a time to uproot

Our time here at Area Bible Fellowship is coming to a close.

Keith will continue to serve as Associate Pastor into the month of May while he finishes up his preaching course at seminary and we search for something else.

This is a challenging time for us. We sincerely love this church and are sad to leave. We love the people here so much and we had thought that they were a good fit for us, and us for them.

To clarify, because I care very much about my husband's honor, he has done nothing to biblically warrant the dismissal of a pastor. The elders told us three months after we moved here that they would require 100% of the congregation to agree to retain Keith as pastor in order for them to vote "yes" to us staying at the end of one year. They decided to take the vote at nine months instead of at one year, and as it was not an overall "yes" to us staying, they will not be keeping us here.

I believe that Keith has done well here. We have certainly poured out as much as we could, even to compromising time with each other and with our children. That is not something that we intend to let happen again. A lot of relationships have been built and I believe some solid discipleship has happened. I hope that the church has been strengthened by having us here for a time.

Our desire is for this body of believers to have the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Though we are surprised by the way this decision has been reached, we are trusting that it is from the Lord anyway. We are looking to Him for peace amidst the turmoil. He is giving us joy in the midst of anguish.

We don't know what will come next and would certainly appreciate your prayers as to being able to wrap up our time here in a God-honoring way. We have gone through a lot of moves and a lot of hard times in our marriage. This is one of the most challenging things we have ever faced, as it affects us on every level. It is hard to lose ministry, income, home, church, and community all at once. We don't see a way forward but we do trust that God has one for us. Please pray for us as we walk with Him through these next few months and into whatever is to come after that.