BIG News

Our family has been called to a new ministry opportunity.  Although we would ultimately go wherever God has called us, we are very thankful that we will not be going far.  (In the words of my step-mom, "At least it's not Utah!")  Darin will be the new Minister of Worship and Outreach at White Oak Christian Church, Ross Campus.  This is a bittersweet calling for us, as we are leaving a church that we love dearly.  As most of you know, Darin and I met at Bridgetown Church of Christ, married there, and Darin has been on staff there for a little over 8 years.  We have served with a number of wonderful people at BCC.  We will be leaving a staff that we love, as well as many friends, behind as we follow God on this new journey.  Currently, BCC is in the middle of its Mission Forward campaign, in which the building is being renovated so that future generations can continue to worship on the Westside of Cincinnati.  This is a very exciting time for the church, which makes leaving even more difficult.  However, God opened this door, and we are looking forward to what He has in store for our family and WOCC as we begin to serve there.

Bridgetown Church of Christ

Ross High School - meeting place for WOCC, Ross Campus

Because Darin and I believe that God will be glorified through our story, I would like to share what He has been doing in our lives the last few months.  May you be blessed and praise God as you read our testimony.

Rewind to January: I contacted my principals and the human resources department in my school district to request a transfer to Monfort Heights Elementary for a few reasons.  1) A later start time (9:05) would allow me to help Darin with the boys in the mornings (Pleasant Run start time is 7:20), so I have to leave no later than 6:30.  2) My sweet friend, Kim, works at MHE.  We used to work at PRMS together, but she transferred to MHE a few years ago.  It would be awesome to work with her again...even though we see each other often for play dates with our kids!  3) I would love to work with elementary students.  Middle schoolers are great (most of the time), but I adore little ones.  Anyway, I was told that I would hear about whether or not I would be granted my transfer toward the end of the school year.  (I had high hopes because two special ed. teachers from MHE were retiring...I had been waiting for this moment for 3 years!)

Over the next few months Darin felt like the Holy Spirit was leading him away from Bridgetown.  Over the years, he had trained some amazing volunteers who were now able to lead worship and manage the services.  Generally speaking, in ministry, once you have trained volunteers to be fully equipped to do your job, it's time to move on.  Darin continued to feel the Holy Spirit working in his life, but did not know where or when he would be called to another ministry position.

Fast forward to March: While I tried to rest in the hospital after having Owen, Darin prayed and told God that if He wanted him to leave BCC, that He would have to open a door and make things abundantly clear to him.  The VERY NEXT DAY, Darin received a phone call from a lady that he did not know, asking him to interview for a position at WOCC.  Now, if that isn't a God moment, I don't know what is!  Even better than that, the minister of the Ross Campus is Darin's best friend, Nathan Hinkle.  Darin and Nathan were roommates in college, and had both prayed that they would someday be able to work together in ministry.  Even better than THAT, Nathan and his wife, Denise, our the guardians of our boys. 

We prayed together throughout the interview process.  We were excited about possibly moving to my hometown to do ministry together, and yet hesitant to leave our friends, church family, and my family that resides on the Westside.  Ross is a small community that has always held a dear place in my heart.  (After all, the community helped raise me!)

The question of my transfer request was also on our minds.  Given the timeline, we would potentially find out about my transfer prior to Darin finding out whether or not he had gotten the job at WOCC.  Again, we prayed.  We hoped that we would find out about Darin's job first because if he got the position, we would eventually move to Ross, and the commute from Ross to MHE would be too long.  After many prayers and discussions, we decided that if I was offered the position at MHE before Darin found out about the job at WOCC, I would accept it.

As the end of the school year grew near, I took a leap of faith and once again contacted my principals and the human resources department and told them that my family and I would be relocating (God willing!) to Ross, and that I needed to rescind my transfer request.  This was difficult for me because I was giving up my dream of teaching elementary students alongside my friend.  Within minutes of my notification, a district e-mail was sent out about a special ed. position opening at MHE.  Two days later, I found out that I had gotten the job; it just hadn't been offered to me yet.  Now, this is again, a huge God moment.  Soon after that, Darin was offered the job at WOCC.  Had I been offered the job, I would have accepted it because Darin hadn't yet been hired at WOCC.  This was truly confirmation to us that God wanted us to relocate to Ross, and for me to keep my current job at PRMS, which is considerably closer to Ross than MHE.

Currently: Last Sunday, June 9th, Darin shared with BCC that our family has been called to a new ministry opportunity at WOCC.  Darin and I had contacted a few really close friends and volunteers to personally notify them prior to the announcement on Sunday.  And while most of the congregation had received a letter from the elders earlier in the week announcing Darin's resignation, it didn't make the announcement any easier on our family as we shared that our last Sunday will be on Sunday, June 30th.  Our entire relationship as a dating and married couple has been during our ministry at BCC, and we've made some pretty amazing friends.  But God is bigger than BCC.  He's bigger than WOCC.  No matter where we "do church", God is in control.  We are all in this together, working to make God's kingdom known on earth.  So even though we are, in a sense, leaving BCC's church family, we will always be part of it.  It doesn't matter where we worship or where we minister.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, working towards a common goal.  And that makes leaving BCC easier.

Our first Sunday at White Oak Christian Church's Ross Campus will be July 14th.  Our family met most of the elders last Wednesday, and we immediately loved them.  We are very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives, and welcome your prayers as we make the transition from BCC to WOCC.  

 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

~Matthew 28:19-20 (emphasis mine)

The two most important words in these verses, in my opinion, are "therefore go."  Because of Jesus' authority, and because of everything He has taught us, we are to simply "go".  To obey His commands.  To obey the calling He puts on our lives.  This isn't always easy, and it's certainly not always what we have planned for our own lives.  But I believe that God's blessings flow when we are obedient to Him.

I hope that I have conveyed to all of of you how the Holy Spirit has been moving in our lives.  To God be the glory!