Letter from Rev. Dr. Donnie R. Woods Follows:
Dear Session and Members:
On behalf of Charleston Atlantic Presbytery, I write to offer our sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for the service and ministry of your pastor, Rev. Dr. Chip Summers, who entered the Church Triumphant on May 10, 2020. It was a great joy to know Chip and Lynne and their love for YPPC. I join with all the churches of CAP in offering our sympathy and condolences to Lynne and family. You will be in our thoughts and prayers during the days and months
ahead. The Commission on Ministry has assigned Dr. Al Eads to serve as your temporary moderator of session. One of my primary responsibilities as you General Presbyter is to be with you during these times of change, and help the session develop a plan for moving forward into a new future. I will also need to get on the schedule to preach and talk with the congregation about next steps for short- and long-term leadership. I will be in communication with your Clerk of Session and Moderator in this regard. We will walk through this valley together seeking to strengthen the ties that bind us in Christian love. Chip often reminded me and COM that his primary goal was to lead the session and congregation through the process of preparing to call your next installed pastor. All indications suggest that he prepared you to do just that. It was his hope that you would be prepared to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) to begin the search in May or June of this year. COM will assign me to lead you through the process when the session is ready to begin. I am grateful for the session’s leadership through the CoVid-19 Pandemic and for guiding the congregation in worship, while practicing social distancing; in addition to developing a plan for the congregation to safely re-enter the buildings when the way is clear to do so. The stated clerk and I will continue to share helpful information as it become available. The Apostle Paul reminds us in I Cor. 4 that we are engaged in this ministry together, and therefore, let us not lose heart. We are a connectional church and presbytery and YPPC will never walk alone. God walks with us at all times: to bless, strengthen, and guide us in this ministry, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.
Sincerely yours,
Rev. Dr. Donnie R. Woods
General Presbyter/Pastor to Pastors
Charleston Atlantic Presbytery