Rev. Charlottie Havlicak

A Message from Pastor Char

When the people of the wonderful congregation and I first came together, in August of 1995, as pastor and people, we set out to establish what our hopes dreams , visions and goals were for this church.

We listed every person's dream, and we focused on the idea that if we worked together that we could make all our dreams a reality.

One of the most desired dreams was to have a healthy, faithful church, a place where people could come to share in worship, to sing and pray and to bond together as a family of God.

We also realize that this heritage building had gone through a few years of being neglected in its upkeep. As we worked to build our congregation we also began a process to update this awesome building.

Setting Goals

The people listed what they thought were the most important items to be worked on, the church needed to be painted inside and outside, the sound system needed to be updated, our building was not assessable for all. We would need an elevator, repair of our front steps, updating the grounds, a nursery, and updated Sunday school rooms.

Music is one of the most important parts of our worship service and our dream of having a grand piano, and a new organ was one of our foremost ideas. But we also needed a music director, so we could have a choir and special music to bless our services.

It had been the dream of one of our members that we would one day have stained glass windows for our sanctuary….this is such a beautiful heritage and historic building, the idea of stained glass windows was to tell the story of our faith. In the completing of the windows together, we were making a commitment that we would walk together on this faith journey.

As you look through our web-site you will see examples of the beauty and style of these windows. Each window has a different focus, some are in memory of those who have died and some are focused on our future….each window becomes a blessing in itself. Each window tells us about God’s love for us.

God has called each one of us that are currently here at this church to be together for this time and this mission. We have come from all walks of life and from places all around the world…called together by God to be a witness of His great love for the world and for such a time as this.

The Pastor's Call

Ray and I first came to Mc Call in May of 1994 to manage Pilgrim Cove Camp. I preached several times for this church family that summer and when we returned in May of 1995, this congregation was still searching for a pastor.

The Search Committee asked me to submit a resume, and from this meeting together, they then agreed that my name should be submitted to the church family to serve as minister for this church. On July 9th, 1995 I preached for this congregation and then on July 16, 1995, I was elected to become the pastor of this church by a unanimous vote by the congregation.

I began serving this congregation in August, 1995 as a licensed minister and at the urging of our Central Pacific Conference and our conference minister, I, also enrolled in a second career Ministry Training Program in September of that same year. Monthly I traveled to Vancouver, Washington to attend the Pacific Northwest, Central Pacific Conference Licensed Ministry Program. We had weekend classes once a month for two years. We had great and dedicated teachers and we were given a very detailed and deep theology study. I graduated from this Licensed Ministry Seminary Program and was installed as pastor of this church on July 22, 1998.

The following year the church applied to the Central pacific Conference for ordination for me and I began the serious work leading up to ordination. I was ordained by the United Church of Christ on July 25, 1999. This has been a most exciting journey, a path of service to our God that we have traveled together for these last thirteen years.

I always preach from the scriptures and my message will always pertain to how the scripture lesson can help us live a better, more productive life today. Our faith is shown in the way we live and work with others around us each and every day.

A good pastor always shepherds the congregation by leading the way. A good pastor is not just preparing a sermon and leading worship on Sunday. I believe that serving a congregation is a daily experience. People need to know that their pastor keeps regular office hours and will be available when needed.

I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that he lived, died and was resurrected, and is coming again. I believe that Jesus ascended into heaven and does sit at the right hand of God and that He is our ever-present helper, interceding for us when we pray. I believe that the Holy Spirit is in the world and is in each one of us as we live and worship together.

I believe that Jesus performed miracles as scripture tells us when he lived here on earth and I believe that we still see miracles today. I believe that Jesus ascended into heaven. I believe that prayer puts us in touch with God and that we each one need to spend time in Bible study, devotional reading and quiet time alone with God.

I believe that the past is gone and we should always be moving forward. Tomorrow is a new day, we must be open to new ideas and thoughts, and each one of us must live our faith and be a living, loving, viable presence in this community.

Ray and I have three children and nine grandchildren and we love living and working in McCall. My mission is to always be the pastor that God has called me to be. As we continue on this journey together as a pastor and a people, I believe that God is in control and Ray and I have called to this community and this church to be of service to all those who come into this church.