A word from Interim Pastor Rudy Schildbach, …
I thought it appropriate that I write a little about myself and
about the interim ministry which has begun at St. Paul. Our
time together while I am the Interim Pastor will be a little different from previous Interim ministries for us all, mostly
because of the distance involved. I began as your Interim on June 1, but one
would hardly notice, since I’ve lead worship only once so far. I had committed
myself to do pulpit supply for pastors in the Muskingum Conference who had planned vacations.
I will be doing pulpit supply twice in August, but from June 29 to August 3 I’ll be at St. Paul! After that I have only one more commitment—in
November.
Because of
the distance from Zanesville where I live, I’ll do as much as I can on Sunday afternoons, such as visits to shut-ins
and hospitals, and Church Council and some committee meetings, because of the distance, Pastor Philip Van Dam in Martins Ferry
and Pastor Donna Kraus in St. Clairsville will be available for emergencies, hospital visits, and even weddings and funerals
if the family so desires. However, I will be as available as I can, and will
try to be a pastor to families of St. Paul until you have
a full-time pastor again. The Council and I acknowledge that we’ll need
to be flexible, as we see how this interim will work; nothing is “written in stone.”
Just a word
about myself: about nine years ago I retired from the Philo and Stovertown churches
(south of Zanesville) and have continued living in Zanesville
while doing interims and pulpit supply in the Southern Ohio Synod. Ancient history
includes my graduation from Trinity Seminary in Columbus and parishes in Wisconsin,
Minnesota, and Ohio. I’ve also been an addictions counselor and an interim chaplain in nursing homes.
So far I’ve
been warmly welcomed by many of you and look forward to being your pastor during this time of transition for you. By the way, I can be reached at 740-454-2929 and my e-mail address is schildbach@globalco.net.
R. Schildbach,
Interim Pastor
