When we resigned on March 14th we literally had no-idea where God was calling us and what our next-steps would be in ministry. We had numerous conversations about potential ministry opportunities in these last couple of months and last weekend we candidated at First Wesleyan Church in Shippensburg, PA. Following my message last Sunday morning, the board unanimously voted to ask the congregation to vote on whether to extend a 2-year call to us to be their next lead pastor. The congregation voted favorably and extended that 2-year call.
Immediately following the vote, we drove up to Harrisburg, PA where I flew out to Indianapolis for a two-day meeting. It was almost torture to disconnect from my family after such a potentially life-changing weekend! Even while we were a part, our hearts were focused on seeking God’s will for our next-steps and asking Him to reveal to us if Shippensburg was a part of that plan. When I finally returned to PA on Wednesday Jess and I took the next two days to seek God’s will as a couple.
Late on Thursday we made the phone call to Shippensburg’s vice-chairman and accepted their call to pastor the church!
As of mid-July I will be the new lead pastor of the Shippensburg First Wesleyan Church!
Thank you to all of our blog-followers, friends, and family (and even complete strangers?!) who were praying for us through this transitional period of our lives and ministry! We covet and appreciate your continued prayers and HELP as we now turn this decision into a reality.
A couple specific prayer-points:
housing – we have been blessed with a parsonage here in New Stanton and will need to find affordable housing in Shippensburg for our family as the church there does not have a parsonage.
part-time job – a part of this new opportunity in Shippensburg involves me finding part time work in the community for both supplemental income but more importantly – an opportunity to build relationships in the community!
the moving process – most of us know the horror of packing everything we own into cardboard boxes and moving it from one location to another. If you’ve “been there, done that” please remember us during this process that we have yet to find joy in.
God’s favor – we believe that God has called us to lead the church in Shippensburg and to be a part of seeing Him do great things in and through that church in the community. Would you join us in praying that God would pour out His Spirit on that body of believers as we begin building relationships with them and lead them?
As of right now our final Sunday in Armbrust will be July 11th. I have another meeting in Indianapolis that very next Monday and Tuesday and then we will need to move during the remaining part of that week. Anyone want to plan a family-vacation around our move and help?!
