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As we regather this fall, the theme of transition can hardly be missed, especially within our staff. Here’s a quick summary of how roles are shifting to meet the needs of the church.

• Mike Solberg joins us as our new Interim Senior Minister. He fills the full-time role of Head of Staff as he walks with us through a time of transition. Mike will be leading worship and preaching; partnering with committees and boards on new initiatives and ongoing ministries; and providing pastoral care and spiritual guidance as we look forward to what comes next.
• Emma Mitchell (née Thomas) returns in the new role of Pastoral Associate (and with a new shared family last name after her wedding this summer). She will work 25 hours per week, participating in worship at least 2 Sundays per month, preaching, leading Christian formation, working with new members, and more.
• Sarah Higginbotham takes on a new job title of Director of Communications & Christian Formation as she increases her hours to full-time. Sarah will continue to lead First Church’s Communications Team, as well as supervise and/or lead in our Nursery, Church School, and Youth programs. While she no longer has “creative worship & arts” in her title, she still plans to share her creative gifts with our multigenerational community.
• Kirsten Manville continues to be our Director of Operations, but with some accommodations for her growing family. On August 30, Kirsten and her husband Tim were officially matched and placed with a pre-adoptive child by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families – a 10-year-old boy who will be in the 4th grade this year. Kirsten will be taking 4 full weeks of family leave this fall (September 16 – October 18) and then will work half-time through December 31. A sabbatical for Kirsten had already been planned and approved last spring, which is scheduled for January – March 2025. Stay tuned for more information about who will help cover her tasks while Kirsten is not as present with us during her family’s time of transition.
• Kevin Newell increases his hours to 35 per week as a First Church Sexton. He will be working most evening shifts, and he will also keep some hours at the First Church Shelter.
• And after more than 35 years of faithful service to the First Church Shelter and the men who seek assistance from it, Dennis Kaveney has ended his full-time employment, but continues as a per diem Shelter employee working one overnight per week. The Shelter Oversight Committee is planning an opportunity for the entire First Church community to celebrate and express gratitude for Dennis’s contributions to the Shelter’s mission to bring hope to our unhoused neighbors.

Read more about the entire First Church Staff