Panel on Succession leadership

Pastors Jay Passavant and Scott Stevens shared their thoughts and lessons from having experienced a transition in leadership, from Jay as the founding pastor of 30-years to Scott, the new lead pastor of North Way Christian Community.

 Although I am not transitioning out of my position in CCI/LA as director of leadership development, Bob Sabean and I are releasing the responsibility to teach one specific training event into the hands of this multicultural team of professors. This annual event is the Institute for Forming Instructors (IFI) and it is held in the country that solicits it. If our National CCI Association in Peru requests it, a sub-team will be formed of those professors who have the time, funds, and availability and they will be in charge of the entire 17-day IFI.

  Our team is ad hoc (Wikipedia: Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes). They have no elite status, they are professors when teaching an IFI, but when they are back in their respective countries, they are active participants on their CCI national team of volunteers, teaching training courses and promoting Christian camping. Several of them serve as board members at the national and international level.

Team’s impressions of the panel with Pastors Jay and Scott:

·      Jay trusted Scott to be the next lead pastor

·      Scott respected Jay and his legacy and didn’t do anything to stain or undermine it in an effort to build up respect for himself.

·      They put into place a transition team who held everyone accountable to the timeline and mediate any differences. They trusted God’s hand to move the process along.

·      What surprised me was the sense of joy of passing the baton from one generation to the other.

·      This organized, well-thought manner of leadership succession is practically unheard of in our countries. A senior pastor leaves when he dies, not before. There is usually no plan in place. Usually his son takes charge or another close family member. During his tenure, other strong leaders that rise up in church may likely be considered a threat to his leadership so he may send them off to plant daughter churches since it would be dangerous to keep them too close. 

Pastor Jay has been my pastor since I was a 12-year old at Memorial Park Pres. Church and when he left there and founded North Way Christian Community, I continued to attend both churches. After 30 years, Pastor Jay has given his role as lead pastor to Scott Stevens.

Alliance of churches--The power of unity

Alvaro Cordero admiring the Pittsburgh skyscape

The vision for the Leadership Summit in Pittsburgh was conceived after the summer of 2010. That summer, Henri Doren and I had invited a group of eight Latin Americans to travel to Pittsburgh to help lead team building initiatives for North Way Christian Community ‘s week of summer vacation bible school. We were impressed by the impact on both the Latin Americans and the very few church leaders they met with. Since I was in the midst of forming this other team of professors, we both felt the Lord leading us to project such a trip as this but for the entire team of Latin Americans and with greater participation of my supporting churches. She and I tweaked our ideas and during the summer of 2011 we presented our proposal. I still remember our first formal meeting when we gathered in the offices of Memorial Park Church, with one person attending via Skype and representatives from all six mission committees present and accounted for.

1.     Don Creasy, Safwat Habashi, Jim Crawford from Memorial Park Evang. Pres. Church

2.     Joe Lenkey and Walter Siegfried from First Presbyterian Church (representing Ligonier Camp and Conference Center as well)

3.     Bruce Allison from North Park Evang. Pres. Church

4.     Shannon Lidengood  and Chuck and Henri Doren from North Way Christian Community

5.     Tom MacLaughan and Kevin and Michelle Bowers from Union Pres. Church

6.     Bob Whitaker from Elfinwild Pres. Church

The group approved our proposal and we began—Henri, Don, Shannon, and Bruce—all worked on the details in Pittsburgh and my co-worker Bob Sabean and I prepared the team in Latin America.

Union Presbyterian Church

North Way Christian Community (Wexford campus)

North Park Evang. Pres. Church

Robert Bruneau preached at First Pres. Church

First Presbyterian Church

Memorial Park Evang. Pres. Church

These are their impressions as they got to know each church:

When we went to the daughter church of North Park (New Hope on the North Side of Pittsburgh), we saw the USA from a different perspective. We had not seen the needy side and we happy to see that we could help with specific tasks. (Analu, Peru)

Alfredo and Victor helping out at New Hope Church

I loved leading worship, each church was so different, its liturgy and physical environment. Each was unique and there I found the multifaceted grace of God. (Karina, Argentina)

I admire how they used their gifts in administration and logistics to back this Summit. I loved watching their faces when they saw the numbers and statistics of the fruits of their partnership with Lisa and CCI LA. (Manuel, Costa Rica)

We loved seeing Chuck and Henri’s servant heart, filled with compassion, they were flexible, and attentive to our needs. Truly without them, this trip would not have been possible. (Analu, Peru) 

So many of our co-patriots have had terrible experiences here in the USA but we never felt looked down upon by the churches, on the contrary, we felt affirmed, even spoiled by our host families not to mention the amazing Mexican meal we were served after church at the East End (North Way Christian Community).

 We realized that we need to pray for the USA to not discard their senior citizens whose wisdom and experience is vital. It seems that the bright shine of youth blinds them to the virtues of the elderly. (Analu, Peru)

What insights have you gained from an outsider's perspective on your country? Share them with us in the comments below.

We have more than 10,000 reasons to praise the Lord!

At our church Comunidad Cristiana, El Hatillo (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) Valerie Umana-Anderson and Susie McCabe (from North Way Christian Community, Pittsburgh, PA) sang Matt Redman's song, 10,000 Reasons. Susie and her husband Mac McCabe are visiting us and are our long-time friends. We have known one another for more than 30 years. Both Mac and Susie knew my parents, Bobbie & George Anderson and I was able to have their two daughters, Shannon first and then Cami, in my Bible studies during two different furloughs home in Pittsburgh. After my father passed away in 2003, we have often stayed in their home when we are back in Pittsburgh, so Valerie and Victor feel so endeared to them, they call them: Uncle Mac and Aunt Susie. So, needless to say, we share plenty of history.

So you can imagine the joy we felt watching Valerie and Susie sing for God's glory at church. We do indeed have far more than 10,000 reasons to praise HIS NAME!

Enjoy this video of their worship to the Lord (4.35 min.)

Update on the Short-Term Missions Team from North Way Christian Community

Our first day at camp on Monday, Aug. 3, 2009 we joined forces with a team of Hondurans from Christian Camping International and King's Castle.

As a team, our first goal was to build a ropes course--The area we selected to build them in is full of ferns so we call it: "Acertijos entre Elechos" (Fern Forest Ropes Course).
Mike Gundel, Chuck Doren, Byron Gibbs and Joche carried the telephone poles into the forest as our dear carpenter's Carlos Romero (almost 80 years old!) directed them.
The girls were right behind them with Vicky Gundel and Diane Synder!

We have to hand it to this crew, moving that wood around was an arduous job! Go Mike!


Henri started out by attacking that dangerous looking stump that was in the middle of the path! Rogelio Euceda Martinez (Alfredo's nephew) helped out!

I (Lisa) am blessed to have an entire support crew who helps us each year we host work teams (from right to left--Don Ramon, Valerie, Alejandra -Alfredo's cousin, Henri, Victor and Don Carlos)


We'll continue with more updates soon!