Colleagues gather in person and via Zoom to bless and thank Sara Lisherness

LOUISVILLE — With her husband John seated alongside her on Wednesday, Sara Lisherness — who is retiring after 33 years of faithful and fruitful service to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — basked in the warm remembrances offered up via Zoom by her colleagues, many of whom she mentored over her distinguished career.

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Lisherness, who is finishing her long tenure with the PC(USA) as the Consultant for Global Partnerships in the Interim Senior Leadership Team, will retire April 30 after having worked for the General Assembly Council, the General Assembly Mission Council, the Presbyterian Mission Agency and now the Interim Unified Agency.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, Lisherness and her colleagues enjoyed an in-person send-off at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

“I want to speak first before I get all emotional and mushy,” said the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, the Interim Unified Agency’s Mission Director and the PC(USA)’s Advocacy director. “You’ve always had a way of affirming your staff. You make people feel appreciated and valued, that they have a real contribution to make. I have modeled my leadership based on what I saw from you.

“Whenever I had a question about the different offices of the church, I always asked you,” Hawkins said. “You share your wisdom in a way that’s not dominating.”

“I still credit you for being a big part of the reason I am here, serving in the role I am,” said Martha Miller, manager for ministry education and support within Mid Council Ministries. “The level of respect I have for you for identifying gifts — I can speak to it personally, and I have seen it throughout your ministry.” Miller called Lisherness “one of my balcony people.”

Rene Myers, Associate Director and Lead Ministry Engagement Advisor in Ministry Engagement and Support, has “always appreciated your calming presence and your deep commitment to the work you do. I wish you all blessings in the next leg of your life’s journey.”

“You have always made an impression with me” through Lisherness’ “deep care and concern and commitment for the people you are around and for our partners all over the world,” said Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall, a Deputy Executive Director in the IUA. “One of the things I enjoy about being around you is I feel my taste gets elevated for almost everything — for food, you are a great guide for better food choices, and for art and theater. I feel I get a broader, more cosmopolitan taste when I’m around Sara.”

“Sara, you are the best at making a lone nut look like a leader,” he said, “supporting people who are showing what’s happening and giving it legs and legitimacy. It’s an amazing gift you have, elevating their leadership.”

Luciano Kovacs, Area Coordinator for World Mission’s Middle East and Europe Office, recalled that “when we visited partners together, it was always special the way you interacted with them and made them feel important. The way you listened to them was very special.”

Mission Co-Worker Cindy Corell focused on a conversation she had with Lisherness early in the pandemic. “We spoke for over an hour,” Corell said. “I left the conversation feeling hopeful for our church and our mission in God’s world.”

“We are grateful for the work and service you have provided this church for many years,” said the Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. González-Castillo met Lisherness just after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. “I pray this new stage in your life brings you lots of happiness and blessings, and that you and John get to enjoy the fruits of the work you have done.”

“A shoutout to Sara for standing up for so many justice struggles, in particular the Coalition of Immokalee Workers,” said Andrew Kang Bartlett, the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s associate for national hunger concerns, who added, “I treasure our trip to Immokalee [Florida] — and all the times we had together over nearly 24 years.”

“A lot of my ministerial life has been connected with Sara Lisherness,” said the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, coordinator of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People. “You have been a mentor in this work, and you have been in this justice work for a long time.”

“I am grateful for all the ways you have helped us navigate the difficulties in ministry,” Johnson said. “I’m grateful for all the times you put up with our foolishness, fears and concerns. … I’m grateful for your grace, your gracious heart, your wisdom and your belief in Christ’s ministry in the Presbyterian Church.”

“The thing that has impressed me over the years is your personhood,” said Tamron Keith, World Mission’s Associate Director. At the end of a trying trip to Israel-Palestine, it was Lisherness who was with the Rev. Robina Winbush, then director of Ecumenical Relations, when Winbush collapsed and died while deplaning in New York.

“I thought Sara must be special in the eyes of God, who trusted you to be with Robina in the moment of her transition in her journey,” Keith said. “That speaks to your personhood.”

Susan Abraham, Associate for Board Meeting Support and General Assembly Coordination, recalled working with Lisherness on the Interfaith Listening Project, “a favorite project of mine.” It fell to Lisherness to talk to two individuals “who didn’t participate and went off on their own.”

“You were in the difficult position of confronting them and dealing with the situation,” Abraham said. “The grace and calm with which you handled it is something I will never forget.”

Deputy Stated Clerk Kerry Rice said he takes Lisherness seriously “when she says, ‘Pick up the phone if you need advice.’ Thank you, Sara, and thank you, John, for being that support for what she has done.”

“I want to thank every one of you,” Lisherness said. “The church is in good hands. It was time for me to step down. I have been calling myself ‘Sara the Elder’ for some time.”

“I am trusting there is an amazing future in front of us,” she told those gathered. “I look forward to watching from the other side as you all enter a new land of milk and honey. Blessings to you. I will miss you so much.”