Beloved in Christ:
Greetings to you all in the Name of Jesus.
It is an honor and privilege to have been invited to be your Interim Pastor. Thank you so much for your warm and friendly welcome on my very first visit to Hawaii. As I write, I'm nearly two days old, the "new kid on the Island"!
Please let me make a few introductory remarks:
Beryl is my beloved wife. We are both born-and-raised South Africans and have been married 38 years. She is 64 and I am 68. We have three married sons: Warren (35) and Tracey live in Portland, OR. Our identical twin sons (33) and their families live in Durban, South Africa (in fact, just a few miles from where Mahatma Gandhi lived while he was in South Africa). Ross, the elder twin (by four minutes!) is married to Mandi. Their little Bella is one. Scott is married to Angela. They are Dad and Mom to two-and-a-half-year-old Benjamin and four-month-old Summer.
Beryl's 94 year-old mother lived with us for 13 years until her passing at the end of March this year -- a main reason for Beryl remaining in South Africa. Now, of course, our grandchildren exert their own special magnetism, the more so since they all live on the same property. Nevertheless, I'll keep on trying to twist Beryl's arm to come and join me in beautiful Hawaii!
I've been an ordained Presbyterian minister for over 44 years and have served four congregations in South Africa and now, with Mililani Presbyterian Church, five in the United States. I've taken all the training for interim pastors and in addition completed a course in First Response Ministry earlier this year in Santa Fe, NM.
The function of an interim pastor is not to "call the shots" or "ring the changes", but to "walk alongside" a congregation during the transitional phase between permanent installed pastors.
This makes us sisters and brothers in Christ and colleagues in ministry. I truly look forward to our relationship on this basis.
May our ever-faithful God be with you and your loved ones to bless and guide you.
Yours in Christ,
Tony Gamley
Interim Pastor