Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
This verse from Proverbs seems most appropriate as we, Spokane First Church of the Nazarene, enter into the search process for our next Senior Pastor. I am confident that the Lord has identified already our next spiritual leader. And now in the coming months, He will lead us to whom that pastor will be.
David Mowry, our Northwest District Superintendent, will lead the Church Board through the search process. According to the denominational guidelines, the Church Board is assigned the responsibility for completing the pastoral search. The Board has approved the engagement of an interim who will serve until a permanent pastor has been chosen. The interim will function as the Senior Pastor, will work with the staff and will be available to the congregation.
Associate Pastors Shawn Stevenson, Hope Terhaar, and Gary Woodroof will continue serving in their ministerial roles. Their dedication to SFNAZ and support during the COVID experience and Pastor Bill’s illness have been greatly appreciated, and we look forward to their ministering during the search process. Watch the newsletter for their activities planned for the children, youth, and adults.
Until the interim pastor arrives, our pulpit guests will be our associate pastors and ordained members from within our congregation. They include: Wanda Aller, Doug Jones, Charlie Scott, Shawn Stevenson, Hope Terhaar, and Gary Woodroof. We look forward to hearing from each one.
It is our responsibility to keep you informed. This will be done through the newsletter, emails, letters, and announcements from the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Should you ever have a question, contact any board member or me at 509.464.1928 or email longfam@my.whitworth.edu.
You can support SFNAZ during this transition by praying intentionally for the future pastor, the church, board members, and staff. Your faithful attendance and the giving of your tithes are a very visible show of support.
I love the verse: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Each day is a new day for Spokane First’s walk with the Lord; let us rejoice and be glad daily as we venture into coming months and years!
May God continue to bless First Church.
Roger Long, Church Board Secretary
Church Board Members: Jeanette Aronson, Randy Coffey, Dwight Hille, Dan Gunther, Roger Long, Lance Marquardt, Ryan Pooler, Scott Robinson, Rusty Roth, Jana Shea, Kipp Silver, Vicki Wintersteen, Jeff Shea