The Move: The Call

What an incredible ride we have been on lately. Here is the back story:

There is a buzz. It is true in case you MAY Have heard that Kristin and I have a move planned for our family. The date: September 1st. But why???

So, after Kristin's deal with the pregnancy Center second location unexpectedly fell through I began to ask God "Whassup?"

It was strange that something that seemed like such a slam dunk deal would fall through at the 11th hour. It seemed to me that it may be because there was a move in store for us. One of the things that I told Kristin was that if she DID make the move to open an additional pregnancy counseling center that we would plant our roots much deeper into the community and church.

So we began a process of prayer in which we asked God what He had in store. We prayed for months before sending out several applications to different churches looking for youth directors/student pastors. We got a few from churches similar to CPC but turned them down because the issue wasn't that we are unhappy with CPC but that we felt like God was desiring fro us to GROW by putting us into a more challenging opportunity. We LOVE CPC and it's people and over the past 7 1/2 years or so I have grown closer to Bryan and learned to get along cooperatively.

When we got a call from a church in Ohio, I was pretty surprised because I didn't really remember even applying with that church. I prayerfully considered the callback I got from them and the subsequent questionnaire that they were asking to be filled. I prayerfully considered and sent it back. 

When I got a call from Executive Pastor Tom Pound at Spring Hills Church in Granville, OH I wasn't sure that I was even interested because, OH? I grew up in Oh. (NEVER tell God you don't want to go back to your home state.) But the more I talked to him I began to hear the vision and purpose that they have for the church and the ministry being done on a local level in the community!! They support 19 different missionaries and projects!  It is a church of vision and passion and the leadership is driven by relationships in a community desperate for hope and the message of Christ. 

Moreover upon meeting the pastors and staff it was a brotherhood. A concept that I have desperately longed for in ministry. I have had this with several of the men at CPC but have not been able to have this as a staff, not Bryan's fault there is just only 2 of us on staff so this hasn't been possible per se. 

It is a great move for Kristin and I because of the purposes that the church is heading and the clear direction for getting there. It is here: http://www.springhillschurch.org/who-we-are/why-we-exist/

As a part of the salary they are allowing our kids to attend their Christian School, Granville Christian Academy. It is a great opportunity for my family and kids and we will be closer to my parents and sister and Kristin's family will be a mere 7 hours away as opposed to 12 hours. 

The BIGGEST deciding factor...the Holy Spirit. It has been clear that along the way, each decision and step has been guided by an omniscient God whose desires have been made evident through prayer and searching. Kristin and I are in prayer for CPC and it's ministries and are thankful for the 7 1/2 years that we have been able to serve it's families and ministry.