June 15th, 2003, marked the end of Rev. Jill Small's ministry at First Parish Church. After the service, a celebratory luncheon was served to honor Jill's ministry.
Jill has been with First Parish for the past nine years. From June of 2001 to June of 2003 she served as the Interim Senior Minister after Bill Imes left to become president of Bangor Theological Seminary.
Because of Jill's knowledge of the church and its members, this was not a typical interim period. Often church membership and activities decrease during an interim; ours increased. Here are some of the highlights at First Parish during the last two years:
A volunteer-led 2.5 million dollar capital campaign was undertaken and completed.
Jill helped the congregation through the September 11th tragedies.
A 16 month search process for a new senior minister was started and completed.
A purchase offer was made and accepted on the adjacent Samuel Melcher property.
More money was pledged for annual expenses than ever before.
A long range planning committee was added.
During her ministry, Jill encouraged members to take up the reins to explore First Parish Church's strengths and goals. Rather than rallying support around her authority, she encouraged groups and individuals to claim responsibility for projects and programs which would advance the church's mission.
Jill's preaching was inspirational, especially when the church was facing difficult questions or choices. Her sermons were grounded in Scripture and taught new ways of looking at the Bible and faith.
Jill never lost her "can do" attitude. She did not sit back on her heels and give the "safe" answers. She was supportive of probing new concepts and trying to get people to go into new directions.
We will miss Jill. The entire congregation wishes her the best in her new endeavors.
Do you have a topic suggestion for the firstparish.net Features page? Is your group in the church doing something interesting that could be shared with others in the congregation? If so, please send your suggestion to the First Parish Church Publicity Committee.
