"A Few Words of Introduction"

On the first day of September I began my ministry at the Moscow church as interim pastor. I appreciate deeply the call extended to me by your Executive Committee. As we met to discuss the possibility for me to become your pastor, I was impressed with the thoughtfulness, commitment and openness of each member. Under the leadership of our district Executive, Jim Miller, good questions were asked, positive opinions expressed and a sense of hope and excitement prevailed as we considered sharing together in ministry.

Betty and I considered it an honor and privilege to be engaged in ministry in the Moscow congregation. We hope to get to know all of you better in the coming months, and hope that this article will help you get to know us better. The work of the church is accomplished best when people know, trust and love each other. Please be patient with us as we strive to match names with faces, and learn to now you as individuals and as families.

I am not really new to Augusta County. I was born near metropolitan Dooms, of which Waynesboro is a "suburb". My home congregation is Blue Ridge Chapel Church of the Brethren, which had its beginning on the front porch of my parents, Gilbert and Mary Ross. The congregation is now thriving at its location on Rt. 340 just north of the Waynesboro city limits. I can't remember not going to church. So I am blessed to have been raised in a family and church that nurtured me in the faith from birth.

I received my secondary education in the Augusta County school system. Two years at a one-room school at Dooms, and the remaining five at Crimora. I graduated from Wilson Memorial High School in 1953. By the way I drove a school bus my senior year. The route included picking up children in the Lyndhurst area, dropping them off at the Stuarts Draft Elementary School, and picking up students on the way to the high school. Later, while a student at Bridgewater College, I served as part-time pastor at the White Hill Church from 1957-1959. Having served a number of congregations as interim pastor since retirement, I've learned to know Augusta County better than I ever did. Needless to say, things have changed greatly since those early days of my life.

I entered Bridgewater College the fall of 1953. Betty and I were married on June 18, 1955 the year she graduated from Waynesboro High School. Our son, Michael, was born May 5, 1956 followed by our daughter, Sharon, born June 20, 1957, and our second daughter, Cheryl, born October 25, 1958. Our third daughter, Pamela, was born October 21, 1962. We have 8 grandchildren - 7 grandsons and one granddaughter.

In the fall of 1959, we traveled to Chicago, with our three children, and I attended Bethany Seminary for two years. During the summer of 1960 I served a summer pastorate at the Sangersville, Emmanuel, and Briery Branch Churches of the Brethren. A delightful summer; very busy, especially with three babies and a large garden to take care of. But we left having made life-long friends, and the people taught me a lot about what it means to be a pastor. From 1963-1969, I served as pastor of the Manor-Downsville churches near Hagerstown, MD.

I was required to return to Bethany Seminary in the fall of 1969 in order to keep my credits towards a degree. By that time, there were six of us. The move to west Chicago (Oak Brook) and the year of school proved to be a challenge, but the family now looks back on that year as one of the best years of our life together. We made a lot of good friends and the seminary campus was a great place to be for all of us. The children were as thrilled as Betty and I were when I received my Master of Divinity Degree from Bethany Seminary in June of 1970. Later, in 1983, after three years of study and hard work, I received my Doctor of Ministry Degree from the same seminary. I really can't say enough good things about Bethany. The faculty and staff were dedicated and skilled; and provided me with excellent training and preparation for the pastorate.

After one year at Bethany, I received a call to serve the Codorus Congregation in York County, PA. The congregation, one of the oldest in the denomination, proved to be a challenging and exciting place to serve. Our children finished their secondary education in the Dallastown School District during the 13 years we lived there. We still have good friends there and enjoy visiting the church when we visit Cheryl who makes here home at Dallastown with her family. In 1983, I received a call to serve as pastor of the Lititz Congregation in Lancaster, PA.

The decision to leave the Codorus Church was painfully difficult. We loved the people and did not want to leave. But both Betty and I felt that God was calling us to serve at Lititz, whether or not we wanted to leave Codorus. Our 15 years at Lititz were wonderful years. Our children were grown and away from home, so that was much different. In addition, the Lititz congregation was a larger church with a staff ministry. The years proved challenging; but the people were supportive and caring, and also spiritually alive and willing to work. We are always welcomed back with open arms when we visit the church.

In 1998, we retired, and came back to the Valley. We now live in Waynesboro and hold our membership at the Waynesboro Church of the Brethren. Retirement has been especially enjoyable for Betty. For the first time we live in our own home and she delights in decorating and taking care of things the way she wants them to be. I am more than happy that she has taken free reign. In addition, she now takes an art class at the White Hill Church of the Brethren and enjoys painting more that she thought she would. I'm not an art critic, but I think she does excellent work.

This will be our 7th interim pastorate since retiring. Both of us have enjoyed and appreciated each congregation in which I have served. We look forward to serving with you folks at Moscow and ask that you to remember us in your prayers as all of us strive to be faithful to our Lord, Jesus the Christ.

Pastor Jimmy Ross and Betty

September 2009 Ice Cream Social