As you all know, BJ is moving on to a different call at the end of the month. To be sure, we are going to miss him. BJ has walked our church through many different transitions in the life of the church, from the split and the intentional interim, to taking over after Curtis, to helping us to move into blended worship.
Each transition came with a certain amount of scrutiny, all of which BJ handled with style and grace. He brought great energy to his position, and he is certainly beloved by the choir and the staff and those who were a part of CBS’ers. Personally, BJ helped me to navigate the difficult transition from traditional to blended worship, a transition that we are still in, and he took the brunt of the stress and tension that came from it. And again, he handled it with as much grace as was possible. I will never forget that, and the church is better because of his character and integrity.
And so now we are left with the task of figuring out what is next for us. Let me tell you that we are still committed to a blended worship of contemporary and traditional styles that provides meaning and inspiration to multiple generations on Sunday mornings. We are still committed to quality ministry to senior adults, both in our church and in our community.
The deacons have agreed with the staff and me that rather than simply finding a replacement for BJ, a comprehensive examination of the staff’s strengths and passions is in order. This will help to clarify job descriptions and titles, and help us determine what kind of person, with which talents and gifts, we need to call to ministry at our church. That process will begin in the next few weeks, so please commit that item to prayer.
But today we worship together, celebrating God’s goodness and provision in bringing BJ into our faith community. As we celebrate, let us give our thanks to God.
Blessings, Sonny