An open letter to the community of Wenatchee Nazarene

Wenatchee Nazarene Friends,

I still remember the joy in our hearts as Sue and I were sure Wenatchee was the place we were to begin our vocational ministry. The journey to being offered a position took quite a few months but we were not discouraged because we were confident we knew it was where God wanted us. These four years have not been easy but we have remained confident of the call and remained committed to doing whatever we could to help this congregation heal and recover from difficult times. In my ongoing prayers about my family’s future and the future of this church I have consistently been affirmed that our call was through the interim but no further. I also felt affirmed that I was to do nothing to seek another position but to simply wait on the Lord. This goes against my nature towards action…..waiting has been hard.

The waiting has not been in vain, we are once again sure of the location of our calling. The finality of an answer to the unknown is comforting but the tough thing is that we will be saying goodbye to many good friends in Wenatchee. We have been offered a position as Spokane First Church of the Nazarene’s Children and Family Life Pastor and have accepted the call to Spokane First.

Sometimes God moves in very familiar ways that we can see coming and then other times He leads in much more unexpected ways. The first time that Pastor Bill Vaughn from Spokane called to gauge my interest in such a position I was a little surprised. I didn’t see that coming. But as soon as I hung up the phone I began to feel a peace that only grew over time.

Parting is never easy, but we are once again confident of the call on our lives to Spokane. I’ve been a layperson in a church that had a string of pastoral staff leave; I know what it feels like. It’s like a punch in the gut. All I can offer you is the assurance of my call to Spokane. That may not seem like much ,but the flip side of my call is knowing that God has a wonderful plan for the Wenatchee Church of the Nazarene. As I have waited over the last few months, you will have some time to wait to see all of what comes next. The main piece of the unknown puzzle is in place with the calling of Pastor Mike, Anita, John and Emma settled. I have faith that God is already working in the life of somebody wonderful to come be the perfect help to Pastor Mike and the Wenatchee church.

My last Sunday at Wenatchee Nazarene will be Palm Sunday, March 28^th. Sue and the girls will remain in Wenatchee through the school year as Sue finishes out her teaching contract at The River Academy. I will hopefully be in Wenacthee at least a day a week with my family until they move so don’t hesitate to give me a call if you want to get together.

Thank you for extending much grace to a rookie that has made plenty of mistakes. You will remain in our hearts and prayers.

YOU ARE LOVED,

Pastor Donavon

Wenatchee has a new pastor

Pastor Mike accepted the church board's nomination to be Wenatchee Nazarene's new Senior Pastor after a favorable vote (91 yes and 1 no) of the congregation. A start date is still being worked out but we'll pass it along once we know. Yippee!!

Introducing Pastor Mike and the Malmin family

Our pastoral candidate was announced in morning services today. Mike Malmin is an Associate Pastor at Mountain View Church of the Nazarene in Olympia, WA. I know Mike a little bit from my days on the Washington Pacific district. He's funny, serious and deep all at the same time. I think you'll enjoy meeting he and his family next Sunday the 21st. There will be a combined service on the 21st at 10:30 and Mike will be preaching. After the service there will be a potluck and you'll have a chance to meet the entire family. Mike's wife, Anita is the sister of Paul Barber Jr., a pastor on our district at True North Nazarene in Hayden, Idaho. They have two children Jonathan (age 13) and Emma (age 11).

Mike's complete resume and bio will be on the church webpage shortly.

Below are some links to past sermon's Mike has given at Mountain View Church of the Nazarene.

Sermon from November 29, 2009 titled "Radical Trust"

Sermon from June 28, 2009, titled "Modern Struggles"

Sermon from December 30, 2007 titled "The Blessings of an Obedient Life"

Sermon from November 25, 2007 titled "Things We Do Better Together, Part 2"

What has Pastor Mike been twittering about?

Are you ready for some football?

Even if you aren't a football fan chances are you will watch the Super Bowl this week. Why don't you invite somebody over to watch it with you? Who wouldn't say yes to football, food and friends? Go ahead, I double dog dare you!!

Pastoral search update

An announcement was made at Wenatchee Nazarene this morning that the church board has unanimously decided on a pastoral candidate to present to the congregation. More info will be coming on the candidate on February 14th (first service was mistakenly told they would receive info next Sunday, sorry). The candidate will be in Wenatchee for our service on February 21st. More info will be forthcoming on the details as we get closer.

All church members age 15 and older will have an opportunity to vote on the pastoral candidate on February 28th.

Remain in prayer as you have been for these important next steps in the calling of a new pastor for Wenatchee Nazarene.

How can you say no to these cute faces....

My wife came home from work last week with a couple of bars of soap in her hand. She shared a story with me that one of her students was raising money to buy her own airplane ticket to visit an ailing grandmother in Florida. I love the "I can do it attitude" of these kids and asked their Dad (he's a teacher at The River Academy as well) if I could help them out. I have a few bars of soap on consignment that I'd be glad to share with you for $5.00. I have four different scents, Coconut/Lemon Grass, Lilas Summer Breeze, Merry Mint Swirl, and Citrus Energy. They look great in a guest bathroom or make a great gift.

Incidentally, in case your wondering how a family came to make soap here's the rest of the story. This family has a friend with a child that was having severe reactions to soap products. They did some research on how soap is made and experimented with different recipes until they found one this little girl could use safely. Now that's love in action.

Haiti update

Nazarene General Superintendent JK Warrick was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake to preside over District Assembly. The Church of the Nazarene has over 500 churches and nearly 120,000 Nazarene's in Haiti. Dr Warrick has been airlifted out of the country but has remained in Southern Florida to help coordinate relief work for the church. You can donate to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (100% of all funds collected will go to Haiti relief work) by clicking here.

View the video below recorded by Dr Warrick, it will stir your heart.

Sixty years ago the Church of the Nazarene began in Haiti with two members. Now 116,000 Haitian Nazarenes, living in the poorest nation of the Western Hemisphere are facing death and destruction, and yet they remain strong and resilient, true to their faith. They are depending on Nazarenes around the world to pray and give as they seek to rebuild their lives, their towns, and their country. God bless you for your prayers and the support Haitians are already receiving.

There is simply no adequate answer to the question "why?" We must leave that for some future time. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). So let us focus on this question: "How can I help?" As we respond to this question our great Nazarene family around the world will make a difference for the future of the Haitian Nazarenes and the Haitian people. This will please the heart of our Lord!

Thank you for your faithful response.

Nazarene GS in Haiti during earthquake

Arriving for district assemblies just hours ahead of a devastating earthquake in Haiti, General Superintendent J. K. Warrick has issued a call for the Church of the Nazarene around the world to pray and respond immediately and generously to the needs of nearly 110,000 Haitian Nazarenes. Warrick and the others traveling with him are reported to be unharmed. The magnitude 7.0 quake — the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century — struck shortly before 5 P.M. Eastern Time and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, the United States Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away, witnesses said. "The earth became like an angry ocean — it was quite a ride," stated Warrick in Haiti. "We drove around the city of Petion-ville (Tuesday evening) where the Nazarene seminary campus is located. Large buildings have collapsed and there are thousands of people in the streets," Warrick reported. "They were using headlights to look into the rubble of a Catholic church and a four story grocery store. The search for trapped victims and bodies has hardly begun. It is heart- wrenching to see the devastation and to know of the suffering of the people here," Warrick added. Warrick issued this call for help - "Nazarenes everywhere need to rally to the needs of Haiti. This is the time for action. I plead with our people to respond with prayers, financial gifts, and other types of assistance as may be appropriate. I am sure it will be worse in the daylight." Persons and churches wishing to make a donation can mark their checks "Caribbean Disaster Response ACM1204" and mail them to the Global Treasury Services, PO Box 843116 Kansas City, MO 64184. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3. Online giving is available at ncm.org. —Board of General Superintendents Note: For further updates, check ncnnews.com throughout the week. Remember that our regular tithes pay for all the overhead costs of Nazarene Compassionate Ministry so every dollar you give goes directly to the effected area. Nothing is held back for administrative costs. You can give online or drop a marked check or envelope in the offering plate this Sunday.

Pastoral search update

The church board did meet with a pastoral candidate on Saturday afternoon for an interview. I am not privy to any information about what happened but I did want to inform you all that the church board is moving deliberately and will not discuss their next step with this candidate until Sunday afternoon, January 17th. Click here and you can read my previous post on the expected course of action to get an idea of where we are in the process. There should be information to share with you shortly after that upcoming meeting.

Remain in prayer for your church board and the next Lead Pastor of our church.

The substitute

I've always been a little different. In lots of different ways and in different situations. My family of origin is no exception. My parents are both retired elementary teachers and my sister is currently an elementary teacher. I always liked going to visit my parents classrooms but I also knew it wasn't the right path for me.

Today I had the opportunity to substitute teach in Katie's 6th grade class. Her teacher hurt his back and will be out for a few weeks. I only filled in for their history hour but I had a great time and the kids were all wonderful. But I'm not planning on going back to school to get my teaching certificate.

God's beauty

Who would dare argue that Wenatchee is a beautiful city. Took this picture today as I was out running errands. Click the image to see it full sized.

Growing up too fast

Our girls have asked before about getting their ears pierced. We have always told them it is their decision and to let us know if and when they are ready. Well, this week Stephie said she wanted to get her ears pierced. I did my best to talk her out of it, selfishly I don't want my baby growing up so fast. But I know that she will grow up regardless of whether her ears are pierced or not so we trudged over to to the mall today and pulled the trigger. Literally!

They were really busy today. As the technician was readying the supplies a rush of people came in and since she was the only sales clerk we had to put the big moment on hold as she helped other customers. Stephie was brave and no tears were shed. They grow up far too fast!