Fall Update

This year looks like another one of transition for Evangel. Leadership has spent the past year praying, discussing, and gathering information--trying to get to the core of what Evangel's unique place and its calling really are. Unfortunately, a big church is like any big organization--it takes a long time to change the direction of a big ship. But as a staff we've been told that we're now ready to meet together, look at the results, and begin to seek as to how they will effect how we operate and what we do as a church. This will occur at a pastors' retreat in October. Please remember us in your prayers regarding this important time. Be praying that God's will would be done--not man's. "We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go." Proverbs 16:9

I've decided not to try and meet together for a bus ministry meeting before we start up, so let me fill you in on what's happening. Change has not left the Evangel's bus ministry unscathed. Some people have moved on. In particular, Daniel is off to Bible college and Kirby has chosen to take a well-deserved break. By the end of the last ministry year we had been picking up Rutland Bench kids on the North Rutland bus. This year we will take it a step further and break apart the Rutland Bench route. The Black Mountain area will go to North Rutland and the actual Bench area will return to the Springvalley route. As for the actual buses, it looks like we'll be saying good-bye to the Red and Blue(white) bus forever. North Rutland and Downtown/Capri will each get a "Twin" and Springvalley will use the longer yellow bus.

I totally understand that all this news about less leaders and less routes and less buses might seem depressing and maybe even a little suspicious. But please rest assured that I have not received any directions to kill the bus ministry and I am not making any attempt to do so. It's just that we have to respond prudently to changes and what seems to be God's will. For whatever reasons, attendance has been lower in Sunday School and that has been reflected in our bus attendance too. And leaders have largely moved on for their own personal reasons. So right now it just doesn't make sense to hold on to buses we don't need right now or try to maintain the same number of routes with less leaders and a lot less kids. But as we try our best to build up the routes again this fall, there is no reason that we can't work towards recreating the Rutland Bench route.

I find that people's eyes glaze over when presented with reams of text so stay tuned for Fall Update II...