This was a big weekend for our church! So many mixed emotions!
- Pastor Vern and Pastor Darlene both announced that they have accepted calls to serve in other churches. Vern will be serving as the Senior Pastor of the Gowanda Free Methodist church. Darlene will be serving as the co-pastor at the Parma Free Methodist church. You can track with their journey’s on their blogs (Vern’s blog & Darlene’s blog).
- The Emily Grace Pavilion was dedicated today! Our volunteer team did a GREAT job of dreaming, creating, and building this facility! Thanks to all of you who have honored Emily Grace through your giving and service! It’s a proud day at Northgate!
- I had a little man (maybe nine years old) come up to me after the 9:30 service today and say, “Paul, I gave my life to Jesus yesterday!” I cried! This is what we labor for! This is why we “do” church! Thank you Jesus for giving me the chance to serve in your church and see people’s lives change as they come to know you!
- This weekend we ministered to 846.
OK, a few words to the church…
We are going through an uncommon amount of change as a church. To say “Goodbye” to three pastors in one season is no small thing. Let me just share a few thoughts…
- Each of us is going to serve in a new role because God has called us. We are NOT leaving because there is a problem in the church. Northgate is a great church and it is an honor to serve here.
- It is an honor that our denomination would look to our church staff to find two new senior pastors!
- It is a natural tendency to look to a spiritual leader/pastor/mentor for our strength! It’s natural, but not healthy! If you are leaning on a pastor your faith is going to be shaken in these days, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Let me encourage you to love your pastors, and LEAN on Jesus! The church is His body and He will take care of it!
- As we move through these next weeks, love your pastors! Don’t pull away to dull the pain of separation! Let’s come closer so that on the day we say “Goodbye” we’ll say it with tears in our eyes, but hearts that are at rest because “We loved well until the last minute.”
- The next pastor is gonna be GREAT! You will be blessed and he will be as well. I’m going to be blogging about some ways that you can love your pastor in the coming days, but for now let me say, he will love you and you will love Him.
- Thank you, Northgate, for the honor of serving as your pastor over the last two years. I love you.
Filed under: Northgate News
Pastor Paul
All I can say is WOW!!! what an emotional weekend for us. First working all day Saturday to finish the pavilion & then church with all the news today & then Emily’s dedication. I have definately been crying off & on for the last several days & now big time today – I fell like I do not know what to do anymore and my faith is being tested yet again. I will try hard to Jean on Jesus but you & Pastor Vern made it so easy to fall in love with you. We will miss all of you.
MAN, that was good chicken. Clor’s = best chicken BBQ in the state.
I agree it was a great Sunday, but definitely difficult! Hopefully the church comes together during these times where we’ll be stressed and doesn’t fall apart like many do. We’ve become so used to excellent preaching, we can only hope the next pastor continues with that “tradition”!!!
Thanks for all you’ve done for Northgate and we’ll be praying that things go smoothly with this transition for you and your family, especially the selling of your house, which can be tough!! I look forward to these next coming weeks of loving all of our pastors and making these moves as easy as possible for all of us!!
Sorry, that last post from Phill was actually from me, but I forgot to change the name on it. Have a great week Paul!!
Paul,
Great job with this post. Though I haven’t met you in person (we should try to do that before you head South), I know some people serving with you at Northgate (the Northups). It is exciting to hear the trickle down from them to their family who attend here at Wyoming to me and then to read the blog. You are doing a great job of leading through change. May I be so gracious if God calls me somewhere else.
Thanks for the encouragement about 3 pastors all resigning at the same time and the Lord God establishing another team that will be awesome together in this place. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians where Paul, Apollos, Peter were all somehow pitted against one another. Paul virtually screams through his writing “NO!!! It’s not about me!!” (1 Cor. 1:12-13)
Be encouraged yourself with these words.
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it…” 1 Cor. 3:10
Thanks for modeling excellenet leadership. Make sure that you leave a post link to your new ministry blog!
Build on my friend,
Mike
[...] After church thoughts 5/20/07 – this post followed the announcements of Pastor’s Vern and Darlene that they have been appointed to other churches. [...]