Thursday, May 06, 2010

100 Plus Years

Ernie Harwell died a couple of days ago. Many of you have not heard that name, he was a sportscaster for the Detroit Tigers until he retired in 2002. He had that job for 42 years. 42 years! Longevity in a job is not the norm in this day. Harwell certainly sets the bar.
What are the benefits of longevity in a church job? Knowledge of the people, participation in the culture, less supervision and more leadership, a deep sense of caring and contribution to the mission and vision, to name a few.
At Good Shepherd we have a leadership staff of 10. Here's that list:
David Israel, Lead Pastor
Marsha West Eichler, Associate Pastor, Director of Worship and Inviting Ministries
Colene Homa, Director of Children's Ministries, Director of Media, Internal Communications
Diane Cline Dotson, Business Manager
Bryan Rezen, Director of Student Ministries
Maryanne Denning, Director of Adult Ministries
Jeff Derdich, Director of Music
Tiffany Hermsen, Director of Little Lambs Pre-school
Jen Meyer, Director of Parents Day Out
Edie Buchanan, Childcare Director

As I looked around the table at a staff meeting yesterday it occurred to me that we have a staff of dedicated people who have either been employed or been in service to Christ through Good Shepherd for a long time. I added it up and found that we have a collective history at Good Shepherd of 105 years. That's 105 years either on staff or in attendance at Good Shepherd. That's 105 years of seeking the heart of God and serving Him. That's 105 years of successes and failures. That's 105 years of making a difference at the corner of 96th and North Oak.

105 years... and we're a 20 year old church!

I'm proud to serve with such a dedicated group of followers of Jesus Christ who are willing to walk the walk of faith here at Good Shepherd.

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Dave is the Lead Pastor at...
New McKendree United Methodist Church
225 S. High St., Jackson, MO 63755
Saturday Worship 5:00 pm, Sunday 9:00 am at High St. Campus 11:00 am at South Campus (1775 S. Hope St.)