Church Search Update

Pop received his proposed severance package from the Session this week. He will be preaching only three more weeks, but will be paid through the end of December. His final Sunday will be November 6. In addition, the money we owe the church on their no-interest loan for our house down-payment has been forgiven. That is equivelent to almost two months' salary.

This is comparable to the financial arrangement I hoped for, but the impending closeness of his final Sunday took me by surprise. Questions, primarily personal, flooded my mind. What will I do about teaching the monthly evening Circle Bible study on November 8? (Pop says "teach", that's his final official day--the Presbytery meets then and will approve, we assume, the severance.) Will I attend the weekly Tuesday afternoon Bible study? I don't think so. Will the children be able to continue with the youth group activities? Yes. Do we continue to co-op with the other homeschoolers? Yes, at least through the end of the first semester which ends before Thanksgiving. Second semester doesn't begin until January.

Within the next couple of weeks we will determine when to put the house up for sale. We have already begun Phase 1 of a four phase packing schedule. Phase 1 is de-clutter. We are removing any unnecessary furniture, decorations, etc. from all rooms to present the house to its best advantage. Stuff worth keeping is packed neatly in the garage. Nice stuff we choose not to take is given away. Trash is ruthlessly discarded. I actually enjoy this phase--it's challenging!

We heard a week ago from the Cape Cod church, that they expected to be reviewing Pop's "package" this past week, but we have not heard anything further. We know the church in Anchorage has received his ministerial data and sermon CD, but we do not know if they have contacted any references yet. This week Pop sent his application to a PCA church in Danville, KY and received an e-mail saying it had arrived. So now we are in the "sit patiently and wait on the Lord" stage. I think we are all feeling quite calm and secure in His kind intentions.