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has covered recently in sermons, the status of church programs, and
the "state of the Church" in general.
(16) Plan the departing and incoming sermons carefully. Build
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up the new man corning in, support the "weary veteran" going 0 1;1 t. In
addition to an icebreaker, the early part of a new pastorate is an
ideal time to expound your concept of the ministry, your sup � ort of
church doctrine and HQ, and what you expect of the congregation.
The departing pastor has a better opportunity in his sermons to explain
why transfers, why changes, differences in administrations and the
concept of building on what each other has done.
The time of transfer can be a difficult one. Feelings of competition,
inferiority, or insecurity can easily surface. Ideally, these
transition periods ought to be times of advancement and growth for
everyone involved. The Church is God's and we are all like runners
in a relay race. We usually have only a short space (of time in this
case) to try to match each other's pace and "pass the baton" without
dropping it or stumbling. It's not. a case of "passing the buck,"
but passing a sacred responsibility. Both share equally in the task.
It is all too easy for the runner at the end of his lap to fizzle out
and for the new man to spurt off too quickly. There is no other way
to slice it except to admit that a transfer is a lot of work for
everyone involved, but a harmonious, coordinated effort "sweetens"
�is necessary activity for everyone!
--1977-78 Sabbatical Ministers
ON THE WORLD SCENE
t-ORE DOUBTS ABOUT U.S. RESOLVE, THIS TIME FROM TOKYO
this week to Washington of Japan's Prime Minister Takeo
lights growing uneasiness in that nation over America's
regarding Asia.
The visit
Fukuda high
policies
The Japanese, of course, are highly·disturbed over the collapsing
value of the dollar, which pushes up the price of the yen and Japanese
exports. Fukuda has already stated that he will impress upon President
Carter the need for the United States to tackle this serious economic
problem with "responsibility, courage and pride."
The big question is: does America exhibit any of these qualities any
rrore?
The Japanese are also beginning to worry about the depth of America's
corrunittment to defend them from attack, guaranteed--on paper, at
least--under terms of the U.S.-Japanese Security Treaty.
Their concern stems .from President Carter's decision to shift the
emphasis of America's security policies to Europe, pull out U.S.
forces from South Korea and cut back on the U.S. Navy's shipbuilding
program.
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Fukuda's official visit will be followed up next month by a trip to
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Washington by Japan's top defense official, Shin Kanemaru, who is
Director-General of the Japanese Defense Agency. Mr. Kanemaru's
mission results from the U.S. annual report on defense for 1979 which
stressed the new American involvement in Europe under NATO but made
little mention of the defense of the Northern Pacific.