Have you experienced a déjà vu moment? It is “a feeling of reliving something, a feeling of having experienced something before” (Encarta Dictionary). These are eerie experiences, and we, as a church, are in the middle of one! Actually, it is more than just déjà vu. In a sense we are reliving something … change!
As the calendar flipped from 2011 to 2012 we were facing change in our office and worship ministries. Now that we move from 2012 to 2013, same song, second verse!
We look forward to welcoming our new Director of Worship and Communications, Jesse Slinkman. Jesse is a gifted, experienced, and mature-beyond-his-years worship leader. After a careful and thorough search process, the elders offered him the position and he accepted! Jesse has since found an apartment in Clinton and will move here from the Chicago area early in January. He will begin serving as our Director of Worship and Communications January 14.
That means change. Change for him and change for us. We have appreciated so much the dedicated effort of our volunteer worship team members through 2012. They have served superbly during the interim between worship leaders. But now things will change. Jesse will lead the team and our worship services. We want to welcome him and support him well in his ministry.
Regarding the office ministry, we are not looking forward to Linda Gordon stepping down from her position as Office Manager. However, the needs of her parents are such that regular employment is no longer an option for Linda; she wants to be available full-time for them. We support her in her decision.
We, then, find ourselves again searching for an Office Manager. In God’s timing He will bring that person to us. When He does, that will mean change. Change for the new Office Manager and change for us. But as with our new Director of Worship and Communications, we want to welcome and support well our new Office Manager.
That’s a lot of change, again. But since we’ve already been there we can remind ourselves of what we learned in 2012: God is faithful. God will provide. We can trust Him. Ah, now that’s good déjà vu!