Two Important Family Decisions
The congregational meeting this Sunday night at 6pm (April 24) could be our shortest business meeting ever. But the two items on the agenda are of great importance and I urge you to attend to help us make these decisions as a church family.
- Proposal to call Ryan Aufenkamp to Join Our Pastoral Staff
This is the culmination of a process that has been going for a couple of years as we have dealt with significant transition in our pastoral staff. A year ago we brought on Pastor Matt Daniells and he has done an excellent job spearheading our outreach, connections and discipleship efforts. But we still needed someone to lead our youth and worship ministries.The Leadership Team began talking with Ryan Aufenkamp last August and became convinced he would be a fantastic addition or our staff. We made a formal recommendation in February, hosted the Aufenkamps for two weekend visits in March and now are ready to make a formal decision.The feedback has been very positive and we are anticipating a favorable result.
- Proposal to add a Statement on Marriage to the Constitution
Everyone knows our culture has been changing rapidly, particularly with regard to views on marriage and sexuality. The Leadership Team has learned that it is important for churches to document their beliefs on these matters so it is clear should there ever be a question. We introduced the proposed Statement on Marriage to the church family at the annual meeting in January with the recommendation that we add it to the constitution. We have provided several months for discussion and prayer before making a final decision because the matter is so important.The statement contains nothing new. Rather, it simply describes what we have always believed and taught concerning marriage and sexuality. The statement simply says that God’s design for marriage is an exclusive covenant between a man and a woman for life and that marriage is the sole context for sexuality that honors the Lord.God’s design is perfect and beautiful, but living out God’s design is hard.Our hope is to be a church where we help one another pursue God’s design, whether in marriage or singleness, as a testimony that Jesus is our treasure.
If you have any questions or concerns about either of these items, please talk to me or any one of the pastors or elders.
Pastor Toby