[Editor’s Note: This is a special-edition Staff Journal written by David Hall, one of our Governing Elders. This letter from David is the second in a series of quarterly updates from the elders as a way to create an open line of communication from the hearts and minds of the elders to you, the church.]
Hello Grace Community Church!
The Elders have been working on many things over the past quarter. A sub-group of Elders has been working on syncing our current leadership practices with our Church By-Laws. Over a period of many years, we have grown and changed, and our By-Laws have just not been updated to match these changes.
The first item that needed attention was the role of Staff Pastors as Elders. It has been decided the best way to match our current model of leadership would be to have two groups: Pastoral Elders and Governing Elders. The Governing Elders would be the elected Elders and the Lead Pastor. The Pastoral Elders would be the Staff Pastors at the discretion of the Governing Elders. This documentation change makes it much clearer as to what the different pastors’ roles are within our Elder meeting, plus matches what we are already doing in practice.
The Elders have received and reviewed the surveys that were completed earlier in the year regarding all of our children’s ministries up through the high school level. Currently, we are creating action steps where needed. We really appreciate all the feedback!
The Stewardship Council recently gave a report on Capital Projects. You may have already noticed some of the items they have been working on, such as brighter lighting, a new ice machine, parking lot improvements, and new video equipment in the sanctuary. Praise the Lord for what He provides! Some of the things under way for future projects, or consideration for future projects, are landscaping improvements, refresh of the foyer/main entrance area and Fireside Room upgrades. Thank you to these men and women for their wisdom and hard work!
Oh, by the way, welcome to Grace’s newest team member, Casey Teater. She will be working as the Children’s Ministry Director. Please pray for her as she looks to fill many spots and roles for the upcoming Sunday School year and Awana. Please prayerfully consider if you could help in one of these roles when asked. Better yet, give Casey a call at the office and ask her where she could plug you in.
Praise the Lord for the many children and families that were reached with the Gospel via Summer Quest! Thank you to all that helped pull off this massive endeavor.
Juli Dirks is hard at work on many things, not the least of which is putting together the Council for “Extend.” This group has lots of important work to do with the missionaries that we support. Juli is also very busy working with upcoming “All–In” events such as the baptism celebration at the Newton city pool and a First Responders Appreciation event. All of you cookie bakers should be getting ready!
Loren Kurtz just finished planning and leading the Igniter group to and from Children’s Haven in Reynosa, Mexico. If you see Loren, don’t forget to thank him for his work! And, thank you to all of you who rented a student to help towards their expenses for this trip.
David Hall