In this past week’s sermon I told the story about catching two skunks in the cages provided by animal control. I thought you might want to see the short video of the officer removing the second skunk from the cage. A shout out to the brave men and women of the animal control of Murfreesboro!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRrLLTHap5o
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Calvary's New Youth Pastor
Great news on the search process! The Leadership Team has offered the Youth Pastor Position to Brandon Crews and he has accepted.
It's been an intense process and to bring you up to speed, here's a a synopsis of how things developed. All together, there were probably over 150 resumes - with an amazing level of qualifications and experiences. Of the 150, questionnaires were sent to 20 or so, and from those responses I conducted almost 20 Skype interviews. Then began a second round which included some face to face meetings and when not possible, further Skype interviews. There were 6-8 candidates that surfaced as top tier possibilities - and of those, three began to emerge as the closest matches and strongest candidates for us. Among that group, it appeared that Brandon and Lauren were the couple that we wanted to bring on site, first. So, that's why they were with us this past weekend.
We exposed Brandon and Lauren to as many people or groups as possible, including the teaching time on Sunday morning with the youth, the Leadership Team and the Disciple Now Team. We, the Leadership Team, began to hear strong comments from the youth and adults. We felt there was something of significance developing. We also learned there time constraints for Brandon and Lauren that prompted us to slightly accelerate our consideration of them. In fact, a church in Texas was actively pursuing them, and they were to visit that Church this weekend in view of a call.
Due to the overwhelming response of the youth and adults, and our own observations and conversations with them, the Leadership Team felt very strong in our direction and confident in moving forward. Thus we offered the position to them and after prayerful consideration, they accepted.
Brandon and Lauren will be with us again this weekend and will be making housing arrangements. It's their hope to move to Murfreesboro the week after Christmas.
They have communicated their excitement to us about beginning this new journey. Be in prayer for them as they begin to make the necessary arrangements and preparations to move here.
It's been an intense process and to bring you up to speed, here's a a synopsis of how things developed. All together, there were probably over 150 resumes - with an amazing level of qualifications and experiences. Of the 150, questionnaires were sent to 20 or so, and from those responses I conducted almost 20 Skype interviews. Then began a second round which included some face to face meetings and when not possible, further Skype interviews. There were 6-8 candidates that surfaced as top tier possibilities - and of those, three began to emerge as the closest matches and strongest candidates for us. Among that group, it appeared that Brandon and Lauren were the couple that we wanted to bring on site, first. So, that's why they were with us this past weekend.
We exposed Brandon and Lauren to as many people or groups as possible, including the teaching time on Sunday morning with the youth, the Leadership Team and the Disciple Now Team. We, the Leadership Team, began to hear strong comments from the youth and adults. We felt there was something of significance developing. We also learned there time constraints for Brandon and Lauren that prompted us to slightly accelerate our consideration of them. In fact, a church in Texas was actively pursuing them, and they were to visit that Church this weekend in view of a call.
Due to the overwhelming response of the youth and adults, and our own observations and conversations with them, the Leadership Team felt very strong in our direction and confident in moving forward. Thus we offered the position to them and after prayerful consideration, they accepted.
Brandon and Lauren will be with us again this weekend and will be making housing arrangements. It's their hope to move to Murfreesboro the week after Christmas.
They have communicated their excitement to us about beginning this new journey. Be in prayer for them as they begin to make the necessary arrangements and preparations to move here.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Potential Youth Pastor Candidate To Visit Calvary This Weekend
A quick note to let you know that due to significant conversations, and scheduling opportunities, we will have one of our potential candidates in town this weekend. Brandon and Lauren Crews will be our guests for Sunday morning and afternoon. They are currently living in Graceville, Florida where he graduates today from the Baptist College of Florida with a degree in Christian Studies. Lauren is an elementary school teacher.
The tentative schedule includes his participation in youth Sunday School, where he will be teaching, followed by a short question and answer time.
Please help me spread the word and encourage our youth to be present for Sunday morning.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Youth Pastor Search Update: 12-3-12
Thanksgiving has roared by and now we’re already into December! It’s going fast…
And so is the Youth Pastor Search. I’m up to probably 150+ resumes and have looked through each one carefully and prayerfully. I’ve conducted about 15 or so Skype interviews. Now I’m in a round of secondary interviews with 6 – 8 candidates. It’s progressing well!
The next steps include finishing the face to face interviews; then it’s my hope to have one or more visit Calvary and Murfreesboro sometime in the next few weeks or by the end of the year. This visit will allow the candidates to see the church and know a bit about the city of Murfreesboro.
Continue to pray for the interviews, especially that the candidates get a sense of the great work that has occurred at CBC and the potential that is ahead.
Monday, November 19, 2012
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
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
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 3rd 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.
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