This January we welcomed Rev. Bart Smith to be our Interim Pastor.  Prior to being called as Immanuel’s interim pastor, he was a monthly supply pastor at Papago United Presbyterian Church in the Tohono O’Odham Nation and Sells, Arizona. He is currently a student in the Master of Social Work program at Arizona State University’s Tucson campus with an emphasis in Advanced Direct Practice in Behavioral Health with Adults.

Bart served as the lead pastor of St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Midtown Tucson for eight years and, with that congregation and its partners, engaged in a wide range of social justice and community ministries. Before moving to Tucson, he pastored churches in southwestern Virginia. He has over 17 years experience working with a variety of congregations, church institutions, and nonprofit organizations, and has served the wider Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in volunteer leadership roles.

Next Steps – Our church will continue the process of searching for and selecting a new Pastor/Head of Staff.  This process can take between 1 – 2 years.  We will form a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) and begin a Congregational Mission Study (CMS).  The CMS will provide a report that describes our history, current status, goals and needs of the church.  It will identify who we are, where we have been and where we want to go in the future.  This report will be provided to the PNC team and they will use this information to guide their work in selecting a candidate for the position.  As we move through this process, please pray for God’s direction and discernment.  We will post updates at each step of the way.