The Difference a Week Makes
Last week’s blurb was a bit of a detailing of what has occurred this summer with staffing. As you will see in the newsletter, there has been good progress made in ensuring our professional staff who will be working with you all in the coming weeks are in place. This week, we have taken care of interim direction for the Chancel Choir, direction for Youth and Children’s Choirs, we have a temporary person to replace Matt Galbaldon in the middle worship service, and we have someone ready and able to assume responsibility for Children’s Ministry and Education.
Chrissie Lemon has joined the staff this week to assume Nelda Speelman’s responsibility for the Children’s Ministry. She comes to us well-qualified, having most recently making an impact with the Youth department at Vista Ysleta UMC. She is completing a degree in Education and Psychology and has been in church life all of her life. She is a PK. Her father is appointed to the UMC in Clarendon, up in the panhandle of Texas. For a career, she has sensed a call to the ordained ministry and will at some point assume the education required of her for that position. Currently, she plans matriculation for a dual degree: Master of Divinity and a Master of Social Work. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee has been of invaluable help and support through all of this, as have many of you. Thanks so much for the prayers, we still need them for the front desk position.
Watching God put all of this together has been nothing short of miraculous. At the SPRC meeting this Tuesday, one member told me to keep the faith, that God was working all of this out for his glory. I said, “I have no doubts about what God can and will do, but I have also been sure of how much work this would cause.” Be in prayer this week and next for our Music Director Interview Team. Over the next two weeks, they will interview our two best candidates to date and be listening for the whisper of the Spirit of God for His will with us and our staff. Pray too, for this staff, as we attempt to learn new persons and they us. We do form something of a ministry team and the core of our success is in part how well we relate with and to one another.
I also invite you to be in prayer for the Gambers and their new future. We will honor them and say goodbye to them August 15th, following the late worship service. Be ready to give you words, notes and gifts to them by or before the 15th and plan to be present for their goodbye. Finally, this week is the next to last week for Solomon’s wisdom to get into us. This week, we will think together about the fair warning the Teacher would tweet to us, had he been able. See you Sunday.
