On Sunday January the 19th, Hope Wesleyan Church came together and braced for the news they all expected but hoped wouldn’t happen. After a steady decline in attendance and income the church has decided, regrettably, to discontinue services. Our last service will be January the 26th.

For Stefan and I this means we are done our pastorate at Hope Wesleyan Church. Stefan has been offered a part time job at another Wesleyan church a couple of towns over. He will be working there while we send our resumes to churches and seek God’s direction for our next ministry assignment.

For me this means waiting on God and learning how to be patient in His timing. I have been working full time over the last year and half in ministry which is what I love to do. I have been wanting to be a pastor since I was a kid. I was that strange 11 year old filling out Bible College applications just for the fun of it, anticipating the day that I could fill it out and send it in.

For me being in ministry is not about a pay cheque or having an actual job title, for me being in ministry is serving a church and using my gifts and talents to glorify God. So over the next few months I will be devoting my ministry hours to the church that Stefan will be working at. I know there are areas that I am gifted in that I can offer up to the church. I will also use this time to work further on a few different books/curriculum that I have been writing.

Trusting that God has a calling on your life gets a lot harder when you feel like you have failed a church and the people of the church. But trusting that He has plans that go far beyond what I can see or imagine is the biggest thing that I can do right now. Our family verse for the year is Psalms 27:4, “Wait patiently for the Lord, be brave and courageous, yes wait patiently for the Lord.” I have to keep this verse front and center to remember that God has plans for us, and I need to seek Him during this transition and beyond.

Neal A. Maxwell says, “Faith in God includes Faith in God’s timing.” We have to understand that having a faith in God means we trust Him in the timing of everything even when we cannot understand why certain things happen when they do.

I ask for your prayers for our family right now and over the next few months as we seek and pray for the next steps to take. I ask for prayers for our three girls as many different transitions will be happening between now and July. And lastly prayers for Stefan and I as we seek God’s counsel on our calling in ministry.

You can read some more about this journey and such over at Stefan’s blog