Youth Pastor Search Update: 11-19

Sorry for a bit longer on the update than I expected, but here's what's happening at this point.

Thanksgiving is here and we're moving into the Christmas season, but it's my hope and plan to continue just as diligently through the next few weeks.

I've interviewed twelve candidates (initial interviews) and expect to continue through the week, working around Thanksgiving on Thursday. Based on the resumes and responses, I think it's feasible that I'll hit the fifteen to seventeen mark by Friday.  The initial interviews have been great and it appears our opportunity is of great interest to the candidates. I believe it's now possible to refine the search with secondary interviews and visits. My hope would be to more carefully begin talking with five or so candidates as soon as possible!

Blessings to you all - and have a Great Thanksgiving!

Dr. Mark

Information On Youth Pastor Search - 11-7-12

To the Youth Group and the Calvary Family:

First to the Youth Group - Be assured that the filling of the Youth Pastor position is a top priority for me and the Leadership Team as a whole.  I (and we) am committed to praying and seeking the Lord's will until we feel He has revealed the right person for the position.  We had an amazing ten years under Mark Smith's work as Youth Pastor and we want to ensure the tradition of excellence continues.

Also, since we've been aware this was coming, we've been working to fill the necessary roles in a healthy and productive manner. As a result, the Sunday Teachers are fully on board with the necessary responsibilities, and Wednesdays are covered with Randy, Scott and Micah.  The DiscipleNow team is also well underway with plans for January.  It's also my anticipation that we will conduct the typical youth-led worship service on that day.  Things should continue in a normal fashion.

What do I ask of you? Remain faithful in your commitment to the Youth Ministry. Keep plugged in. Keep inviting your friends.  Pray for the process.

Now to the youth and church as a whole: I will be using this blogsite to bring you information on the Youth Pastor Search. Please continue to check back periodically and I'll do my best to post a new update about once a week.

With Mark's transition imminent, we began laying the groundwork for the weeks leading up to his reception and also the process of searching for a new Youth Pastor afterward.  Thankfully, with today's technology things can move fairly quickly.  So, as soon as Mark's confirmation at his new church was complete, I posted the job opening on our denominational website.  And the resumes began to come in.

Here's an interesting synopsis of general responses and impressions: In the first few days, I received electronically about 40 resumes and now am somewhere slightly over 100.  They represent a very wide variety of applicants. Some are quite young, in their early twenties; most are in the their late twenties and early thirties. There are quite a few that are mid to late thirties and older.  Most have college degrees or are just about finished, and a good number already have seminary degrees. The level of experience is also varied, some just starting out, and many who are serving in youth ministries smaller than ours. There are a few that have been in ministries roughly our size.

One of the questions that I have heard relates to the timeline. There's no way to make a specific prediction on when it will all come together, but here's a quote that I've shared with the candidates:

To put it simply, I'll continue to search until we have found the right person and completed the process ... But, it is my hope to have someone on board within two to three months, ie. the first of the year or late January in time for our major DiscipleNow Emphasis. This may seem fast, but given the information flow which can happen so quickly, it might just happen.

In the next blog, I'll give you more information about the process, but I wanted to get things up and going for you to stay in the loop.

Please know that your Leadership Team is working consistently and regularly to ensure that things are operating smoothly.

Great News on Many Fronts!

In the following update, I’ve copied the information sheet that we provided for the Connect Groups on Wednesday, May 23rd.

Introducing A New Direction For The Collegiate/Young Adult Ministry:

From Brent Roycroft: Worship Pastor and Collegiate Coordinator: For sometime now our college ministry has needed some additional leadership. Simultaneously God has seen fit to provide some funds through donations during the past 3 years, specifically for college ministry.  Enough has been accumulated for us at this point to secure a college/young adult leader on a part-time basis.  Through much prayer and conversation with the pastor and leadership team, we are excited to bring on board Jason McCormick and we are thankful to provide a small stipend for him as he commits to leadership in this area. Jason, his wife, Lori, and two sons, will be joining us in ministry beginning this next week. Please join us in welcoming Jason and his family.

From the Leadership Team: We have sensed a strong stirring in the vision for the collegiate and young adult ministry. Knowing the spiritual needs of those who are at that point in their lives, we felt it was time to pursue this vision and take a step of faith. We are thrilled that the Lord brought Jason to our attention and we are confident that he will provide excellent leadership in this area. We will provide more detailed personal information soon, but wanted to give you the basic information as soon as possible. We will more formally introduce Jason on June 3^rd at the conclusion of the worship service. He will start immediately in order to be in sync with the high school graduating seniors who are transitioning into the collegiate ministry. Regarding his salary, there is no impact on the budget since the funds are being allocated from a designated account. At this point, there are sufficient funds for a stipend for one year, and we hope that the ministry will grow and allow us to push the position forward.

Other News:

In other news, the Calvary Preschool that has been in development for a launch in August, now has over 120 students and has been staffed with over twenty teachers. With the excellent response and strong programming, it is self-supporting as anticipated. We expect the impact on Sunday School classes and Wednesday evening programming to be minimal. The teachers will begin setting up their classrooms later this summer, and some rooms may be painted as we roll out the program and make the rooms ready for preschool instruction. A few of our adult class rooms are being used, and while the classes will remain in place, we appreciate their willingness to share space!

The Leadership Team has been working steadily to consider the possibility of refinancing our church loan. We’ve received bids and are pleased to announce that we have secured a new loan agreement with Pinnacle Bank. When the loan is closed, we’ll see a rate reduction of 1.23% less than our current rate, which will save us close to $30,000 in interest just for this next year alone. We are currently a little more than a year away from our note becoming due, and it made great sense to capture the rates at a lower percentage and benefit from it.

Calvary’s Got Talent

As you roll back into town from Spring Break, be sure and plan on worship at Calvary on Sunday morning, and don’t forget Calvary’s Got Talent on Sunday evening at 5:30 pm.  It’s always a huge event, lots of fun, and a great showcase for some of our member’s talent.

New Leadership Team Members

The publications this week will begin announcing the two nominations for the Leadership Team.  Here’s more information about them.

David East – he and his wife, Pam, are charter members of Calvary and have been involved and serving on many levels.  Currently David is teaching the “Not A Fan” study in the McDonald Connect Group on Wednesday evenings.  He is retired and does carpentry and contracting as time allows. He brings to the leadership team a broad perspective of business from the corporate world; and he has a servant’s heart and a deep spiritual maturity.

Joe Whitefield – Joe and his wife, Ann Lee, have been at Calvary for many years now.  He currently teaches an adult Sunday School class – one of our classes that meet at Providence on Sunday mornings.  He is employed at MTSU as the Executive Director of the Facilities Services Department. Joe is a previous Leadership Team member and brings again to the team strong analytical skills and an intense spiritual sensitivity.

These two will be presented for approval at the March Anniversary Meeting which will be held on March 4, 2012.

Getting Involved at Calvary through Servant Teams

We are strengthening our Servant Teams to prepare for the growth that God has already begun this year.  The list below includes broad areas of service opportunities from physical labor, to relations, to creativity.  There is an opportunity for everyone with many new places to plug in. 

The teams we are beginning, reintroducing or recruiting new members include: CBC Front Sign Team, Pregnancy Support Center Liaison, Reach (visitation) Team, Visual Arts Team (this is a non-performing group to help with visuals enhancement for worship and special events at CBC), Food preparation for “Meet the Staff” (a monthly luncheon for prospects), Media Library, Calvary First Impression Team (parking lot, door greeters, and bread bakers), Security, Maintenance, Landscape/Grounds, Set Up, Decorations, Way of Hope Team, Community Cafe, and the Calvary Minute Men Team ( a group to help with small repairs and minor construction around the church.)

Please pray about how the Lord is leading you to volunteer in 2012. If you are not sure about what opportunities are good for you, please see Mike Dugan to receive a spiritual gift assessment to help you find your fit.

Financial Update from Leadership Team

As we transition from November into December, we reach that point in the year where the Leadership Team begins working on the budget for next year, 2012.  Truly, the economy has had an impact on us.  We know it’s been a tough year financially for our families – and that has been reflected in our giving trends this year.  The cycle of contributions at Calvary is usually fairly consistent, with normal giving in the first five months, then weaker through the summer followed by a slight pick up in the Fall.  December is typically our best month, as people catch up or make year end donations.

This year, as sometimes happens, receipts are lagging behind expenses. We’re approximately $100,000 behind, which represents approximately %10 of our budget. In previous years, a strong December has caught us up and we’ve broken even, or come close. We need to do the same this year. This will help us plan for next year.

We’ve been good stewards with budget planning and with expenses. For the last two years, we’ve basically frozen the budget and made only the necessary adjustments while keeping the total amount steady. The danger is that as fixed costs such as utilities go up, we have to cut other areas to keep the budget in line. This inhibits growth and future planning for ministries.

Prayerfully consider your contributions in December, and let’s make this a December that not only allows us to catch up but to plan ahead.