Published: Aug. 11, 2021

On behalf of the Governing Board and the Pastor Parish Relations Committee, I write with mixed emotions to inform you that the Rev. Jackie Nelson has accepted a new position as the Director of Student Support Services and Coordinator of Spiritual Care at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. We are so grateful for the four years that Jackie has served as our Minister for Outreach and wish her nothing but the best in her new role. We have no doubt that she will make as great an impact there as she has done here, and we are thrilled that she will help shape the ministries of church leaders for years to come.

The good news is that Rev. Nelson is not leaving us fully! Jackie has graciously agreed to stay on in a very part time capacity (5-10 hours a month) in a new reimagined position** we have created called the Minister for Social Justice. While she will not have regular weekly pastoral responsibilities and we ask that people honor that shift, she will provide pastoral leadership to our justice ministries, including our Racial Justice Advocacy Team as well as our Q Advocacy Team. In addition, Jackie will participate in worship monthly and preach occasionally as well. While we will miss her daily presence on our campus, we are so grateful that we will remain in ministry together.

We do intend to fill the soon-to-be-vacant Minister for Outreach position and are beginning the process of assessing our Outreach staffing needs. We will keep you informed as we have more information, but we anticipate a couple of months with that role vacant. Fortunately, we have the Rev. Patrick Dupont serving as our new Director of the Outreach Center, who can help ensure that the daily on campus outreach ministries continue uninterrupted.
Rev. Nelson will transition into her new roles in early September. Please join us in celebrating Jackie’s extraordinary ministry among us and praying for her as she begins this new endeavor.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

** The Governing Board believes the funding for this very part-time position for the next year will come from the savings we anticipate from not having a Minister for Outreach for a couple of months while we make preparations to fill that position. After that, we believe we will be able to include it in our Annual Operating Plan with minimal impact.