Annual Report 2023-2024-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 10
DIRECTOR OF ADULT EDUCATION & TIM PROGRAM
KAREN QUANCE JESKE
I am deeply grateful to this congregation for allowing me to
continue to serve as the Director of the Transition into Ministry
(TiM) Program. As you know, it is a unique program that serves
first call pastors, Plymouth, and the wider church. I am grateful
as well to have served as the Director of Adult Education at
Plymouth during 2023.
In this brief report, I will share some of the highlights of my work
year as well as changes that are ahead in 2024. I welcome coffee
dates and any opportunities to talk with you in person about
anything I’m working on. As always, working with thoughtful
and creative Plymouth members and staff is a tremendous bonus
to the work I do.
Highlights:
• In last year’s report, I described the challenge of recruiting new
TiM pastors in a world where fewer students are attending
divinity school and a lower percentage of those students are
choosing to pursue congregational ministry. With 19 years of
working with first call pastors, Plymouth is uniquely positioned
to engage with divinity school students who are still determining
their path. Rather than waiting until these students are in their
final year of school to make contact with them, we have
stepped up to be a positive resource for them as they consider
whether or not congregational ministry is for them. One way
we are doing this is through a new podcast we launched
last year called, First Call. It is a wonderful way to use our
network of former TiMs to speak to the challenges and joys of
congregational ministry. You can find the podcast on Apple,
Spotify, or any of your favorite podcast apps.
• Launching the podcast in 2023 was a special joy! During the
fall months, I interviewed three of our former TiMs. I chatted
with Anthony Weisman about his call to ministry and the
challenge for pastors to meet all of the expectations put on
them — to be poets, priests, pastors, and prophets. In another
episode, I talked to Stephanie Haskins about trusting in the
ways we are all called over and over again. And in another
episode Mary Kate Buchanan shared with me the many ways
congregational ministry is both more difficult and more beautiful
than she ever imagined. In all of the interviews, our former
TiMs discuss the challenges congregational pastors face as well
as the rewards. All are grateful for the experiences they’ve had
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with our Transition into Ministry program. Please listen and
subscribe. There will be more interviews with other former
TiMs coming soon and you won’t want to miss them.
• Another new offering within our TiM Program this year was
an opportunity to take a few days away to reflect on the work
our TiMs do at Plymouth and connect their experiences to
their sense of themselves as pastors. I planned three of these
off-site retreat experiences that gave Pastor Peter and Pastor
Remi a chance to reflect on “congregational contexts,”
“sustainable spirituality,” and “pastoral identity.”
• I’m grateful to the TiM Committee for their care and
discernment throughout the year and especially during our
recruiting processes. I can always count on good counsel and
thoughtful insights from these committed volunteers. I also
appreciated collaboration with the Trustees, the Plymouth
Foundation, and Jim Denman during the last year as we
worked to implement new funding and oversight processes
now that Plymouth is spending funds from the Fruitful
Change campaign to support the program.
• The Faith Builders class at Plymouth continues to be a joy
and blessing! To witness a dozen Plymouth members meeting
every week to discuss and wrestle with scripture, learn new
ways to do theological reflection, and become friends along
the way is a true gift.
• I also enjoy being the staff liaison for the Board of Spiritual
Growth and Adult Education. What an awesomely creative,
committed, and caring group of Plymouth leaders!
In addition to these highlights, I also organized Nine to Dine, led
an Advent Retreat, continued as staff liaison for the Theology
and Film series, planned and organized three All Church Reads
series, led the Sunday Forum most weeks, organized Summer Fun
Groups, and planned the dinner for the Halloween event.
Looking Ahead:
My most pressing goal for this next year is to hire a new TiM to
join us sometime this summer. I also look forward to new podcast
episodes, more off-site retreat time with our TiMs, and a special
storytelling emphasis that’s in the works for all Plymouth members.
This will be my last month serving in the role of Director of
Adult Education at Plymouth. Although I’m passionate about
this work, I want to cut back on my overall hours and focus
exclusively on the TiM Program at this time. Thank you,
Plymouth, for letting me serve you these past two years as your
Director of Adult Education.
