Easternmost of our Metro New York Synod's conferences, the Peconic Conference covers Eastern Suffolk County, from the edge of commuting range to NYC all the way out to the tips of Long Island's fishtail. On the North Fork is Advent and then St. Peter's ("the other St. Peter's") in Greenport, just shy of Orient Point, where the Rev. Garrett Johnson serves as pastor. The South Fork has the "The Hamptons Lutheran Parish" with The Rev. George Dietrich pastoring both Incarnation in Bridgehampton and St. Michael's in Amagansett, along the way to Montauk.
There have been some exciting new calls in the last few years. For the first time we have three women serving as pastors in Peconic, simultaneously: The Rev. Claire Repsholdt now installed at Our Savior in Patchogue, The Rev. Dr. Elsa Marty part-time at Trinity Rocky Point, along with the full-time pastor, The Rev. Dr. Peter Boehringer, who had been serving alone at a two-pastor parish after The Rev. Bruce Kaifler's retirement, and newly ordained The Rev. Jean Dougherty at St. Andrew's in Smithtown. We are also blessed to have The Rev. Kerstin Weidmann in our territory, an ELCA pastor serving a UCC church.
More recent transitions are three long-tenured pastors having retired: The Rev. George Summers from Advent in Mattituck, The Rev. Claudia Raggie from Holy Cross in Ronkonkoma, and The Rev. Dr. Richard Hill from Hope in Selden. Their impacts were great, and their services appreciated! Advent has had retirees that live in Peconic, first The Rev. Charley Vogeley and now The Rev. Laurie Cline, as coverage and stated supply, while HCLC Ronkonkoma has weekly supply pastors, their deacon, and/or other leaders for worship on Sundays, and are stuck with me, the dean, as coverage. I am quite proud of how far they have come, adjusting to greater lay leadership roles, in preparation for a new call. Hope in Selden still has The Rev. Dale Newton, who was ordained during the last Synod Assembly in 2023, as their pastor.
Last, with Bishop Egensteiner's comforting presence and words, we held a holy closure service for Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Commack, where The Rev. Winston Dookram had lovingly shepherded them through their final years of service. Pastor Win is now retired as well.
With all of this going on, the Peconic Conference continues to bring the Gospel, serving a variety of communities with various food ministries, RIC congregations, and initiatives serving youth, young adults, and the aged, across diverse populations. Many of our churches have strong ecumenical and interfaith ties: hosting a Jewish synagogue's high Holy Day services, combining half a dozen denominations for a Thanksgiving prayer service, and engaging in dialog with Jews and Muslims through Abraham's Table, for examples.
Our clergy meet regularly to check in on our ten churches and individual ministries and disseminate information and communication about and with the synodical and national expressions of the ELCA. We hold a weekly pericope Bible Study for sermon prep and mutual support. We are blessed to join colleagues "up Island" for an annual one-day retreat hosted by my Western Suffolk counterpart dean, The Rev. Joanne Bond. Synodical Deacons serve many of our churches, too, and "Growing in Faith" is encouraged!
Peconic's WELCA has always been active, from "Shore to Shore" and, now with more clergy representation, they just held an amazing one-day retreat. In summary, the Peconic Conference has had a "help one another" spirit, as we do our best to share what is happening, lend hands where we can, and pray for one another, just as we do for you, our siblings, in this Metropolitan NY Synod.