Church Search Update 7

We are back from Baltimore after a most emotionally overcharged two days. Our flights were uneventful, non-stop, on time. We were met by George, a member of the search committee and vestry, who took us for a comprehensive tour of the communities surrounding the church. After lunch we had more tour, then a brief respite before dinner. The dinner at church was followed by a more informal interview than the last--this time with the vestry. They adjourned to the pastor's office and ten minutes later asked Pop and me to join them. Then and there they offered him the position of rector (senior pastor). I was completely surprised, having expected negotiations of terms and longer deliberations. Pop did not give them an answer without having opportunity to pray about it and discuss it with me, although he made it clear he was honored and humbled.

I was exhausted by the long, full day and slept soundly. We had breakfast with about a dozen vestry and search committee members; a tour of the house we have been offered rent-free for three months while house hunting; and more community sight-seeing before a quick lunch and return to the airport.

My head was still reeling and I was very glad for the distraction of John Grisham's The Broker on the plane but I could not even begin to come to grips with the speed of the whole process. Even now my mind is racing with all that needs to be done before we leave, and all that we will need to do to settle into a new community.

Pop is preparing to accept Bishop Cummins call. I am still pondering the "what if's" of Kentucky, but am content with Maryland. It is nice to have Matt, Jon and Nate home and to switch gears to Advent and Christmas again. Keep praying.

Church Search Update 6

The vestry of Bishop Cummins (Baltimore) has invited Pop and me for a social visit. We will be flying north next Tuesday morning, Dec. 20, and returning on the afternoon of the following day--the same day we're expecting Matt, Jon and Nate to arrive from Indiana. We have already met 5 members of the vestry who are also serving on the search committee. There are about 10 we have not yet met. The vestry is the committee actually charged with calling and hiring the pastor.

If they like us they will almost certainly invite Pop back to preach and meet the congregation in the near future. If we like them, he will agree to go.

Pop had a phone interview with a PCA church in Danville, KY about a week and a half ago, but we have not heard from them since.

Church Search Update 5

Good news! Our house has been sold. We placed it on the market on Thursday and signed a contract yesterday--5 days from start to mid-way finished. The closing will be on or before January 16, so there is a chance the buyer may change his mind. But, he put down a deposit and has a good reputation for financing, so unless the house fails the inspection--in some major fault about which we are unaware--we have sold the house at a good profit.

Pop has a phone interview tonight with a PCA search committee in Danville, KY. The church is about 4 hours from Bloomington (but only about 45 minutes from Lexington--do we switch allegiances to UK?), in a small college town, with quite a large, active college group. This position appeals to me on so many levels--close to children, small town, ministry to college women (and I've even found a house I like, online, only .6 mi. from the library)! I continue to remind myself that God has had our futures mapped out since before He set the foundations of the world in place, so I can rest in His unfailing love.

Still no word from the church outside Baltimore. Pop spoke with one of their search committee members yesterday. They are still contacting references and will meet this Thursday. Patience and wisdom.

Church Search Update 4

We're back from a long weekend in Philadelphia and Baltimore with progress to report. We arrived in Philadelphia at about noon on Saturday. Later that afternoon Pop had a productive meeting with Bishop Hicks of the Reformed Episcopal Church and Jon Abboud, archdeacon (assistant to Bishop Riches, whom Peter may remember, having enjoyed "preaching" along with him on Sunday mornings as an infant). Being satisfied with Pop's answers during their three hour long meeting the bishop is able to approve of his candidacy in the REC, and Jon has added his recommendation. On Sunday Pop preached at St. Matthew's (Jon's church) in the morning and in the evening we attended a supper and evangelism training at the church.

On Monday we visited the REC seminary in Blue Bell, PA. Although classes were not in session my former pastor, Dale Crouthamel, was in his office so we had a very happy reunion with him. Philly cheese steaks for lunch and then off to rent a car at the airport for the drive to Baltimore. It began to rain just as we got our luggage in the trunk and rained the rest of the day. But the trip to MD was uneventful and we arrived before dark which made finding the church easier. It's a large brick building, not terribly impressive on the outside, but with an attractive sanctuary and many classrooms, plus a small gym. We met for three hours with the search committee, spent the night with one of the couples, and had breakfast with a good number of the search committee members before returning to Philly for the flight home. The breakfast meeting, being very informal, was a good conclusion to a rather tiring weekend.

The search committee will be contacting Pop's references and we expect to hear if he is being recommended to the Vestry (the church board which hires the pastor) within the next couple of weeks. The next step would be to revisit the church to preach and meet the congregation after which we would expect them to vote.

Things went very well and we're confident the Lord will lead us clearly to the place He wants us to serve Him.

Church Search Update 3

Pop received notice from the church in Anchorage that he does not match their profile. While any rejection carries a sting--"They don't want us!--there is great consolation in knowing that the Lord is not asking us to move soooooo far away from our family.

Pop and I travel to Philadelphia this coming weekend. Please continue to pray for wisdom.

Church Search Update 2

There are two developments to report:

First, the church on Cape Cod is currently considering two other candidates as their top choices for that position. Pop is in the second tier with a number of other men, but they are "on hold" until the first two choices have been thoroughly explored.

Second, there is a new prospect in the Baltimore area.
A couple of weeks ago Pop attended a pastors' conference sponsored by Ligioner Ministries (R.C. Sproul's group) in Orlando. While there he heard a couple of men mention Reformed Episcopal Seminary, where he received his MDiv, and engaged them in conversation. They are not pastors, but on the staff of Bishop Cummins Memorial Church, an R.E. congregation without a pastor, in Catonsville, MD. In briefly discussing the type of pastor they are searching for Pop thought he might be a good prospect for them. They exchanged names and addresses and he sent them a copy of his ministerial data when he returned home.
The R.E. denomination is the one I grew up in, from about 4th grade through high school. When Pop began attending Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia we attended a R.E. church in Jenkintown where Leonard Riches was our pastor. Pop switched to the R.E. Seminary in Philadelphia for several reasons, and pastored a small R.E. church during his final years of seminary. He was ordained in the R.E. denomination and they were his endorsing agent when he was in the chaplain corps. When he left the Navy and investigated returning to the R.E. church there were a number of factors that pursuaded him to enter the PCA instead.
Pastor Riches is now the presiding bishop of the denomination and his assistant, called an archdeacon, is Jon Abboud, Pop's best friend from seminary. Pop has been in contact with Jon about the pastoral position in Baltimore. But a dialogue about the changes in the R.E. church and Pop's own views is essential before determining if that would be a wise choice for us. Consequently, we have been invited, he and I, to fly to Philadelphia on November 18 for a long weekend. On Saturday (19th) there will be a meeting with another of the bishops--fact finding for both parties. On Sunday Pop will preach at Jon's church. Members of the pastoral search committee of the Baltimore church will be invited to attend and we will be able to meet with them on Sunday afternoon. If the bishop approves and the committee desires it, we would then drive to Baltimore on Monday to meet with the entire committee and members of the church staff, returning home on Tuesday.
Please pray for insight, wisdom, and clear direction for all involved. Certainly we want Pop to find a new position soon, but there are a lot of questions we need answered before returning to the R.E.church. And they would need to know Pop's views, too.

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.

Getting Started

Since you children all know my technical ineptitude, you will not be surprised that I have been struggling to figure out how to begin blogging for several months. My first difficulty was in getting to the blog I had registered back in January. I could not remember the particular details of its title (if that's what blogs have) and address. Even now, I'm not sure if I've created two more blogs in an effort to revise my initial title, and I'm guessing the only way to find out (at least for me to discover this on my own) is to give it a try.

But my larger difficulty is in actually committing words to print. It's so much easier spouting words out into the air by phone than to have the discipline of writing them down and taking responsibility for their existence. I do reserve the right to retract foolish remarks, and hope you will forgive and forget them.

I decided that in order to "blog" I must have a stated purpose in mind. I am writing these thoughts for my scattered children--in Colorado, Indiana, and Louisiana. In particular, I want to keep a journal of my thought and reactions to the events of the new adventure upon which we are about to embark. As you now all know, Pop has resigned his position here and is looking for a call--preferably in a (much) cooler climate. Writing my thoughts down will allow me to share the daily developments in our search for a new "home" while, I am hopeful, keeping me from complaining and gossiping.