That's right! It still feels a little crazy to say out loud, but we are so excited for what the Lord has for us next. So let me back up a bit...
Ministry has always been on our hearts. When Mike stepped away from pastoral ministry back in 2015, we prayed that it would be just for a short while. And while 5 years isn't a super long time, it seemed longer than we had originally planned. But the Lord had so much work to do in us in those 5 years, and we can look back over all He has done and see how He was preparing us for 2020. We have been praying over the last 5 years about the right timing to jump back into the pastoral search, and for varying reasons, the Lord seemed to close all of those doors. At the beginning of the year, however, we really felt like it was finally time to jump back into the search, so that's what we did.
And then COVID hit.
And like all things in 2020, we were left hitting the pause button on most everything, wondering what the Lord was doing. We really weren't sure that a position would come this year, as so many churches have had to suspend "business as usual" and quickly adapt to all the craziness that has become 2020. I really was convinced that He wouldn't provide a pastoral position until next year. But guess what? The Lord still works and moves, even in the middle of a global pandemic! :)
Mike actually connected with this church before all of the shutdowns, and for varying reasons, each side {at the time} thought it was not a good fit. But the senior pastor and Mike really connected, and he was so kind to stay in contact with Mike in his continued search. He would check in, see how the search was going, let us know he was praying for us, and send Mike encouragement. He truly was an amazing blessing to us for several months, as Mike continued to interview with multiple churches. I even joked with Mike that maybe we would hear from them again about a job in the future...
Fast forward to August, when the senior pastor reached back out, saying he really felt the Lord asking him to include Mike in the candidate pool again. Several conversations and interviews and questions and prayers later, we are now heading to serve the Church in Virginia! Mike will be the Executive Pastor for Chantilly Bible Church, and we are so excited for all the Lord is doing there. We can already see how the Lord has been preparing Mike's skill set for this particular position, where he will be able to use both his pastoral gifting and the leadership/business skills he has developed over the past 5 years.
This is a BIG move. We have always said that we wanted to be open-handed about where the Lord might place us. But that sounds nice and godly until you actually have to consider moving out of the only state you have ever lived in, away from family and friends, away from all things familiar. I mean, we all know how much I like adventure and risk and scary, new things, right? {If you're new here...not so much} :)
But despite how scary a big move like this can feel at times, I have been amazed at how much peace and purpose the Lord has brought to my heart. I don't have any doubts about making this move. I mean, it has been a stretch for my Type-A brain to figure out how to pack everything up, sell our house, and move across the country...with 3 toddlers and a geriatric dog. But the Lord has already been faithful, and I trust that He is going to continue working out the details. Knowing that we will be following the Lord's leading gives me the courage to face some new, scary, exciting things coming over the next few months.
We are excited to be back in pastoral ministry, that Mike gets to use his gifts again vocationally. We are excited about the unique time in Chantilly Bible's history that we get to step in and serve. We are excited to see what the Lord has waiting for our family in Virginia....relationally, spiritually, all the fun new adventures! We are excited to be right outside of Washington, D.C. - the museums, the culture, the history. We are excited about 4 real seasons! :)
So if you think about us, please pray for us in this transition. That the Lord would oversee and direct every step of the moving process. That the Lord would prepare our hearts and the hearts of our new church family for this new season. That the Lord would heal my body so that my health is not a hindrance in this busy, transitional season. That the Lord would use our family to serve this sweet church body and the surrounding community in a way that honors Jesus and glorifies His name.
So here we go...off on a fun new adventure! :)
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