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