This past Sunday, a service of installation was held at the Birmingham Presbyterian Church to install Terry Buckel as a Commissioned Lay Minister.
The Presbyterian Church defines a Commissioned Lay Pastor as “an elder of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, who is granted a local commission by the presbytery to lead worship and preach the gospel, watch over the people, and provide for their nurture and service; valid only in one or more designated congregations.”
Participating in the ceremony were Dr. Ted Kiffler and Rev. K. Joy Kaufmann of the Huntingdon Presbytery; Dr. Ann K. Ard of the Centre County Women’s Resource Center; Rev. Barry T. Vance and Elder Robert Holes from Logan Valley Presbyterian Church; Albert J. Holtzinger, an Elder from Broad Avenue Presbyterian Church and Mary Lou Keith representing the Birmingham Presbyterian congregation.
Rev. Kaufmann welcomed all in attendance and called an official meeting of the Huntingdon Presbytery.
“As I look around, I see the Church of the Brethren and at least 13 other Presbyterian Churches represented here today,” said Kaufmann of the approximately 70 attendees.
Dr. Ard presented the message, “Please don’t ask me”, sharing the lesser known facts about Jonah and reading scripture from Jonah 3: 1-5, 10 and 4: 1-11.
Dr. Kiffler performed the proclamation of installation, making Buckel one of only two Commissioned Lay Pastors in the Huntingdon Presbytery.
Charge to the pastor was given by Holtzinger and charge to the congregation by Rev. Vance.
Music for the ceremony was provided by Birmingham Presbyterian organist, Susy Winters.
An offering was taken to benefit the Clergy Emergency Fund of the Huntingdon Presbytery. This fund provides emergency support for the clergy and their families.
The services provided by a Commissioned Lay Pastor vary a great deal from presbytery to presbytery. Some serve as part-time pastors of small churches, in specialized ministries of evangelism, new church developments or redeveloping churches.
The Book of Order says that a presbytery may authorize a Commissioned Lay Pastor to: administer the Lord’s Supper; administer the Sacrament of Baptism; moderate session; have voice in meetings of presbytery; have a vote in meetings of presbytery and perform marriages when invited by the session and if allowed by the state. Buckel will now be able to perform these tasks for the Birmingham Presbyterian Church, where he has served as a Lay Pastor for the past 18 years.
The Presbyterian Church of the United States also states, “A presbytery’s mission strategy determines the role a CLP program plays in its overall direction.
“Most presbyteries are aware of congregations that have been without an installed pastor for years. These congregations invest a lot of energy into surviving. They spend a lot of energy trying to find someone to preach each Sunday. Even when they have the same Sunday-to- Sunday preacher, they often lack someone to provide other pastoral services. A Presbytery determined to provide pastoral care and preaching from our Reformed perspective to small churches unable to call ministers of Word and Sacrament will design its CLP program to meet those needs.
“Commissioned Lay Pastors can provide a valuable ministry in our ever-changing society.”
After the installation ceremony, individuals were invited for refreshments and fellowship in Westminster Hall.
Buckel offered his thanks to all who were involved with the service and to those who have supported him over the years.
“First, to my Commission, my gratitude for your willingness to contribute your time and talents in today’s installation service,” said Buckel. “To my church family, my heartfelt thanks for your many years of support prior to this day. To all of you who have helped with the preparations for this service, I extend my appreciation. To all who have chosen to attend this service today, please accept my thanks as well for sharing in this special day.”
