims.  It just happened that each one had pressing personal reasons to move on, albeit reluctantly, because each one saw the growth that was happening.  More importantly each pastor brought a special gift; helped in a particular step in rebuilding. And the congregation remained resilient as each pastor came to them. 

An operating committee of congregational leaders, the administrative commission, and the presbytery’s Associate for Healthy Congregations made the decision to search for a designated pastor.  The Presbytery’s search team provided the congregational PNC with 5 names of candidates.  Last November the congregation selected the Rev David Willerup to be the designated pastor called by the presbytery.

We are rejoicing that Pastor Dave will be installed in March.  We are also rejoicing that shortly the Administrative Commission will declare that Nottingham’s session can be reconstituted.

The Presbytery of Donegal will stay with the process to redevelop a missional plan.  In this process Donegal creates a covenant for the designated ministry.  The partners are the pastor, a representative of session, as member of COM and a member of the presbytery’s Vitalization Division.  Each partner pledges to support the process as the ministry comes to health.  Several goals are set.  For Nottingham these include Leadership Development, Creating Sound Structures and finding a new place of Missional Work in the Community.   Every six months the partners will meet to see how we can support the effort toward vitality.

To support the ongoing work, four sister congregations have gathered prayer teams to meet weekly to pray about the Nottingham’s concerns and joys.  Through e-mail the congregations will keep the prayer needs up-to-date.  Each of the congregations feels a bond of love to support the church in the village of Nottingham.  In time it is likely that other ties will develop within this cluster of congregations.