Church Calls Fuchs & Hess as Interim Team
Becky Fuchs and Nancy Hess will begin January 1 as our congregation’s interim pastoral team, taking the place of retiring Lead Pastor Misty Wintsch. They were called by a near-unanimous vote at a December 8 All-Church Meeting. Moderator Josh Bashore-Steury led the meeting, which was attended by about 90 people in person and nine via livestream.
Church Board Chair Dave Hosler explained how the team approach came together. Neither Becky nor Nancy felt like they could take on a full-time role, but they decided they could do it together. They each will dedicate 20 hours per week to the church.
At the All-Church Meeting Becky and Nancy briefly introduced themselves, emphasizing their past ties to our congregation.
Becky was a member of the Lancaster congregation for many years, serving six years as our moderator. She earned her M. Div. from Lancaster Theological Seminary and served a long pastorate at Mountville until her retirement in 2020. She volunteers in the Spiritual Care Department at UPMC Lititz Hospital and chairs the COBYS Family Services Board of Directors. Becky and her husband, David, are members at Mountville.
Nancy served as Pastor of Nurture at LCOB from 1997 to 2002 and served more recently as Pastor of Congregational Care at Palmyra COB. In between she was an active leader at Mountville, where she chaired the Leadership Team, covered for pastors when needed, and worked in many areas including worship planning, finance, and outreach (including refugee resettlement). A graduate of Bethany Theological Seminary, Nancy and her husband, Steve, are members of Stevens Hill Community COB.
Initially, Becky will be Pastor of Caregiving and Administration and will serve as a resource to the Church Board, Personnel Committee, Deacons, and Leadership Discernment Team. Nancy will be Pastor of Nurture, Outreach, and Witness and work with those three ministry teams. Roles of Pastor of Worship Don Fitzkee, Pastor of Hispanic Ministries Selma Gamboa, and Pastor of Visitation Dave Stauffer will continue much as before. Roles may change along the way, especially when Pastor Don begins his term as Annual Conference Moderator in July.