Laying the Groundwork

Our Transition Team has selected Psalm 40 as our foundational scripture. Verses 2 and 3 are our key focus: "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

As the team reviewed the last five years of our church history we reached the conclusion that we have been stuck but that we want to move forward. But we don't want to get better just so we will feel better but so that we can get back to the mission of the church. So this slogan has been adopted for our intentional interim ministry: Out of the mud and onto the Rock. Singing a new song, bringing others to Jesus.

The Transition Team reviewed the last fifteen years of the church looking for both positive and negative moments/events. The following positive moments/events were identified:
building the Family Life Center, starting the Preschool, times of prayer emphasis, committing to give 10% of our income to missions, starting the 11 am contemporary worship service, and offering the Upward basketball program to the community. The common denominator of these positive moments was: others. In our best moments the congregation has been focused on ministry to other people. As the negative impact moments/events were reviewed it appeared that they centered on times of pastoral leadership transition.

After this analysis the team has determined to help the congregation to celebrate the positive moments in our history while also closing the chapters of our history which hold painful memories so that we can move forward into the future God has planned for us. To this end the team is planning a Unified Service for July 29th. Your prayers are appreciated for God to guide the team as they plan for this service, for God's presence to be evident in the service and for God's people to respond to His promptings.