Pastor's Note | Saturday, August 30th

Solomon, the king of Israel known for his exceptional gift of wisdom, penned his reflections on God's sovereignty and headship over all things: "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens..." Ecclesiastes 3.1-8 is a familiar passage that reminds us that life is filled with different "seasons" and activities - some positive and others negative - that portray the realities of life.

As a church we are in a season of transition. Let me update you on three important transitions.

First, Pastor Curtis, Elders, Roberta Ramont and Sue nelson Brown, and I attended the National Gathering of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians August 18-20. Over 1,200 people were present to hear from experienced church leaders who reinforced our call and ECO's priorities to help people come to know and trust in Jesus and follow him as his disciples. The conference included both plenary and seminar sessions that had a clear focus on evangelism, church planting, shaping disciples, and working closely with other congregations. It was encouraging and inspiring! See some videos from the conference here.

I can report that we (the nine churches that have been dismissed) are close to an agreement with the people from within the Presbytery of Los Ranchos who filed the original complaints that led to a Stay of Enforcement of our dismissals from the PC(USA) to ECO. There are still a few details to be finalized, but once they are, the way is clear to have the Stay lifted and for us to proceed with the transition to ECO.

The second transition is that we have said a heart-wrenching "farewell" to Werner Ramirez. He will be missed as he enters into a new and significant chapter in his life journey. But, even as we see this transition unfold, we see the hand of God who has provided for us.

Josh Higgins, has begun to serve as Director of Student Ministries and brings tremendous experience, passion, and enthusiasm for ministries to young people. It is a delight to welcome Josh, his wife Kate, and their family into the life and ministry of Good Shepherd.

The third transition has to do with pastoral leadership of Good Shepherd. The Session is working diligently to define the best way to move forward in the future. Please plan to attend a Congregational Informational (Town Hall) Meeting on Sunday, September 21st where we will provide input on the dismissal status (unless resolved earlier than that) and pastoral transitioning, including a report from Don Goehner who was with us in late Winter and early Spring to help process our staffing transition. This will be an extremely helpful and informative meeting so stay tuned for more details.

Pastor Jim