Sunday Update Announcement

​The following is the announcement that was read in our worship service this past Sunday.
 
It has now been almost two and a half months since Greg and Marla finished their ministry here in Clinton, and the leadership would like to give just a brief update of our current status and the plan moving forward. 
 
First of all we would like to thank you for your continued prayer support and the encouragement given to us, that has truly been a blessing.  We have appreciated the opportunity to take a step back, spend time in prayer, and take a breath for a moment as we did an honest evaluation of our church which was necessary before we could begin a search for a new minister.  This will give this new minister the best opportunity to be successful here in Clinton.  We have been appreciative of Pete as he has led us through several assessment exercises which has led us to where we are today. 
 
We are currently putting together the search committee who will solicit, screen and do initial interviews of candidates and ultimately make a recommendation to the elders for final interviews.  This committee will be made up mainly of people from the congregation with staff and elder representation.  I was hoping to name the committee today; unfortunately a couple of the spots are not yet filled.  Once the committee is complete the names will be made public so that you may cover them and the search in your prayers.  Everyone being asked to serve on this committee has the skill set and life experience to be successful with this task, and are all Godly people with the gift of discernment.  I believe God is placing each on this committee for this season and I thank them for their sacrifice and their willingness to serve.    
 
With the selection of the committee, we have also opened the window to accept resumes and the tentative plan is to continue to accept those until January 15th.  All resumes should be sent to the church to the attention of the search committee.  We would hope to begin interviewing candidates by February 1st.  While this sounds like a long time to wait we realize that those currently in effective ministries, which is the type of candidate that we will be looking for, will most likely not be available for interviews until after the advent season. 
 
Initially, when we asked Pete to serve as our interim minister he was able to commit to being with us through the end of this year.  Now some of his other commitments have changed and he is able to commit to being with us until May.  I thank Pete for his willingness to continue to serve here and I personally view this as an answer to prayer showing God’s faithfulness and provision.  I also see this as a sign that God will provide the right person for this pulpit in His perfect time. 
 
Continue to pray for your leadership and for this new search committee as we strive to follow God’s leading.  With regard to additional updates please follow the weekly update on the Monday blog and monthly with the “Elder’s Corner” of the K. 
 
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Additionally, don’t forget that October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  Your ministry staff at FCC is second to none, make sure to reach out to them and show them your appreciation for all that they do for the Kingdom!
 
Blessings
 
Mark Behrends
Chairman of the Congregation