Glenwood Church of Christ – Preacher Search Update Announcement
So, “Where are we with the preacher search?” That has been one of the persistent questions we’ve been hearing from this congregation, and rightly so, as we have just passed the one-year mark since Jeff Christian resigned and relocated to Houston. As we continue to work and pray about our search for a new preaching minister, we acknowledge that times of change and transition can be unsettling to some of us, while others can readily look forward to new promises and new challenges. As we’ve expressed before, the elders have been actively and prayerfully engaged in searching for the minister that God is leading to us. We sincerely appreciate the many words and notes of encouragement and support that we’ve received over these months of our Season of Transition. We are humbled by the way so many of you have made this search a topic of prayer, and we continue to seek God’s guidance.
The elders want to especially thank our ministry and office support staff members who have shouldered so many extra burdens during this past year, along with the dozens of volunteers who have given so much of their time in maintaining the quality of our programs of ministry while we have been without some key staff members. We have been blessed by the addition of two key ministers, and we are looking forward to the ways that Tim Hicks and Brad Sullivan will influence us for years to come! This congregation has also been extremely blessed by the outstanding preaching ministers who have filled our pulpit this year; Dan Bouchelle, Dwight Robarts, Ben Siburt, Bert Reynolds, Randy Harris, Curt Niccum, Jerry Frazier, Freddie Anderson, Marty Koonce, Tommy King, Andy Luster, Paul Faulkner and John Siburt. We are especially grateful for the ongoing commitment Ronnie White has made to us as he has regularly shared his experience, gifts, passion and energy.
In the midst of the uncertainty of the times, our attendance, offerings, and acts of ministry continue at steady or increasing levels, and the sweet spirit of unity, love and devotion to our LORD has never been greater!
Since December, our search for a preaching minister has consisted of the elders making and following up on confidential contacts, and having private conversations with prospective candidates. In keeping with the nature of the position and the needs of top-quality candidates, this has been a completely “under-the-radar” process, which is still ongoing. Whenever a particularly strong or well-suited candidate has emerged, we have focused on him, temporarily suspending broader search efforts, to allow time for the necessary in-depth conversations to occur.
At this time, we are still in the midst of those conversations, praying for an extra measure of communal discernment and guidance. We do not have a date to give you when the process will be completed. The elders are completely united and committed to carrying out this search process, as we are being led by God Almighty. We are open to hearing your suggestions and questions, and we intend to get your input on a more formal basis soon. We are also considering other options and ways to assemble the ministry staff to enhance the equipping and empowering of the saints of Glenwood. Our goal is to communicate with you more regularly about this search.
We are looking forward to some special events this year, including the special Easter services planned for later this month and the 60th Anniversary celebration in July. This will be a great year for Glenwood! Our God has blessed us in so many ways over so many years, and we eagerly await His guidance and blessings as we move forward!
OPEN DOORS FOR BIBLES
Eastern European Mission has been asked to put Bibles and Biblical literature in all the public schools in the states of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, and Krasnoyarsk, Russia,.representing 1,063 schools and over 250,000 students. EEM is asking Churches of Christ nationwide to collectively raise a million dollars on October 31. If you can only provide $4 for one student or $940 for one school–or much more–all of us participating together will bring a great harvest.
OCTOBER 31
Please place candy donations in the red bins outside the office or in the Worship Center foyer.
Robert Oglesby Jr., Director, Center for Youth and Family Ministry, will be here September 25-26 to consult about the Youth Search Process.
Dr. David Fraze, Director of Student Ministries and Sr. High Youth Minister from Richland Hills Church of Christ, is coming Thursday September 30 from 4:30 – 7:30. Dr. Fraze will present on current trends and helpful models in youth ministry.
Join us Monday, October 4th for some great Texas Barbecue and help us with a great cause! 25% of the proceeds from the sales at Spring Creek on this night will go to help our Karing Kitchen and The Gathering Ministries. These ministries reach out to feed and minister to the needy in the downtown area of Tyler. Please bring your friends and join us – we would love to spend time eating and fellow-shipping with you for a good cause!
A new class will be offered this fall called “Glenwood Membership Matters”. Each week, this class will allow an attendee to meet the elders, staff, and ministry leaders of Glenwood, who will discuss their roles and specific works within their respective ministries, along with presenting Glenwood’s core values and providing basic biblical doctrinal principles and instruction.
One key goal of the class is to assist attendees in identifying their spiritual gifts and work interests. This will be a 13 week class that begins this fall. A sign-up sheet for this class will be available in the Foyer in front of the Worship Center.
For more information, please contact Tommy Gilbreath, Dewayne Manning, or Chris Neel.
As Glenwood’s Season of Transition continues, the elders want to assure you that trusting in God to work through us and in us and for us is still our best course of action. This congregation has been extremely blessed by several groups of people during these months, including:
A. Our short-handed ministry and support staff who have worked extremely hard to help us maintain the level of ministry and equipping and caring that we are known for.
B. Our guest speakers who have ministered to us through the sermons and lessons that God has placed on their hearts for us.
C. Our young summer interns who have shouldered huge responsibilities and provided much-needed leadership of our Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry programs.
D. And, the dozens of volunteers who have stepped up their involvement to serve on the Search Teams, to teach classes, to welcome visitors, to care for the hurting, and to lead in ministry to our children and youth group.
At this time, the Preaching Minister Search Team has reviewed recommendations and information on dozens of prospects and is in the process of interviewing viable candidates. The Children’s Minister Search Team has done a large amount of research and has prepared a survey to receive congregational input about our ministry to the younger members of the Glenwood family.
Recently, the decision has been made to form a Search Team for the Youth Minister position, based on input we received from the congregation. On an interim basis, the Youth Ministry leadership has been organized from a combination of experienced volunteers, elders, ministry staff and committed parents to form a Task Force to ensure this ministry continues to function well during the next several months. Likewise, the Children’s Ministry is being coordinated by volunteers and staff who are fully devoted to loving and ministering to our children.
Despite the uncertainties, Glenwood continues to attract new families to our membership, attendance and contributions continue to meet or exceed prior years’ levels for these summer months, and our new and existing ministries continue to thrive. We ask you to continue to pray and to work for the unity of this body. We are eagerly looking forward to the time when we will again be fully staffed, but this Season has reminded us that all will be well when we place our complete trust in the LORD! Grace and peace to all!
The Glenwood Elders
Following is a list of Events for our Children this Summer. If you have any questions, please contact Tara Tesseyman in the church office at 903-509-9494.
Monthly Events
Sunday – Kids of the Kingdom – June 6 – August 15 @ 6 to 7pm
- entering 2nd through entering 6th grade (or currently 1st – 5th)
- Children’s Worship Room
Monday – Girls’ Bible Study
- June 7 – August 9 @ 2 to 3 pm
- entering 2nd through entering 6th grade (or currently 1st – 5th)
- 4th grade classroom
Filed under: events, ministry | Tags: children, Children's Ministry, Vacation Bible School, VBS, Wednesday
The countdown to VBS has begun! VBS will take place over the course of several Wednesday nights. We will meet beginning June 9 through August 4, from 6:30 -7:30 p.m. This is for all those that are 3 years of age through those entering 6th grade. We look forward to taking our kids on a journey through Egypt! If you have any questions, contact Tara Tesseyman in the church office at 903-509-9494.
Do you want to read through the entire Bible, but aren’t sure where to start or how to go about doing so? There is no shortage of new plans or creative approaches. One of the most recent is READ THE BIBLE IN 90 DAYS! Another brand new resource is God Sightings One Year Bible by Tyndale. There are one minute plans, a five minute one chapter a day Monday through Friday 52 week plan to read the entire New Testament and many, many other systematic plans. One thing is for sure, READ THE BIBLE IN 90 DAYS (or B.I.N.D.) is outside the norm of most other approaches. So why select this approach? (more…)
