Called Back to the Pulpit

Reverend Susan Walters retired as a pastor after 35 years; when an East Bloomfield church came knocking, she decided to return to the pulpit

By Lynette M. Loomis

 

Across the country, churches are closing.

Aging parishioners and a mobile society have led to a decline in church membership. Costly building renovations and insurance put pressure on church coffers, sometimes resulting in closure.

In East Bloomfield, the First Congregational Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has a small but devoted congregation. They needed an interim pastor.

Judson Rockcastle has been a member of the congregation for 40 years. He served on the pastoral search committee during 2019-20. This proved difficult due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the lack of qualified, interested candidates that the church could afford.

“At that point, Reverend Susan Walters served as our interim pastor. After several discussions, she agreed to accept our offer to serve as our pastor. We were pleased since she is well-liked by all the members and has done an exceptional job leading, uniting our congregation. Her sermons are insightful and grounded in biblical principles,” he said.

“Pastor Sue leads a virtual prayer session on Thursday mornings, which is much appreciated. She routinely goes out of her way to track the members of our congregation and is incredibly supportive of members and friends who face illness or other stressful circumstances.”

Walters, 70, retired as a United Methodist pastor after more than 35 years.

“I thought my service to God would be lived out in areas other than the pulpit, but I believed offering to help [the Congregational Church] was the right thing to do. I did not realize how much I missed ordained ministry and Bible teaching,” she said. “When I stepped into this beautiful church and met the parishioners, I felt I had come home again.”

As a congregational church, the parishioners own the building and select their pastor rather than having one assigned to them.

Mona Eddy has been a member of the congregation for more than 60 years.

“Pastor Sue is truly a gift from God to our church. She is always there when needed, day or night. I lost my husband during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of isolation. I was blessed to be with him at the time of his passing. Within four months, my brother had a stroke. I called Pastor Sue and she was at the hospital within minutes. Not only did she wrap me in her arms, but she prayed over my dearly departed Richard. Her love and support held me together. This is the way she is,” Eddy said.

Pastoral care is crucial for this small, mature congregation. Pastor Sue knows all of the families — even the out-of-town ones.

“One of the benefits of a small congregation is our sense of community, of belonging. After each service, we share a snack and talk about our week. We have some amazing bakers, so snack time is delightful in many ways,” Walters laughs, “We break bread, strudel and cookies.”

Like many pastors, Walters is a bi-vocational individual and holds secular roles. She is a substitute teacher in Bloomfield and Honeoye elementary schools, working with children aged 4 to 12.

“I enjoy children and find there is an overlap in the messaging. Children must be taught to accept other children who are different from themselves and not presume or judge. They need to treat each other with kindness and respect,” she said. “They also need to learn to be good citizens in the classroom and not lie or steal.”

Pastoral care is important to parishioners. Walters performs weddings, in which those who moved away from the area come home to be married in the church of their youth. Funerals and bereavement are part of her role and because she knows the parishioners so well, she can relay moments of joy and challenge from first-hand experience. She has office hours during which people can drop in or schedule an appointment. Her Thursday morning prayers are streamlined on the church’s website.

How does her husband, Joe, accept her on-call responsibilities?

As the owner of Call Joe Appliance Service, Inc., he is on call 24/7, so their days together can be interrupted on either front.

As a congregation member, he understands the importance of her position and the friendship they share with each member. He often accompanies her to offer moral support or a helping hand to a fellow parishioner. She enjoys cooking and he enjoys eating, so it works well. They are grandparents of 13 and have two great-grandsons. They feel genuinely fortunate that some of their grandchildren are local, so they can watch the next generation grow.

First Congregational Church is a center for scouts and other community groups. It is also an emergency evacuation center for nearby Bloomfield schools. The church has a large kitchen and can prepare emergency meals if needed. The church’s acoustics are exceptional, allowing the dozen or so choir members to sound like a much larger group. Pastor Sue is a member of the choir.

“I am privileged to be part of this congregation. Our members enrich my heart and we invite everyone to join us on Sundays for our free Last Friday Night Suppers,” Walters said. “We would love to meet you.”