Answered Prayer!

Our church has been going through a transition since our senior pastor left in March. Thankfully we have stayed strong and remarkably united. I think God has been working in us, healing us and giving us a sense of optimism and peace that can only come from Him these last few months. God has given us an amazing interim pastor, a man of wisdom and enthusiasm, and we have also been blessed with 3 very strong, dedicated assistant pastors, all of whom have worked diligently and with love to guide, direct and inspire our congregation.

Yesterday during the service, a member of the local church governing board (LBA) got up to read an announcement. You can't begin to imagine the joy when we heard they had made an offer to hire the interim pastor as our permanent senior minister! There was a standing ovation, and I truly believe the pastor and his wife were very moved and touched. There will be an official vote in 2 weeks, but in all honesty, we've thought of his as "ours" since he first came! He has a reputation for taking strong churches and growing them and making them greater than they ever imagined, and we are so excited for the possibilities for our own church.

I've had my dreams of a few different ministries I would like to be a part of if they were to become available, and I'm sure many people have ideas for things for our church to do and be. Me, I'd love to see Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and an older adult singles group start. I'd like to see our website be more relevant, too. Our Sunday School class has been talking about being more active and have more of an impact on our community, and that can present a lot of different opportunities, too. (My children and I volunteer at the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, but that's only twice a year, and it doesn't seem like enough.) My imagination is just running full speed right now!

Anyhow, it is truly God's hand that has brought us this amazing pastor and his wife, and He has truly answered our prayers. We are also abundantly thankful that He answered so quickly! To have a new pastor in 4 months, one who is respected and loved and proven capable to guide us in the years ahead is almost unthinkable! God is good.... ALL THE TIME!