Leadership Changes

One of the things I love best about Restoration is the number of folks with gifts of leadership who serve our community.  They are humble, dedicated, passionate–  it’s a joy to work alongside them.

Yesterday we concluded our vestry election for 2011.  Our new elders are:  Santiago Sedaca and George Patterson.  Cindy Darnell was also elected to a full 3 year term after serving as the interim for Mary Vinson.  I thank God for Santiago, George, and Cindy.  They are wise, Godly, and full of ideas!  I encourage you to get to know them– have them over for dinner, grab coffee.  The folks on the vestry are fantastic people.  Take some time to ask them what they love about our church and why they serve it with such enthusiasm.

We have also created a new position at Restoration:  “The Seminarian”.   The position is open to a current seminary student who has been approved for ordination in the ACNA and is serving at Restoration for on-the-job training as a preparation for active ministry in the local church.

This person will be an active member of the Restoration staff team, tasked to one or two areas of ministry, and be given opportunities to lead liturgically and preach.  Restoration will provide compensation in the form of 20% of their seminary costs during the time they are serving.

My desire is that Restoration will be a place for people to develop their gifts for ministry.  We have several people who have felt called to lead in the church and we take seriously our role to prepare them.

I am thrilled to announce that Liz Gray will be serving as our first seminarian!  She has been through Restoration’s discernment process and is currently a student at Nashotah House.  She is under the care of Bishop John Guernsey and anticipating ordination to the transitional diaconate in the summer of 2012.  Liz will focus on 2 areas during her seminarian year:  outreach and prayer.  Our hope is that she will come alongside a team of people who will continue to push us forward in both of these areas.  Liz is a gifted, prayerful leader and I am so excited to have this season to both intentionally develop her and for her to intentionally serve the church.  She will preach on January 1!!

Please continue to pray for our search for a 3rd clergy.  We hope to have a longer update on the process in December.  For now, please pray!

As we head into a week of thanksgiving.  I am so thankful for the people who serve in our church.  Thanks be to God!

-David