Change

I am so blessed to be a part of a church that acts like the body of Christ. It has been so encouraging over the last several months to be given the flexibility to take care of Garren, without having to worry about whether or not I would have a job to come back to. Thank you Southbrook Church.

At the same time, there are pastoral duties that have been neglected. As the campus pastor for our Monroe campus, there are many needs that have been left on hold. There are people who need to be ministered to, both in our congregation and in the surrounding community. Due to my limited availability, this has been a challenge.

About a month ago, our lead pastor, Rob Singleton, approached me with an idea. You see, we have recently been pushing in our weekend services to get more people involved in missions. We have a trip to Peru, and several to Haiti this year. Pastor Rob asked me if I would possibly be interested in taking on the role of Outreach Pastor, primarily so I could coordinate these trips.

I grew up on the mission field. I am passionate about missions. I love seeing lives changed on these trips. The people we go to minister to are impacted. But at the same time, the people we send are impacted in a huge way. I love to see that happen. So for me to be given the opportunity to help facilitate that kind of life change is a no-brainer.

As Pastor Rob was trying to use his sales tactics to sell me on the idea, I had to cut him short. "Rob, I've often dreamed about being in a position like that - you don't have to convince me - where do I sign?" God has an amazing way of bringing His plan together, doesn't He?

Due to the shift in my position, it became even more necessary that we fill the campus pastor role at Monroe.  After much prayer and several discussions, we have asked one of our incredible lay-leaders, Jonathan Bareham, to step into the campus pastor role at Monroe as a volunteer.  Jonathan and Judith have been working in many ministries and capacities and will be shifting from all of those roles to focus on this new role.  They are currently life group leaders, marriage mentors, cafe workers, lead the weekly prayer team, teach the marriage classes, FIT members... and I think I'm forgetting a few other roles.  Needless to say, he is more than qualified and excited about the opportunity!

I have known Jonathan and Judith for several years, and I truly respect them, and I love their heart for ministry. I am looking forward to working side by side with them in Monroe.

I want you to know, Southbrook Monroe, that Nancy and I are not going anywhere. I will continue to office in Monroe. We will continue to be a part of the Monroe campus. That is our church home. You will see Jonathan and myself working together to help Monroe go to the next level. Though my role and priorities have changed, my love for Monroe has not.

Change is hard sometimes. There are adjustments, there are discomforts, there are new things and new ways of doing things. But change can be a good thing! I believe that God is continuing to use Garren's situation to accomplish His will, not only in my life, but in the life of our church and community. I am truly excited about these changes.

Please pray - for Jonathan and Judith as they dive into this new role. I know God is going to use them in a powerful way - and for Nancy and myself. Though this new role will allow me a lot of flexibility, it is also a very demanding role that deserves a lot of care and attention. I am looking forward to what God has for us in the coming months and years.