Dear Emmaus Road,
Normally in church life, there is an ongoing process of raising new leaders and allowing former leaders to rest, learn, and eventually return.
For our church, though, the process has been interrupted and arrested the last couple years. Now it feels like we have reached a time and place to renew our cycle of leadership recruiting, training, and empowering.
We have three leaders to acknowledge, thank, and release from their roles.
We have two new leaders to vote into office. I will send a separate email with a Doodle Poll link to call for the official vote.
We have several new leaders who are not “officers” but leading important areas of ministry.
We will also be recruiting some important leaders in the next several months before 2017 ends.
FIRSTLY, some gratitude:
Kristen Vander Linden, who served as our Sunday Crew Coordinator has handed the baton to Reba Ruiter. This already happened a year ago, but I can’t remember if this was formally, publicly, acknowledged. Thank you, Kristen, for the time and attention you devoted to this! Thank you, Reba, for taking this on and for beginning to use Planning Center Online to help us organize our system further!Mike Elenbaas, we thank you for several years of important work as both an elder and Treasurer. You were willing to wear two hats and brought much enthusiasm and energy to our Council. We hope to see these gifts emerge again in our future together.Teresa Elenbaas, we thank, you for the many years you served as our Children’s Ministry Coordinator, helping oversee several areas of activity, including supervision and encouragement of our Godly Play Storyteller, Matt Park. Your attention to detail and willingness to listen to divergent opinions is greatly appreciated.
SECONDLY, I have two church officers to recommend as candidates for Council:
I recommend Dan Ruiter as an elder. Dan is willing to resume elder responsibilities (he served as elder for several seasons in the past) alongside current elder, Rennie Araucto. We would once again have two elders, whose focus would be on being equipped, and equipping others, to help maintain discipleship as a ministry priority, and consult on major church decisions with Pastor Eric.I recommend Christina Nelson as Treasurer. Christina knows how to get things accomplished. She would be working alongside Jennifer Geelhood, Emmaus Road’s newly hired bookkeeper as of this month. Christina can help Emmaus Road achieve a new level of financial organization and cultivate some volunteer sustainability (in terms of the Treasurer role, which can be very demanding at times). Chandra Mullenix and David Anema remain as members of the Stewardship Team, lending support, too.I will soon send a separate email with a Doodle Poll link when I call for an official vote on these two candidates. Please contact me (Eric) with any questions or concerns about either candidate. You are encouraged to approach either Dan or Christina with respectful questions, as well.
THIRDLY, we have other leaders to celebrate:
Lara Fullner-Grennan is our liaison with the Nursery volunteers (not scheduling - which Reba oversees - but voicing any concerns/needs as they arise)Nicole Moxon (part-time staff), is our Godly Play Storyteller, our Convener of Children’s Ministry leadership for quarterly update conversations, our Safe Church Policy Administrator, and our liaison to the Greenbelt Youth Network, gathering youth from across churches for shared events and leader learning.Amy Araucto is taking on Big Kids from Angie, who we also thank for the last few years of coordination and oversight.Youth Mentors currently include Jade Guettler and Kevin Moxon, coached and encouraged by pastor Eric.Angie and Biff are sharing coordination of the New Horizons dinners, helping us revamp our menus, and working with various small groups.Alex and Jade Guettler are overseeing our supportive role with Aurora CommonsAs we celebrate these newer leaders who are stepping up this season, let us not forget the regular service and leadership of our musicians every Sunday, along with those who host and facilitate small group gatherings beyond Sunday. We also commend Biff for stepping up and making the transition from setup/takedown responsibilities to custodian and caretaker.
FINALLY, in the near future:
We need to raise up an elder representing the households from the North End,as well as an elder from the Maple Leaf area (along with our formal partnership with the Turnbulls and The House Ministries)a Building/Grounds Team and leader,an Easter Brunch coordinator,and someone inspired to help us do Church Camp again (maybe I’m the only one interested in that).We also need to officially welcome some of our newer ministry partners and worshippers as full-fledged members of the “Road Crew”, our nickname for “membership” with Emmaus Road. I am in the process of discerning how to communicate our leadership structure (which you can see is in transition).Please pray for each other, pray for our leaders, and ask for us to remain alert to the Holy Spirit’s wisdom.Stay tuned for more information!
