"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
~ Matthew 18:20
Dear Grace Chapel Family,
As we move through this season of transition together, we wanted to take a moment to share with you how God continues to work through our congregation and update you on several important developments in our church life. Even in times of change, we remain steadfast in our commitment to serving Christ and one another.
A Season of Discernment and Prayer
First and foremost, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued prayers. The power of a praying congregation cannot be overstated, and your faithful commitment to prayer has been felt and appreciated throughout this journey.
We're excited to share that we've partnered with VitalChurch Ministries to help guide our discernment phase of the Senior Pastor search process. This organization specializes in helping churches navigate transitions with wisdom, insight, and care. In addition to their comprehensive survey across our entire congregation, they will be conducting in-depth interviews with many of our volunteers and leaders who represent our wide range of ministries.
This thorough approach will ensure that we capture a complete picture of where we are as a church and where God might be leading us. VitalChurch Ministries will present their findings and analysis during a special congregational meeting to be held after services in August.
Your Voice Matters: Please Take the Survey
We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for everyone who calls Grace Chapel their church home to participate in the upcoming survey. Your input is invaluable as we seek to understand what you love about Grace Chapel, where you see opportunities for growth, and what dreams you hold for our future together.
This survey represents a critical step in our discernment process. We ask that you set aside approximately 30 minutes to thoughtfully complete it. Your perspective will help shape the future direction of our church.
The survey can be easily accessed at grace.org/survey. Please make this a priority in the coming days, as your voice truly matters in this conversation!
Senior Pastor Search Update
Many of you have asked about the timeline of the search for our next senior pastor. The Elder Board wants you to know that we have not yet begun any formal steps related to this search process. We believe in the importance of moving through our discernment phase first, listening carefully to what God is saying through our congregation before proceeding.
To keep everyone informed throughout this journey, we've created a dedicated landing page on our website where all communications and updates regarding the eventual search will be posted. This will serve as your go-to resource for the latest information, and it even includes a feature where you can submit questions. You can find this page at grace.org/seniorpastorsearch.
Preaching and Teaching Ministry
The Elders are working diligently with our talented pastoral staff teaching team to plan our approach to preaching during this interim period. We're blessed with gifted teachers within our staff, and we're also committed to periodically bringing in outside voices, as has been our practice in the past.
Currently, we're being led through an enriching 8-week series focused on 1 John called "Just Love," with Pastor Tim Ghali and our staff preaching team guiding us through these powerful scriptures.
Looking ahead to late June, we're delighted to welcome our good friend Dr. Mateus de Campos, Gordon Conwell Associate Professor of New Testament, who will open and close a 6-week series titled, "The Questions He Asks." This series will explore the profound questions that God and Jesus ask throughout Scripture. Dr. de Campos, whose scholarly work focuses on Christology, discipleship in the Gospels, and the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, will deliver the first and final sermons of this series, with our staff preaching team handling the middle portions.
Plans for our August series are still taking shape, and this will eventually lead us into early September and our fall programming. We're excited about what God has in store for us through His Word in the coming months.
Take Time to Serve This Summer
Did you know that we welcome more new visitors during the summer months than any other time of year? We all help create a great experience for newcomers and regular attenders during the summer months. Please connect with your campus staff and ask where your gifts and talents might best serve the body of Christ during this season. Your involvement makes a tremendous difference!
Above all, please continue to pray. Pray for wisdom for our leadership, unity in our congregation, and God's clear direction as we move forward together. Pray that through this season of transition, our church would grow stronger in faith and more effective in ministry.
We remain deeply grateful for each of you and the unique way you contribute to our church family. Though seasons change, our God remains faithful, and His work through Grace Chapel continues.
Walking with you in faith,
The Grace Chapel Board of Elders
